Sexing Baby Chicks

[mylilchix]

How do you do it? I received my Ideal Poultry order today, and they sent me a straight run instead of the pullet run like I had ordered. Ideal is sending me a new batch, but I'm trying to figure out how to tell what this order has.

Thanks for the help!!! Sonja

 

[smom1976]

wow so you are getting an entire new batch.. what are you going to do with all those chickens?

 

[mylilchix]

Not quite sure yet! We have 18 now, so I'm thinking of giving a few away. I have a friend who was interested in getting chicks, so I've offered a few to her. We really don't want any roosters, so I'd like to be able to figure it out now. I'm hoping I can cancel the order if we did end up with all little girls.

Sonja

 

[crooked stripe]

I can't help you on the sexing question but have bought females a couple times from a hatchery. They only guarantee 80% of the females they send to be female. My last order was 4 females and received 2 females and 2 males. By the time I could tell, I called the hatchery and they said they would send 2 females free but I didn't want to deal with the different ages. I already had 8 from a previous order of 15 straight runs. Seven turned out to be roos and I had to deal with that problem. If I had know of the 80% rule I would have just ordered females. For 4 bucks I just let it go and gave the roos away. It was at least 6 weeks before I could tell the difference. Good luck on all your chicks. John
Edited to add I have never read or seen a guaranteed way of sexing day olds.

 

[nakactress]

Where are you? I wouldn't mind some if your close.

 

[tororider]

Somebody else might be able to tell you where you can find out the details but you are supposed to be able to sex them by looking at the feathers on their wing tips as day olds. I saw it on a show about hatcheries. Good Luck.

 

[clarkestep]

If you do a forum search on vent sexing chicks or maybe Dirty Jobs you will find a post that someone posted a link to a Dirty Jobs clip on sexing chicks. I saw the clip but need to see it again.

I think you have to squeeze the butt a liitle to make sure to get rid of a poopie. Then you spread the butt open a little. If there is a lump/bump I think it is a boy. If it doesn't I think it is a girl. I could be backwards though. I've got to find it again, too, as I have babies hatching as we speak! If I can find it I will try to post a link to it for you.

JC

 

[clarkestep]

I saw that too. But then I found a place online that said that it doesn't work for all kinds of birds. If it does, I think the females have short, long, short feathers. Males I think have all the same length.
I was quite bummed when I found out it may not work for all birds.
Quote:

 

[mylilchix]

We're about 45 minutes west of Denver in the foothills. The bad thing about this is when Ideal pulled my order it was supposed to be only pullets, and they made the error while boxing the order. So, if you order pullets there's still a 20% chance of getting some males?

 

[clarkestep]

Found it. Search Dirty Jobs. Then go down to the thread 'sexing chicks????????' at about the 17th post someone posted a link to the clip.

Hope this helps!

JC