I somehow only hatch roosters

[Fullcrazy]

I tried incubating this year. First batch was rough, the Guage was off and I didn't have a 2nd one in there. 2 hatched, 1 was picked off by a fox (we lost about 15 this spring, in a few days, but the run is sorted now) the other is a nice little roo. Second hatch went well. Some sex link, and random other barnyard mixes. Out of the sex link ones, 5 were roos and 1 was a hen. In the fox issue, I lost the hen and 3 little roos. I've got 10 chicks about 10 weeks old, and I think they are all roosters. I'm 11/11 roosters. It's just absolutely insane that I won't get a single hen from these hatches! It makes me wonder if hatching eggs even makes sense, or if I should just pay for started pullets.

 

[Fullcrazy]

I like getting the boys.
I don't buy sexed chicks because I know what will happen to the cockerels in that group.
Every new cockerel is a joy to me.
I'm eagerly waiting on my two young cockerels to start crowing.

However if you're only getting cockerels - it would make sense to get some sexed chicks to even it out a bit.

Want mine? I've got 11 you can have

 

[Ridgerunner]

Will I ever get to the point to be comfortable with it?

It's hard to talk about the emotions involved. Some people can't kill them, they just can't. They may be OK processing them after they are dead or maybe not. We are all different.

I raise mine for meat so killing them is part of that. If I didn't eat them I would not have chickens. I don't enjoy the killing part bu I can do it and am comfortable I can do it effectively, quick and sure so there is no real suffering. The way I look at it they have a great life and then one bad moment. I try to make that one moment as brief as I can.

 

[neo71665]

Fill the freezer up

 

[The Happster]

I like getting the boys.
I don't buy sexed chicks because I know what will happen to the cockerels in that group.
Every new cockerel is a joy to me.
I'm eagerly waiting on my two young cockerels to start crowing.

However if you're only getting cockerels - it would make sense to get some sexed chicks to even it out a bit.

 

[Fullcrazy]

This will put me at 13 roosters... Ffs. Just so disappointing. What an absolute waste of time this year has been across the board.

 

[Fullcrazy]

Three of the four in the center photo are definitely male, the other one probably is. The others all look male too.

You seem to have hit the jackpot on bad luck. I've had individual hatches that were heavily tilted to either male or female. I've had years that close to 2/3 of what I hatch are one sex or the other. I usually hatch around 45 chicks a year for comparison. Some individual hatches may be 80% one sex or the other. I once got 7 out of 7 pullets on a straight run order from a hatchery. Odds against that were over 100 to 1. That's what each hatch is, it's just odds. I would not waste money on a lottery ticket if I were you.

A few times I've totaled up my hatches over a two year period, around 90 chicks. it's always been really close to 50-50. But that doesn't tell you anything about what your next hatch will be.

I've never had more than 50% male, and it's

I use broody hens and usually just buy them sexed chicks at the feed store. Its a win/win as they get to raise babies, the chicks are incredibly happy with a real mama, and I get to add the gender/breeds I want with no guessing.

This year with the chick shortage I bought 3 chicks from a local breeder then let my bantam hatch out 4 of her own eggs (she is a first time broody). That netted me two bantam pullets and FOUR extra cockerels. Sigh. I am keeping them all but won't be buying unsexed chicks or hatching out any eggs for a very long time.

I've used broodies before, but I didn't have a broody, so used the incubator.

 

[hysop]

This will put me at 13 roosters... Ffs. Just so disappointing. What an absolute waste of time this year has been across the board.

I’m not sure if you’re planning on filling your freezer with them or not, but with the whole talk of this will be a dark winter, some homegrown meat in the freezer will be nice.

 

[Fullcrazy]

I tried incubating this year. First batch was rough, the Guage was off and I didn't have a 2nd one in there. 2 hatched, 1 was picked off by a fox (we lost about 15 this spring, in a few days, but the run is sorted now) the other is a nice little roo. Second hatch went well. Some sex link, and random other barnyard mixes. Out of the sex link ones, 5 were roos and 1 was a hen. In the fox issue, I lost the hen and 3 little roos. I've got 10 chicks about 10 weeks old, and I think they are all roosters. I'm 11/11 roosters. It's just absolutely insane that I won't get a single hen from these hatches! It makes me wonder if hatching eggs even makes sense, or if I should just pay for started pullets.

Ignore the very obvious roosters in the back of the top picture, those aren't in question at all

 

[Ridgerunner]

Three of the four in the center photo are definitely male, the other one probably is. The others all look male too.

You seem to have hit the jackpot on bad luck. I've had individual hatches that were heavily tilted to either male or female. I've had years that close to 2/3 of what I hatch are one sex or the other. I usually hatch around 45 chicks a year for comparison. Some individual hatches may be 80% one sex or the other. I once got 7 out of 7 pullets on a straight run order from a hatchery. Odds against that were over 100 to 1. That's what each hatch is, it's just odds. I would not waste money on a lottery ticket if I were you.

A few times I've totaled up my hatches over a two year period, around 90 chicks. it's always been really close to 50-50. But that doesn't tell you anything about what your next hatch will be.