The Moonshiner's Leghorns

[Amer]

Butting in here... I love roos too- but for some reason my hatches are always way skewed to roosters. For example : 14 out of 16, 47 out of 65, 9 out of 14, 6 out of 8

What is up with THAT?!

I read once that roosters sometimes hatch 60-40.
I’ve noticed it really depends upon the year.
This was a cockerel year. Last was a pullet one. I think it’s the clime that affects it because others seem to have these troubles too?

 

[Minky]

just means I need to build or invest in a plucker

 

[Minky]

WEIRD! Who are the parents?

Every hatch is different, results are same. My eggs, other peoples eggs...

 

[The Moonshiner]

I read once that roosters sometimes hatch 60-40.
I’ve noticed it really depends upon the year.
This was a cockerel year. Last was a pullet one. I think it’s the clime that affects it because others seem to have these troubles too?

I just get the opposite of what I want. I need both males and females. Some times I want pullets just to increase a pen size and I end up hatching mostly cockerels.
Sometimes I have hens that I need a certain pattern cockerel or two for. Then I end up not getting what I need but several pullets of that pattern.
I think what I really need is to just hatch twice as many chicks.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Interesting and good remembering. I always wanted to see that.

Ha. Of course I remembered.
I'm sure most don't know this but you found this thread the day it went up and have followed it ever since.
I haven't forgotten that either.

 

[Minky]

I just get the opposite of what I want. I need both males and females. Some times I want pullets just to increase a pen size and I end up hatching mostly cockerels.
Sometimes I have hens that I need a certain pattern cockerel or two for. Then I end up not getting what I need but several pullets of that pattern.
I think what I really need is to just hatch twice as many chicks.

I agree about getting what you dont want AND needing to hatch out more chicks... but THEN... if I want to sell the other chicks... I can't sell them straight run knowing full well that most are roosters, and I dont want to pick out all my pullets to sell to other people... so then I end up feeding and housing 30+ roosters. ARGH.

 

[Minky]

it would be nice to have mind meld with those of you who know so much about genetics... I feel like it will take me a decade to figure anything out.
I feel like my new hobby is reading about chickens and getting more confused the more I read.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Lol it took me decades. But I didn't read anything about genetics until really 5 or 6 years ago and I still read as little as I can.
I learned it as I went so it was just in bits and pieces with whatever I was breeding at the time. It's fascinating and I doubt I'll ever come close to knowing nearly everything.
I can imagine it would seem overwhelming to start from scratch and have so much info readily available a click away.
Idk I would think the key is to take baby steps. Learn something and then build from that instead of seeing the whole picture and expecting just to jump in and learn it all.

 

[Painted Calls]

I just get the opposite of what I want. I need both males and females. Some times I want pullets just to increase a pen size and I end up hatching mostly cockerels.
Sometimes I have hens that I need a certain pattern cockerel or two for. Then I end up not getting what I need but several pullets of that pattern.
I think what I really need is to just hatch twice as many chicks.

You need help. That's what you need.

 

[cmom]

Generally my hatches are close to 50/50. I do grow out my chicks and keep the best and sell the rest. Most people don't care about the SOP. They just want eggs and a rooster to hear him crow or to protect the females which can be a crap shoot too.