Just so bummed about having too many cockerels and too few pullets

[backyardigans]

Hear me out, I'm just so bummed.

I ordered 10 chicks from Ideal. To my horror, I received 22 chicks -- they had put in 12 extra standard sized males as packing peanuts. After a while, I finally found a new owner for these 12 males on craigslist. I can't have roosters, I have just a regular city backyard and I already have 4 wonderful chickens there.

Now I had 10 bantams left and my kids loved them and started bonding with them. Now they are 6 weeks old and I've been posting pics of them here and asking about their gender. It turns out that I have 7 cockerels and 3 pullets!

So basically I have been feeding and housing 19 cockerels so that I can eventually have 3 pullets! So far they've eaten 100 pounds of starter and caused a lot of extra work. I am just so sad and bummed that after all this work I'll only have 3 girls. I don't think I'm going to buy any more bantam chicks ever unless they can somehow send me certified females.

PS. Anyone need any cockerels in Central Coast of California?

 

[columbiacritter]

The only place that sexes bantams is My Pet Chicken and you pay about $10 more per bird for that service.

It's a roll of the dice when you get straight run, but most of the time you run about 50/50.

 

[backyardigans]

I didn't order from them because I wanted Modern Game and they don't sell any... but I'd be glad to pay that extra $10 just to get girls. Feeding a big bunch of boys gets expensive.