How common is it for hatcheries get the sex wrong?

[Penguinsmom]

My friend got 4 EE roosters out of 7 "ameraucana pullets".

Oh no!!!

 

[ForFlocksSake]

The usual rule-of-thumb is that the people sexiing chicks at the hatchery are about 90% accurate. Mixing bins can only be an issue if one bin is supposed to be "pulltes" and the other bin is supposed to be "straight run". Our local feed store never orders straight run.

When I buy chicks it is to get new genetics so I hope for a rooster in the mix..

Might I suggest checking out your local TSC then

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Since it's important to me to get pullets I A) wouldn't go to TSC if it was the last place on earth and B) stick with Privett. In 20years they've never sent a cockerel. I order through my local feed store and they have an (unlike TSC,) excellent process. They only let 1 person at a time in the chick room. I ordered directly from another hatchery and got a cockeral, proving I need to stick with what works.

 

[Sally PB]

Direct from the hatcheries I’ve actually had 100% accuracy.

I got "an extra" with my order of Bielefelder pullets (Biels are autosexing at hatch, by color). It had the same markings, but I fear it's a cockerel of another breed. Female Biels are the chipmunk stripe pattern, males are blond with a light headspot. A lot of other breeds are chipmunk markings for both sexes at hatch.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I got "an extra" with my order of Bielefelder pullets (Biels are autosexing at hatch, by color). It had the same markings, but I fear it's a cockerel of another breed. Female Biels are the chipmunk stripe pattern, males are blond with a light headspot. A lot of other breeds are chipmunk markings for both sexes at hatch.

Oh no! I hope it’s a female. I got an extra once too and it was a female of one of the same breeds I had ordered.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

Yup I got 6 chicks from TSC and ended up with 3 cockerels. Most likely won't do that again.

These are among some of the Tractor Supply mix-ups that I have experienced:

• When we were relatively new to chickens, we ordered ten sexed California Gray pullets from Tractor Supply. Only five turned out to be California Grays, while the other five were heavily mixed. One of the mixed breeds was a very human-aggressive cockerel.
• I purchased three Buff Orpingtons, and one turned out to be a Delaware. I also bought some Welsummers at around the same time, and they grew up to be of poor quality in appearance.
• When I was at Tractor Supply one day, I noticed that there were overly-large yellow chicks in the bantam bin that were hanging around the feeder a bit too much. I figured they were Cornish Cross that had gotten thrown into the bantam bin as extra chicks because they had no where else to put them. When we asked an employee why there were meat birds in the bantam bin, they said they were Buff Orpingtons. I looked at the Buff Orpington bin that was close, and they were no where near in the feather color or size of the others.
• I bought three Speckled Sussex "premium pullets", and I am pretty sure that one is going to be a premium cockerel.

 

[Sally PB]

Oh no! I hope it’s a female. I got an extra once too and it was a female of one of the same breeds I had ordered.

Mine are from Mt Healthy, and someone on BYC said that they give you an extra of whatever you ordered.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this is not a Bielefelder pullet, but I will be VERY HAPPY to be wrong.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Mine are from Mt Healthy, and someone on BYC said that they give you an extra of whatever you ordered.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this is not a Bielefelder pullet, but I will be VERY HAPPY to be wrong.

Huh, hopefully you are wrong then! I got mine from Meyer twice and Ideal once. All pullets except five straight run bantams from Ideal and only got one cockerel. I think the cockerel was the extra since I had only ordered 4 so I got very lucky. Then again I had one pullet that was black or mostly black (supposed to be birchen BCs) so she could have been the extra too lol but yeah. The other 4 pullets from them and all my Meyer orders were 100% accurate. I did also order hatching eggs from Meyer though and got like 8 out of 9 cockerels so not always great luck lmao but that’s not their fault. Just funny coincidence.