Please! Hatchery that sells sexed Bantam chicks!

[keesmom]

They would probably be good in soup. There are people around here that want bantam cockerels for eating.

 

[Rochafam4]

@pederslilfarm did you order from Crackle Hatchery? I was also looking for Pullet Bantams and came across your post. I'm thinking about ordering from them as well but wanted to know how accurate the sexing was. Thanks!!

 

[user213590]

I know that the hatcheries don't like to sex bantams for a myriad of reasons, but I have been the victim of buying 5 chicks and having them all be roosters, more than once. These might help:

 If you find a local hardware store, feed store, or local breeder/ neighbor where they have bantam varieties, you can try one of two things to improve your chances of getting the gender you desire: 

If you can see them within a day or 2 of hatch, see if the clerk/breeder is willing to "flip the chick" (or let you).  Cradling the chick in the palm of one hand , place the other had on the chick's back, with forefinger one side of chick's neck, remaining fingers on other to support the chick, gently turn it over belly up (Straight back, not side over ) Effectively you are transferring the chick into the palm of the other hand.  (Hang on, they will wiggle!)   Be sure to keep fingers and hands away from it's feet.  If the chick pulls both feet in towards it's abdomen, there is a good chance of it being a pullet.  If it immediately sticks ONE foot out into the air, it's likely a rooster.  THIS IS NOT GUARANTEED but it generally works well for me (and a few other chicken people I know.) 

If the chicks are a few days old the first method is far less accurate, but generally at that age the last 3 or 4 feathers on the wingtip will be markedly longer than feathers closer to the elbow on most males, where the tips of the wings on females tend to grow out more evenly.  Again, NOT GUARANTEED, but accurate enough to share with cursory disclaimers.

Hope that helps.  I only know that if someone had shown me these things a long time ago my life with chickens would have been a LOT less stressful!

Hello, well... I have tried all these and more and I discovered it depends on the Breed. I know there is a lady in our country, she wrote the book on her specialty and I mean that literally. She has girls with spurs. I love the fact the girls are even laying already and they have spurs.

I know your methods dont say check for spurs because they are quite young, the chicks you mention.

Even chicken savy people have have a difficult time separating the roos from the gals. So dont be upset with the seller. They too are just as bewildered at times. It is not as cut and dry as some claim because of the different breeds.

The facts are there are different breeds so what might work for one breed may not work for another. And even all methods and ideas can still be wrong.

I try and avoid pushy loud mouth know it alls that know nothing, and I appreciated your not being one. I also appreciate your ideas. So thank you for the way you delivered your ideas, so humble, how refreshing. Thank you again.