SE WA Guy
Chirping
- May 14, 2020
- 67
- 122
- 63
Hey all.
About a week ago I had a post asking for help sexing some EE’s I had gotten. Turns out all were males. My first members of my backyard flock had to go. It was devastating to have to rehome them and start fresh. We’d raised those birds for nearly two months, and they all ended up being cockerels. All the time and energy and attachment went up in smoke.
If I had to do it over again, here’s what I’d watch out for:
I got the birds for free from a craigslist ad. I now know this to be a major red flag. Due to covid, there was a massive run on chicks in my area, and feed stores could not keep them stocked. In my rush to get started, I found a listing on CL and got myself five free baby chicks.
We set them up in a brooder for two weeks and then moved them outside. We cared for them daily and gave them the best life possible. It was all too good to be true. And turns out, it was too good to be true.
The first night, my little cockerels trampled and killed their hatch mate. So right off, their aggression was worrying, but I know chickens peck when no one is looking, so we doubled our efforts to make sure they behaved. But the rooster-ish behavior only continued. They fought constantly. And finally, when their feathers and combs came in, we knew they had to go.
Only in retrospect does is occur to me that nobody right now was simply giving chicks away. The original owner could’ve listed them for $10-$30 per with how scarce chicks are. But in doing that, they might’ve attracted somebody that would’ve known how to vent sex a chick before buying. Instead, they found a sap like me that jumped at the chance to have chicks. For all I know, this person could’ve had several more chicks and had vent sexed them personally and just wanted to be rid of the boys without the guilt of culling them. It’s just too highly improbable for us to not get at least a 50/50 shot at a hen.
But all’s we’ll that ends well. The feed stores did eventually restock. We now have two Barred Rocks and five Delaware ladies. And we get to watch them enjoy their new home anew. And I happen to know a person that free ranges about 20 turkeys and 30 chickens on his property. So he wasn’t put out at having four new guardsmen around to help fend off cats and raccoons.
I do have to give myself some credit though. We built a great coop before acquiring chicks. I’m a bit obsessive about my yard and garden, so I spent more than I should’ve to make a permanent fixture in our yard that the chicks will love and that looks good to the eye. So at least I didn’t panic and grab chicks with nothing more than a plastic tub to hold them in lol.
So my lesson learned is this - be patient. Buy from a store that has bought from a hatchery that sexes chicks ahead of time. Or be even more patient and buy from a hatchery direct and get exactly what you want.
Don’t be impatient and put yourself through the separation I put my family through. Not recommended.
About a week ago I had a post asking for help sexing some EE’s I had gotten. Turns out all were males. My first members of my backyard flock had to go. It was devastating to have to rehome them and start fresh. We’d raised those birds for nearly two months, and they all ended up being cockerels. All the time and energy and attachment went up in smoke.
If I had to do it over again, here’s what I’d watch out for:
I got the birds for free from a craigslist ad. I now know this to be a major red flag. Due to covid, there was a massive run on chicks in my area, and feed stores could not keep them stocked. In my rush to get started, I found a listing on CL and got myself five free baby chicks.
We set them up in a brooder for two weeks and then moved them outside. We cared for them daily and gave them the best life possible. It was all too good to be true. And turns out, it was too good to be true.
The first night, my little cockerels trampled and killed their hatch mate. So right off, their aggression was worrying, but I know chickens peck when no one is looking, so we doubled our efforts to make sure they behaved. But the rooster-ish behavior only continued. They fought constantly. And finally, when their feathers and combs came in, we knew they had to go.
Only in retrospect does is occur to me that nobody right now was simply giving chicks away. The original owner could’ve listed them for $10-$30 per with how scarce chicks are. But in doing that, they might’ve attracted somebody that would’ve known how to vent sex a chick before buying. Instead, they found a sap like me that jumped at the chance to have chicks. For all I know, this person could’ve had several more chicks and had vent sexed them personally and just wanted to be rid of the boys without the guilt of culling them. It’s just too highly improbable for us to not get at least a 50/50 shot at a hen.
But all’s we’ll that ends well. The feed stores did eventually restock. We now have two Barred Rocks and five Delaware ladies. And we get to watch them enjoy their new home anew. And I happen to know a person that free ranges about 20 turkeys and 30 chickens on his property. So he wasn’t put out at having four new guardsmen around to help fend off cats and raccoons.
I do have to give myself some credit though. We built a great coop before acquiring chicks. I’m a bit obsessive about my yard and garden, so I spent more than I should’ve to make a permanent fixture in our yard that the chicks will love and that looks good to the eye. So at least I didn’t panic and grab chicks with nothing more than a plastic tub to hold them in lol.
So my lesson learned is this - be patient. Buy from a store that has bought from a hatchery that sexes chicks ahead of time. Or be even more patient and buy from a hatchery direct and get exactly what you want.
Don’t be impatient and put yourself through the separation I put my family through. Not recommended.
