TSC IS LYNCHING CHICKENS!

[sealer39]

So I went into a TSC in south Louisiana just to see if they had chicks yet, and they did. I walked over to see what they had and thank god they didn’t have any breeds I wanted. Anyway, another customer is there and she is buying about a dozen straight run Black Australorps. The see the employee picking each chic up by the head between his two middle fingers and letting the chicken hang for a few seconds, then he throws the chic in the box to be purchased. After that show was over, I asked the employee why he is hanging the chics by the head? He replied, “That’s how you tell the boys from the girls. The girls will just hang there and the boys will struggle and try to scratch you”.

So I wanted to say: You just picked up at least twelve random chicks out of a straight run bin and they were ALL pullets?

But i didn’t ask, I just left the store thinking I can’t wait to post this experience on BYC! I have to ask, has anyone ever heard of sexing a chick by the “lynching method”?

 

[sourland]

Guaranteed 50 % accuracy. The sexing will probably be more accurate than the breed identification.

 

[chrissynemetz]

It's an old wives tale, and I don't believe it's a very reliable one at that. Sometimes I really wonder about the folks who work at TSC

 

[so lucky]

Wow. How come we haven't heard of this very scientific sexing method before?

 

[The Moonshiner]

Yes its an ol wives tell that's been around forever.
Another twist on it that I used to see used on turkeys but am now seeing it with chicks also is to hold them upside down on their backs and its said females will pull their legs up to the body and freeze while the males will kick like crazy with one or both legs.
I tried it two years in a row with two poults each year.
First year it was 100% wrong and the second 100% right so ya that one is 50% correct too.

Edit to add a 0 I missed before.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Inaccurate, and might injure the bird. They're lightweight, at least, so they aren't guaranteed to be injured, but it's still a bad idea.
I sincerely doubt that's TSC's new policy, either. So it's less "TSC is going to injure baby birds" and more "at least one TSC employee is very misinformed and also kind of stupid".

 

[sealer39]

Guaranteed 50 % accuracy. The sexing will probably be more accurate than the breed identification.

That reminded me, the employee ran out of BA’s to lynch so he reached over in the straight run Orpington bin and lynched two of those chicks for the customer (who had requested all BA chicks). They were dark colored chicks but not BA. I have no idea what they were. The customer noticed and he said they were all BA’s, they just get mixed up sometimes.

I’m fortunate that my TSC has employees in the chicken section that are knowledgeable about chickens and are chicken addicts themselves. I think I’ll head over there tomorrow and see what they have in stock.

 

[Beccazon]

Inaccurate, and might injure the bird. They're lightweight, at least, so they aren't guaranteed to be injured, but it's still a bad idea.
I sincerely doubt that's TSC's new policy, either. So it's less "TSC is going to injure baby birds" and more "at least one TSC employee is very misinformed and also kind of stupid".

And on that note, I would have to report that garbage to management. If management says "oh yah that's how we do it here" or "yah we know, that's his way" I would be calling corporate.

 

[Cyprus]

TSC employees here can't even tell a white leghorn from a black australorp.

And let's not even get started on the straight run sex links.

 

[CountryFlock]

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