Sold 3 wk old sexed chicks based on wings?

[ecogirl2206]

Total noob. Saw an ad for 3 week old sexed chicks so I thought perfect...as a beginner I don't have to worry about fragile day olds or mail order. I go to pick them up a young boy is pulling them out looking at their wings. I ask what he's doing and hes telling the boys from the girls based on wing feather length...at three weeks old. It sounded kinda legit and I was out there so I took 8 home. 4 Easter eggers, 1 buff orpington, 1 australorp, 1 rir and 1 light Brahma. Of note every single chick he looked at happened to be female. Now that they're home I'm really worried I got basically straight run and will end up with roos which I can't legally have, nor do they have a place in my forever flock for eggs only...i don't believe in animal slaughter so the thought of having roos to dispose of is really upsetting me. Anyone know...can those breeds be sexed by wing feather length at 3 weeks old?

Also should I wake them up to handle them or do they sleep all night long?

 

[junebuggena]

No. They cannot be sexed by wing feathers at all, at any age. Feather sexing only works in very specific circumstances, when a very specific set of genes are at play. Post some pics. I'm pretty good at sexing Easter Eggers.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I don't think so on any of those breeds.

That said.......males DO tend to feather slower.......so maybe.
never heard of it though.

Can you post pics of the birds?
It is really early to tell for sure but there are a lot of very experienced folks that MAY be able to.

As to waking them.........I wouldn't unless I was checking for mites.

At 3 weeks they still need heat. What is your set up like?

 

[junebuggena]

I would agree. Since your house is what so warm they shouldn't need heat.

We keep our house quite a bit cooler.

Even if the room was only 50*, they wouldn't need extra heat. The room I brood chicks in is a constant 45 to 50, thanks the concrete floor. Mine are always off heat completely by 3 weeks old, and outside in the grow out coop by 4 weeks. They are much tougher than most seem to think.

 

[Harmony Fowl]

Some people will go to their grave convinced of that feather sexing thing. My family does. They check their previous predictions often. Strangely, their predictions always fall 50/50, so of course they’re going to get some right! lol

Maybe he knows something we don’t. Maybe he picks up on other clues that have helped him satisfy previous customers. Let’s hope he guessed well and you have all girls.

 

[debid]

I wish that was the case! He told me his granddad hatched them on the farm. He then "sexes" them at 1-3 weeks based on wing feather length. So I am expecting about 50% cockerels which I have no idea what to do with as a vegetarian....I'll cross that bridge when i get there. Anyone have good luck finding forever homes for roosters? I'd expect thats a pretty hard task!

Do you believe his story? If they were farm chicks, I'd expect them to all have mixed looking traits. Farmers don't separate different breeds, they usually have hybrid layers for production and perhaps a few roosters around to help watch over them. I can't be certain but I don't believe these are farm hatched.

 

[junebuggena]

Ok...I wasn't sure..they don't seem cold they're not chirping, but they do huddle together for sleep time...

Completely normal for them to sleep all piled up. It's more of a comfort thing rather than actually needing to be warm.

 

[debid]

They're still too young to sex and yes, the biggest ones look 3-4 weeks.

I suspect that this kid got a bunch of chicks on clearance sale at the feed store. They often clearance the leftovers to make room for the next shipment. If you're very lucky, he got hatchery sexed pullets and 90% will be female. However, I wouldn't count on it as many feed stores order straight run except for sexlinks.

 

[ecogirl2206]

Haha Good point! Well his story holds little weight with me since 1) sexing info was wrong 2) gave me the wrong breeds 3) ages were not even close to 3 weeks! Total noob here and I was simply too inexperienced to know I was being sold a line. But you're absolutely right. That doesn't make any sense. I doubt granddad has 15 breeding groups separated! That'd be quite a setup! Makes me laugh a full grown adult being hoodwinked by a kid LOL. So maybe I will get all pullets!! Fingers crossed!

 

[debid]

And you are far from the first to be hoodwinked by a Craigslist seller. I see it here ALL THE TIME. And, at least you didn't get a box of sexlink cockerels from someone who got free "males for warmth" and then sold them as pullets to a noob. Yes, I have seen that.