Read before choosing EE chicks at feed store (Updated posts 8 and 15)

[BFeathered]

I can almost guarantee that any "packing peanuts" for "added warmth" will be cockerels... the hatcheries are in it for the money. That's called "business"... JMHO

 

[ghulst]

We ship what the store orders. We never put in xtra cockerals. We fill many orders that go all over the country. www.townlinehatchery.com

 

[turtleblossom]

ghulst,
I checked out the website that you gave the link to, and they are selling EE's as Auracanas. Why??? It is obvious that several commercial hatchery owners are watching the BYC boards. You see the confusion that is created by the misrepresentation of Easter Eggers as either Ameraucanas or Auracanas. Why sell mutts as a pure breed?

 

[lisahaschickens]

I don't understand why the thread title is "read before choosing EE chicks" and then it's a rant about too many males at feed stores in general and nothing is mentioned about EEs in general? I don't understand the connection between the title and the thread.

 

[Zenbirder]

Quote:
Sorry about that, I changed the original title to the one showing now. I originally thought that the reason I got so many cockerels was "possibly" because the bad economic times led some hatcheries to put more cockerel chicks in with the pullet orders sent to feed stores (rather than customers who would complain). I was asking if anyone had a similar problem.

Now with my EE chicks, I am leaning toward another reason I got so many cockerels. I do think there is some kind of link between color and sex in these hatchery chicks. I chose chicks by hand from the huge bunch in the feed store. I purposefully chose EE chicks that were the complete range of coloration from nearly blond to nearly black. Ninety-five percent of the chicks there were nearly all the same patterning and had roughly the same light and dark patches on them. When I chose out of that 5% or less that had more solid coloring I ended up with those chicks being cockerels. This is why I am warning people who must end up with hens to NOT choose EE chicks that are at either extreme of coloration - DO choose from the pullets that all look more alike than not. My pullets that started out looking so similar still have a good range of color now that they have feathered out.

 

[cluckychick]

I got 1 I think out of 24 that may be a cockrel. Its a SLW. I was lucky in the affect that I got first dibs at the chicks. They came straight from the PO and I helped the employees put them in their tanks and I choose the ones I wanted.

Atleast noone had handled them first, I was glad about that.

 

[HennyPennies2007]

My beef is the stupid people who let their kids play in the chicks.... I think a lot of them get mixed up that way too. I saw one guy tell his wife to give a chick to their 2 year old to hold.... she told him no, that the kid would choke it to death....His reply? "So."

 

[hoppy]

here's a thought, you blame the hatchery for the miss sexing, but what about the feed store. cockerals are less money and if they oops and you get a few cockerals in your pullets, you'd blame the hatchery not the store because they don't sex the chicks, the hatchery does. I know it's bad for business but some might do this.
some hatcheries add extra cockerals in case a few die in shipment too. so if you lost a few, the survivors might be the extra males- you know they wouldn't send extra pullets.

 

[lildinkem]

Last year I bought 10 Hatchery STRAIGHT RUN Barred Rock chicks, and had one die. And ALL 9 were cockerels. I culled 4, and was able to trade the 3 back for 3 pullets and bought 2 more pullets when I did that.
So, maybe there are some Hatchery's who know and turn their head away when loading a cockerel. In my case I did go in and buy straight run. Which means no guarantees. But, you would hope that there is at least as many cockerels to pullets
The 2 BR's cockerels I kept are very nice and big. And friendly
good luck

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