Sexing chickens on How its made

[real_redhead]

Kids and I were watching "How it's made" tonight and the show was about hatching eggs and what happens after a chick hatches. Poor things being tossed all about. They showed these ladies picking up chicks and checking the wing feathers. If the feathers were all the same length the chick was a hen and if the feathers alternated long short long short it was a roo. Anyone ever heard of this?

BTW watching How It's Made got me started with chickens in the first place watch the show about the poultry houses and the horrible environment!

 

[Fred's Hens]

The strain has to be bred for feather sexing. Not all are. Vent sexing is costly and can only be done by specialists. Feather sexing can apparently be taught to a broad spectrum of workers.

 

[six_eclectic_chickens]

It is a way to sex chickens but as all ways, there are flaws. A rooster might have even feathers and a hen might have uneven feathers. Nothing is 100% at that stage. It is also cruel because often they literaly throw the roosters on the floor to die.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Actually, most of the roosters are usually tossed down a chute where they are euthanized instantly. Not a pretty sight, but ..... at least it is pretty quick.

Perhaps it seems "cruel", but let's deal with the realities. 10's of Millions of hens are needed for the egg industry each year. The egg farmers want zero, zip roosters. 10's of thousands of egg laying hens are desired by the small flock keepers each year. How many roosters do those folks want? A very small, over all percentage.

Thus, 99% of the roosters hatched, there is simply no market. None.

The meat bird hatchery side of things is different. There is no sexing of chicks. They are all intended to be processed within 9 weeks, give or take, both males and females.

 

[real_redhead]

It was pretty unpleasant to watch, my daughter kept commenting that they were hurting the chicks...hubby said see thaty are tougher than you think...before it went any furhter we turned off the TV to eat dinner...I didn't want to see what happened to the roos. Again great reason to be raising my own birds!!