Opinions please......"straight run"

[MangerSainFarms]

For the first time I got birds out of state via mail carrier services. Breed I really wanted. Question is this......I inquired about sexed birds and the breeder insured she only sold straight run chicks. So I went ahead and placed an order for 12 chicks (day old). Of these twelve chicks one died for reasons unknown. The rest have grown out. I currently have 8 roosters and 3 pullets...... My question is did I get tricked and allowed someone to pawn off their cockerels on me or is this just by chance the ratio I got ?

Most birds I purchase, I'm able to buy sexed birds or choose my own birds from the lot.

Thanks in advance for opinions.

 

[justplainbatty]

For the first time I got birds out of state via mail carrier services. Breed I really wanted. Question is this......I inquired about sexed birds and the breeder insured she only sold straight run chicks. So I went ahead and placed an order for 12 chicks (day old). Of these twelve chicks one died for reasons unknown. The rest have grown out. I currently have 8 roosters and 3 pullets...... My question is did I get tricked and allowed someone to pawn off their cockerels on me or is this just by chance the ratio I got ?

Most birds I purchase, I'm able to buy sexed birds or choose my own birds from the lot.

Thanks in advance for opinions.

Well, I think you misunderstood. Sexed birds are just that, sexed. Even then mistakes can be made. Straight run means totally un-sexed. they just throw in a dozen of whatever and you get what you get unfortunately.

 

[Michael OShay]

Well, I think you misunderstood. Sexed birds are just that, sexed. Even then mistakes can be made. Straight run means totally un-sexed. they just throw in a dozen of whatever and you get what you get unfortunately.

X2 on justplainbatty. If you order straight run, they are placed in the shipping box as they hatched out (unsexed). Normally the ratio of pullets to cockerels should be somewhat close to 50/50 but of course this is strictly a random thing and they don't always turn out that way. In fact oftentimes (too often to be a coincidence I believe) chick orders turn out to have considerable more cockerels than pullets, and I suspect that some of the numerous left over cockerels from pullet orders get tossed in with the straight run orders. Also, the packing peanuts in smaller chick orders are almost always cockerels. That's the reason why I've only ordered pullets in lots of 25 over the past few decades (even if I don't need that many). Since I have the order form to prove that I ordered pullets, I've never had any problems selling off the extra chicks and recouping my money. I also always turn down the free "surprise" chick that some hatcheries offer with an order as they usually turn out to be cockerels as well.

 

[georgiagail]

First chicks we ever purchased (local) were straight run and I knew they were unsexed. We purchased a dozen as I figured we'd get six hens and six roosters and I'd give away the roosters since we live in the city.

Turns out nine ended up being roosters (go figure!). Just the way it happens sometimes.

Gail