Straight-run orders on sex-linked chicks

[OneLuckyDuck]

I am looking at ordering some sex-linked chicks. They are significantly cheaper when sold as straight run but given the ease of sexing these types I am worried that I will end up with all roos and not a general split. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I am looking at ordering some sex-linked chicks. They are significantly cheaper when sold as straight run but given the ease of sexing these types I am worried that I will end up with all roos and not a general split. Does anyone have experience with this?

Hi there, hope you are enjoying BYC!

I faced this exact dilemma when ordering Bielefelder chicks from Cackle hatchery this year... They are actually auto sexing and NOT sex linked... two different things... auto sexing will breed true in future generations but sex linking will not.

Long story short... I ordered 15, they sent 17... I had 12 survive and my ratio of those is 5 pullets to 7 cockerels.. which is fairly even really. I didn't focus on what the 5 that failed genders were but usually the boys are a tad stronger so presumably more females were in the passing group. They refunded the 3 I had paid for... my shipping route is horrendous.

I would totally order straight run (auto sexing) again and give the hatchery the benefit of the doubt expecting they will get MORE repeat business by being as honest as possible... so shorting us pullet chicks won't benefit them. If you were only getting two or three chicks though... I have ended up with all 3 same gender straight run Silkie chicks... that time was fortunately all girls. My point is you need a large enough sample size for it to even out better. I was both surprised and happy to see the straight run offer at about the same cost as cockerels were going for and less than half the price of the pullets! And they are fantastic birds with overall very impressive qualities... which is NOT something said lightly after raising hundreds of birds in dozen(s) of breeds.

Hope this help... and please report back your result for others who might find this thread in the future with the same question.

 

[OneLuckyDuck]

Hi there, hope you are enjoying BYC!

I faced this exact dilemma when ordering Bielefelder chicks from Cackle hatchery this year... They are actually auto sexing and NOT sex linked... two different things... auto sexing will breed true in future generations but sex linking will not.

Long story short... I ordered 15, they sent 17... I had 12 survive and my ratio of those is 5 pullets to 7 cockerels.. which is fairly even really. I didn't focus on what the 5 that failed genders were but usually the boys are a tad stronger so presumably more females were in the passing group. They refunded the 3 I had paid for... my shipping route is horrendous.

I would totally order straight run (auto sexing) again and give the hatchery the benefit of the doubt expecting they will get MORE repeat business by being as honest as possible... so shorting us pullet chicks won't benefit them. If you were only getting two or three chicks though... I have ended up with all 3 same gender straight run Silkie chicks... that time was fortunately all girls. My point is you need a large enough sample size for it to even out better. I was both surprised and happy to see the straight run offer at about the same cost as cockerels were going for and less than half the price of the pullets! And they are fantastic birds with overall very impressive qualities... which is NOT something said lightly after raising hundreds of birds in dozen(s) of breeds.

Hope this help... and please report back your result for others who might find this thread in the future with the same question.

Opps yes sorry I meant auto -sexing. You answered my question perfectly. Thank you very much. These will be our first chickens and from everything I read and hear I like the breed more and more. I am fighting the urge to order a mixed flock as to be able to focus on this beautiful breed. I really appreciate your reply.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I am fighting the urge to order a mixed flock as to be able to focus on this beautiful breed.

Mixed flock are beautiful eye candy and egg baskets in addition to being loads of fun. Makes it easy to tell everyone apart and who's laying or who might need help after roost tonight. Also gives a chance to see what breed YOU really like. If I hadn't raised so many breeds, I'm sure I wouldn't have the same appreciation for Bielefelder that I do.

If you aren't fully ready to pursue a purpose of processing for the freezer, I might go mixed layer flock and try several of interest. While trying other breeds I still spent boys to the freezer including Silkies, white faced black Spanish.Easter Egger, etc... as well as tried (even focused on several and it's true more breeds led to eventual exhaustion) several DP breed including Orpington,brahma, Marans, and more. If you're gonna keep only one breed, it's gotta be breed YOU love..

Wasn't sure how I would feel about the Auto sexing... but I love it at this point in my adventure.

Best wishes on a wonderful adventure of your own!

 

[OneLuckyDuck]

I ended up going with the Bielefelder, Welsummer, and the Blue laced red wyandotte for now. Goal is mostly fun and eggs but filling the freezer is not out of the question especially if I get a mean rooster.

 

[ChickenLittle5]

Hi there, hope you are enjoying BYC!

I faced this exact dilemma when ordering Bielefelder chicks from Cackle hatchery this year... They are actually auto sexing and NOT sex linked... two different things... auto sexing will breed true in future generations but sex linking will not.

Long story short... I ordered 15, they sent 17... I had 12 survive and my ratio of those is 5 pullets to 7 cockerels.. which is fairly even really. I didn't focus on what the 5 that failed genders were but usually the boys are a tad stronger so presumably more females were in the passing group. They refunded the 3 I had paid for... my shipping route is horrendous.

I would totally order straight run (auto sexing) again and give the hatchery the benefit of the doubt expecting they will get MORE repeat business by being as honest as possible... so shorting us pullet chicks won't benefit them. If you were only getting two or three chicks though... I have ended up with all 3 same gender straight run Silkie chicks... that time was fortunately all girls. My point is you need a large enough sample size for it to even out better. I was both surprised and happy to see the straight run offer at about the same cost as cockerels were going for and less than half the price of the pullets! And they are fantastic birds with overall very impressive qualities... which is NOT something said lightly after raising hundreds of birds in dozen(s) of breeds.

Hope this help... and please report back your result for others who might find this thread in the future with the same question.

@EggSighted4Life, do you think ordering 7 straight run of the Beilefelder chicks would be too low a number and risky in terms of female-male ratio? I want to order 15 chicks, but was hoping to get at least 3 different types to see what works best for the family. The Beilefelder females are $$$, whereas the straight run are only $. Of course, it would be a waste of 7$ if I get all males. As someone who ordered the straight run from Cackle, I'd love your thoughts on an order of only 7.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

do you think ordering 7 straight run of the Beilefelder chicks would be too low a number and risky in terms of female-male ratio?

That should be a good number to give you a variety of personality types of both genders of that breed and a decent starting point for anyone really.

Wyandotte are great table birds, have their share of broody behavior, and are fairly hardy even in addition to being lovely!

Getting a variety to see what works for your family is a fantastic idea!

I just noticed I'm replying to two different posters.. I think my answer is still solid... mostly... you mean you wan't to order 15 birds with 8 being sexed pullets of other breeds and 7 being straight run Bielefelder??

That would give you 3 - 4 roosters/cockerels and 11 - 12 pullet/hens if I'm understanding your question correctly. That would very likely be an out of whack ratio long term and you would want to have a plan B for your extra boys.

Cackle is a fine hatchery with a reputation to protect and they will NOT purposely send you 7 cockerels if you order straight run Bielefelder from them as that would be unprofessional and in this day and age of social media and internet access could seriously harm their livelihood. Most folks who do good business make SOME money while providing products or services... over the long term... earning repeat and new business in order to protect their families. I promise you as someone who sells my birds for top dollar... it is NOT a get rich quick scheme... Gathering, breeding, maintaining flocks and facilities... it's a labor of love. Some birds are not easy to find and that is why they cost more than the very common ones... It literally took me several years to find and acquire my bantam Ameraucana breeding stock and several multi hundred dollar investments... plus my actual time... You really do get what you pay for, very often... They're offering a steal... and I'm not a plant nor do I work for them or get any compensation besides being a passionate BYC poultry keeper helping my fellow chicken keeper get what they want and enjoy it too!

Sorry, emo day.

 

[ChickenLittle5]

That should be a good number to give you a variety of personality types of both genders of that breed and a decent starting point for anyone really.

Wyandotte are great table birds, have their share of broody behavior, and are fairly hardy even in addition to being lovely!

Getting a variety to see what works for your family is a fantastic idea!

I just noticed I'm replying to two different posters.. I think my answer is still solid... mostly... you mean you wan't to order 15 birds with 8 being sexed pullets of other breeds and 7 being straight run Bielefelder??

That would give you 3 - 4 roosters/cockerels and 11 - 12 pullet/hens if I'm understanding your question correctly. That would very likely be an out of whack ratio long term and you would want to have a plan B for your extra boys.

Cackle is a fine hatchery with a reputation to protect and they will NOT purposely send you 7 cockerels if you order straight run Bielefelder from them as that would be unprofessional and in this day and age of social media and internet access could seriously harm their livelihood. Most folks who do good business make SOME money while providing products or services... over the long term... earning repeat and new business in order to protect their families. I promise you as someone who sells my birds for top dollar... it is NOT a get rich quick scheme... Gathering, breeding, maintaining flocks and facilities... it's a labor of love. Some birds are not easy to find and that is why they cost more than the very common ones... It literally took me several years to find and acquire my bantam Ameraucana breeding stock and several multi hundred dollar investments... plus my actual time... You really do get what you pay for, very often... They're offering a steal... and I'm not a plant nor do I work for them or get any compensation besides being a passionate BYC poultry keeper helping my fellow chicken keeper get what they want and enjoy it too!

Sorry, emo day.

You are correct; I jumped in on another post. I intended to start my own post regarding straight run purchase of auto-sexed chicks until I saw @OneLuckyDuck had already asked it. So, instead, I thought I'd piggyback on their post. I should have noted that before I asked the question.

And, yes, you did interpret my question correctly. I had planned on ordering 15 birds--8 being sexed pullets of other breeds and 7 being straight run Bielefelder. I was trying to decide if it was worth spending $6.40 on 7 straight run in hopes of getting at least 3 females, vs just buying 3 females at $19.95. However, when I called Cackle Hatchery yesterday they were swamped with orders. Availability was changing quickly! Every time the CSR would refresh her screen, the dates were pushed out further. Most chicks aren't shipping until late May /June or July. I wanted something faster, so I ended up ordering 10 straight run Bielefelder and 5 others. If I get at least 3 females I'll come out ok in terms of upfront costs. I do realize I could be rooster heavy long term and plan to rehome some if needed. I also didn't mention that my son will be getting 15 Easter Egger chicks (females) in addition to what I ordered yesterday. That will help with the male-to-female ratios, but I'm guessing 2 roosters is the most I'll want to keep.

I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience buying straight run with the auto-sexing breed! I agree that it is not good business for them to send all males with a straight run order of an auto-sexing breed.

 

[RiverOtter]

I don't know if it helps, but I also breed fish, and you can't sex those until they're mature ... assuming you will ever be able to sex them at all, without catching them in the act. Fish keepers all know that if you want to be sure of getting a pair, you need at least 5 babies to grow out. Four still gives you a 30% chance of all one sex.

So when ordering straight runs from hatcheries, I keep that in mind, and assume if I'm getting 5 I'm still pretty likely to get 4 boys and a girl.