Oh Boy, Here We Go Again....

[salt and pepper]

That was what I was thinking, is there any way to sex week olds?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yeah, some chicks are just harder to raise than others. There can be a lot of different reasons for that. It could be heredity, nutrition of the parents, breed, who knows what. I’ll give a recent example.

I hardly ever lose a chick I hatch, either with a broody or with an incubator and a brooder. I recently hatched chicks and lost a few in the brooder. Some of those chicks came from regular sized eggs with mature hens. Some were from those small pullet eggs. Same basic genetics, nutrition, all that, just they were smaller because they were from pullet eggs. I did not lose all the ones from the pullet eggs but every one I lost was from pullet eggs. By pullet egg, I mean eggs where the pullet had been laying a month or less. When they hatched those chicks were very small compared to the ones from the regular eggs.

It’s impossible for us to be able to tell you why you had a higher mortality with one specific breed. There are just so many possible causes, including just pure bad luck.

I can’t add anything to what Dredt is saying about which ones to pick. Definitely look for the active ones.

Good luck with it.

 

[salt and pepper]

Thank you. I am going to try ameraucanas again, and if these don't make it, I'll try a different breed. Is there any way to sex week old chicks?

 

[happybooker1]

Short answer -- No. You can try every method on the Internet and you'll be right -- oh, about 50% of the time. LOL.

I *think* you can sex them @ 4-5 weeks just by comb growth. You'll be right then about 80% of the time. At least in my limited experience. All the chicks that had comb growth @ that age and were 'chest bumping' and flying @ each other were Roo's.

 

[salt and pepper]

hmmmm, I already have too many roosters... at a week will pullets have more feathers than the males?

 

[salt and pepper]

So you advice I get them at a week old, instead of newly hatched?

 

[BlazeJester]

Unless he's breeding for feather sexing you cannot assume that fast-feathering chicks are female. If he's working toward breed improvement, there's no way he's selecting for feather sexing. The genetics are complicated and difficult to attain, which is why just anyone cannot sex chicks.

There's vent sexing, but it takes a trained eye to do it properly. It sounds like your breeder doesn't do very well, so you should probably accept that you're going to get a straight run and make a plan for the cockerels. They make good roasters around 16 weeks.

I think the suggestion about age is that you wait until after the chicks have depleted the energy stores from their yolk sac and are eating and drinking. This way you can choose ones that are actively eating and drinking, and avoid ones that do not. At a week old, the ones that do not start eating and drinking or are otherwise unthrifty will likely have died.

 

[salt and pepper]

Thank you... I will be getting them the first day, I had to decide. Wish me luck! I'll try to pick the more active ( if any are active) and more female-ish looking chicks! I'll tell you how it works out =)

 

[salt and pepper]

I'm really nervous... I DON'T want sick chicks again, but this is what would work the best for my schedule. The breeder is being very kind, as he already has many orders for this batch, but is still making sure I get some. There is no guarantee that there will be chicks left at all in a week, so I need to get them while I can. Thank you for the advice, I'll have to post pictures when I get the chicks!
I will try to make their trip as stressless as possible, do you think putting a hot water bottle in the box would be a good idea? (for warmth and comfort) does any body have any more advice to help get these chicks to survive? I wish I could wait, but he might no even have chicks left by the time I can go there in a week. His chicks sell fast!

 

[dretd]

I'm really nervous... I DON'T want sick chicks again, but this is what would work the best for my schedule. The breeder is being very kind, as he already has many orders for this batch, but is still making sure I get some. There is no guarantee that there will be chicks left at all in a week, so I need to get them while I can. Thank you for the advice, I'll have to post pictures when I get the chicks!
 I will try to make their trip as stressless as possible, do you think putting a hot water bottle in the box would be a good idea? (for warmth and comfort) does any body have any more advice to help get these chicks to survive? I wish I could wait, but he might no even have chicks left by the time I can go there in a week. His chicks sell fast!

Since I don't know your weather conditions and drive length, it's hard to advise. Warmth is good but you don't want it tipping and rolling on them so you will have to use your judgement. I always put a small stuffed animal in the carrier so they have something to cuddle against. My favorite is a rather fluffy swan.

When you get them home get them in the brooder and i always dip their beaks in the water so they know where it is. If they havent figured out the food after a while, I put my finger by the food and tap the ground. It seems to mimic a hen pecking and they may come to investigate. Good luck!