Our Egg Hatching thread! Hatch: Nov. 7th (Hatching Video PG 57)

[Jamie821]

I am hatching welsummers. Its not a definite but most of the time the pullets have a v on their heads and the roos dont or the v is very blurry. Also I use the wing method the quill coming out of the wing on roos is even and the pullets are uneven. This is one of the ways hatchiers sex theirs

 

[Riocotesei]

What is this quil method you speak of? Could you do a picture reference?

 

[kodiakchicken]

Quote:
There's actually a you-tube video that someone posted earlier (on a different, completely unrelated thread) that shows the wing sexing. It's a Dirty Jobs episode, and they show it really clearly. Search for Dirty Jobs, chick sexing.

 

[kodiakchicken]

Well, I candled again when I got home from work and then I pulled out all the duds and quitters. I still have nine moving chicks. They are really, really getting big!!! I almost wonder if I'm going to have an early hatch they are so big in there.

I did have one that was unfertilized, one with a blood ring (what is that, exactly?), and two that looked like they made it to about day 2-4 and quit. My daughters had me open all the eggs up. The two embryos that died were probably about 2 days apart. The first one was tiny and still really whitish, the other a bit bigger and darker. Really interesting, but I still feel sorry for them for not making it. Kind of sad. Wish I could know why.

I doubt I'll do much candling now, just because the chicks are getting so big I can see. Will stop turn on election day - that's easy to remember!

Have I said lately - I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Now I'm starting to worry that something will go wrong during hatch. It's going to be soooo stressfull!

 

[Riocotesei]

Quote:
There's actually a you-tube video that someone posted earlier (on a different, completely unrelated thread) that shows the wing sexing. It's a Dirty Jobs episode, and they show it really clearly. Search for Dirty Jobs, chick sexing.

I have dialup

 

[MichiganWoods]

Oh my gosh, this video showed clearly how to sex, and it is so super easy to identify females versus males now.

Mind you, the video is of a mass production hatchery where the chicks are on conveyor belts and such, but if you can watch it without it making you too upset, here's the link .

You don't have to watch the video to get the gist though. You spread one of the wings out and you look at the length of two rows of the quill feathers. If they are all the same length, they are roos. If some are long and some are short (looks to be in a pattern of one long, one short, one long, one short etc), they are pullets. Can't get any easier than that. Thank you to the folk who mentioned that method!

kodiakchicken, I can't wait either!

But I know what you mean about being sad for the quitters. I don't know that I will candle much either now, because yes, they are getting so big. Just a little over a week now!!

Riocotesei, my oldest daughter has been begging me for a dog. I keep reminding her that we have four cats though, and a bunch of chickens on the verge of arriving.

Besides... a chihuahua wouldn't be much help in protecting the chickens.

 

[Jamie821]

The reason I knew how and mentioned it was I dated a guy once that use to go all over to the hatcheries and sex their chicks. He showed me how years ago and now when tractor supply here gets their chicks for easter I go over and sex them for them. Once you see it it is so easy. I like it for the fact that if I go to pick out chicks when I come home I have all pullets.

 

[1chickescapes]

Thank you for giving us that web site. I guess I know what I'll be doing today. Checking what sex my little fuzzy butts are

Great video. thank you

Does this method work for older chicks too? Have a few that I don't know what sex they are. They aren't crowing, but not old enough to lay either. Thanks in advance.

 

[Jamie821]

yes it works but you have to look at the feathers to see if the feathers are straight roo if they are uneven pullet. look at two rows but you have to straighten out their wing.

 

[greathorse]

Does it work on all chicks or just those bred for that link? I know nothing,but read everything I can find and it was my impression that the wing feather sexing was dependent on a sex link breeding much like the color. Maybe I am mistaken