TULSA area Cluckers

[Keystone Waterfowl]

Was pretty excited today to see my new Lavender Orpington chicks that I was getting to add into what I already had. They are very nice big chicks but unfortunately when I sexed them only 5 pullets out of 20. Sounds llike Lavender Roosters will be the Special of the Day at my place soon.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

LOL I kept 5 little black copper marans chicks in one of my early fall hatches, but only 1 turned out to be a girl- and she was mossy colored so she had to go!

 

[chicksooner]

Do you vent sex? I can feather sex but on my buffs I have a wait a few days and usually by then I am busy and forget and then it is too late. I need a lesson.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Hubby has a friend at work that is coming over soon to show us how to vent sex... but he's been putting it off for 2 weeks so I'm not holding my breath. He did say that unless you do it all day every day (like a hatchery worker) it still only has about a 75% accuracy. But that beats 50/50 if I'm trying to keep some pullets for myself! Don't think I will vent sex for other people, too many ways that could go badly if I'm wrong 25% of the time.

Rinda

 

[Keystone Waterfowl]

Do you vent sex? I can feather sex but on my buffs I have a wait a few days and usually by then I am busy and forget and then it is too late. I need a lesson.

Nope. I use the wing feathers at day two or three to sex and so far that is pretty much 100% with anything that I have tracked. Honestly I have had the lesson a few times and it just never seems to work out when the chick or duck get in my hands.

There are some vidoes on line that will show you and a very entertaining eposide of Dirty Jobs that shows hatchery workers doing it.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

I've been told from multiple people that feather sexing only works if you have two lines- a slow feathering line and a fast feathering line- and then cross breed them. But you are having good results from regular matings sexing at days 2 and 3?

 

[Keystone Waterfowl]

I've been told from multiple people that feather sexing only works if you have two lines- a slow feathering line and a fast feathering line- and then cross breed them. But you are having good results from regular matings sexing at days 2 and 3?

I had been told the same but I took a group of my Orpington and Rock chicks that I was planning on keeping all of them last year and feather sexed them and then keep them in separate brooder and grow out pens and I was actually 100% on it. So either it worked or I was just really, really lucky.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Hm... yeah IDK about that. Maybe my next batch of chicks I will sort and put zipties on one gender just to see... I did just go out to the garage and try it on my 3 day old autosexing breed and it didn't seem to work on them.

 

[Keystone Waterfowl]

Hm... yeah IDK about that. Maybe my next batch of chicks I will sort and put zipties on one gender just to see... I did just go out to the garage and try it on my 3 day old autosexing breed and it didn't seem to work on them.

I have only had luck with that approach mostly on the LF birds in the American class although it does seem to work with my Orpingtons as long as I can them before Day 3. This doesn't seem to work on my LF Cochins or Sussex to the same degree or any of my bantams.

Here is the uTube video that shows someone doing it similiarly to how I do it. I used to use this method to sex out Rocks and RIR to sell as layers and never heard any complaints back.

Sure hope I am not spreading old wives tales on here

.

 

[Keystone Waterfowl]

You know many times I do get a rooster out of a different line so maybe I am doing the slower feathering line over the fast feathering line is why it works and didn't realize that was what I was doing. But that seems to make sense.