Help - I need to sex my chicks !

[mrszlopez]

I got a White Silky mother hen & her 10 babies from the auction today. I plan to keep a few hens & the mommy & sell the rest of the babies. The only problem i have is i dont know how to sex chicks ! All of the chicks are white. I am wondering how i can sex them ? Ive heard its quite difficult to sex them thru the vent, and i am nervous to try it. Someone help !

 

[Davaroo]

You cannot vent sex them except within the first day or so.

Besides, vent sexing is not an obvious thing and even experts at it get it wrong occasionally.

At this point, you'll have to wait and see who is whom.

 

[Mr_Jeff]

Your pretty much out of luck until they start to develop secondary sex characteristics.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Yeah, what he said.

 

[jobmcd]

I never heard of such a thing as I heard a few weeks ago at the feed store. I overheard and watched an older farmer tell a young girl who just picked up her chicks how to tell the sex. He picked the chick up by the scruff of it's neck (like a kitten/puppy). The chicks that kicked like hell were pullets and the ones that just hung there were cockerels. he said he's done it his entire life and it's 99% guaranteed.

Hope this helps, I couldn't do it to my chicks, didn't want to hurt them.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Quote:
That is false. It is an Old Wive's Tale. There are people on BYC that I remember have had chicks die because of neck and back injuries due to those sexing methods.

 

[luvmychicknkids]

Quote:
I tried this with my mother's chicks when I was at her house a few days ago. I kept my hand RIGHT under their little feet in case they started kicking so I could immediately stop and not hurt them. Anyway, according to that method, my mother has 13 little roo's in her brooder.

I am thinking not. LOL

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
I've heard it the other way round: the kickers are males and the females pull their feet up.
As you can tell from the other responses, it is a fairy tale. People love to tell these things because they are fun and we love a good superstition. We tell them even when we are fairly certain they don't work. Old "wise" country gentlemen especially love to tell them to impressionable young ladies.
Just wait til someone asks how to stop egg eating. You'll hear some doozies then, too.

There are only a couple of ways to determine the sex of any chick with assurance, and this 'aint one of them.

MYTH: B-U-S-T-E-D

 

[Chew593]

Quote:
Yeah, what he said.

Dave you kill me!

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Yeah, what he said.

Dave you kill me!