Pendulum test, day 1... * 7-WEEK UPDATE *

[jossanne]

I got an order from Ideal yesterday with 10 blue bantam cochin babies, straight run, and 14 BR or BSL packing peanuts. I "sexed" them using the pendulum method, and will continue to post updates on this thread through the next few weeks. Let's see if this theory works...

I threaded a medium-sized needle with sewing thread. One at a time, I held each chick in my hand and held the end of the thread with the needle above the chick's back, as still as I could make it. The needle started to move on its own, circles for girls, and back and forth for boys. I marked all males with a black sharpie on the middle toe on the left foot. I re-tested each chick several times, and my husband also tested each chick, with the same results every time.

All 14 BR's are boys. Of the ten cochin babies, 5 are males and 5 are females. Judging by beginnings of wing feathers, there are 6 splash babies, 4 boys and 2 girls. There are 4 blue babies, 1 boy and 3 girls.

I also used this method on myself for each of my 6 pregnancies through the years, and it was always right. Last night, I held the needle above the head and then the left wrist of each of my family members, and it swung in a straight line on all of the boys, and swung in a circle for my daughter and me. My husband also tested each of us, and it was right for him every time.

I am taking pictures of each chick this morning, marking the test results on each picture. Should I do anything else to make this more "scientific?"

 

[BFeathered]

Can't wait to see how this works! I still think you're a genius for thinking to use this on chickens- I've only ever used it on humans- quite accurately!

 

[jossanne]

Quote:
Wish I could claim the idea as my own... lots of people on here have tried it on their chickens before me. But thanks, it is really great being called a genius occasionally!

 

[MichiganWoods]

Thanks for posting this, jossanne! Do you think it will work for hatching eggs?

 

[jossanne]

I was reading a thread on here last night that was like 7 pages long, about a woman who tested it with hatching eggs. She had 23 in her bator, 11 tested one way, 12 the other. She only had 3 hatch, from eggs marked girl, and all 3 were girls. It's worth a try!

Someone else said they tested their hatching eggs, and any that tested boy, she broke open and turned into scrambled eggs. Except one, I think she kept it as a control. There was also one that was indecisive, and she also kept it. I think she had 12 eggs total hatch, and the only boys were the undecided egg and the one she marked as boy.

 

[cthrash1]

I think I'll try this when my eggs hatch.... MichiganWoods, there is a member who has used this method on her/his eggs and it works every time. Can't remember who it was as it was not long after I joined.

 

[Chicabee19]

As usual, I am interested in the science behind the success of this method!

 

[Bandana]

We all give off magnetic energy. Some of us are a little whacked when it comes to this type of energy. For instance, I don’t wear a watch, because they always lose time on me. They completely stop, on my dad. He used to wear one for a few days, then leave it on his dresser for a couple of days to let it wake back up. Then he’d reset it and wear it again.

I’m thinking it may have something to do with this magnetism we all give off. I’ve heard of this test having been done many times, and it’s always done with a metal object. A sewing needle, or a wedding band, etc.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

It has been my experience that this method is about 85 % correct on average. I have used it for the past 6 months or so and am surprised at how accurate it actually is. Never tried it on eggs though

will have to do that soon...

 

[MichiganWoods]

OK well... I just did this test on my eggs. That is crazy that the needle even sort of drifts towards the eggs at an angle if I'm not holding it directly over them.

Let's see how this turns out for me.

My Rhode Island White eggs:

3 hens, 2 roos

My Easter Egger eggs:

6 hens, 3 roos

I'll mark the ones I think are roos when they hatch and see how it all turns out.