Use of Pronouns Question and Confusion

[Redcatcher]

While most of us were taught (or at least I was taught) in elementary school that masculine pronouns (he, his, him) should be used as the default pronoun in situations where the person, animal or thing could be either male or female (or the gender is unknown), In general, I am seeing a growing trend of people using the feminine gender (she, hers, her) as the default gender. So, it is confusing me when so many of you are referring to your newly hatched chicks as "she". Are you ALL referring to sexed FEMALE chicks?

 

[OutInTheStiks]

Quote:
I think it is more wishful thinking. We want them ALL to be female, so we call them she.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

No they are just really hopeful it don't turn out to be a roo. If you say it long enough and loud enough it might just become reality

 

[canada-goose]

Optimistic attitude.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
Not necessarily. See if we have a chick that we like and want to keep, we call it a SHE in hopes that it will be a good layer we can keep!!!!! We chicken-obsessed will keep calling it a she until we just can't fool ourselves anymore!

I have a cockerel that I absolutely love, but I REALLY just can't justify keeping him.....and I seriously don't have the land/space to keep him just for fun, so.... having excess roosters isn't much fun.

 

[Laurajean]

A wordy question for a simple answer. Most of us order hens, female. Of course there may be some males here and there, but generally we are in fact anticipating that our chicks are as we ordered; females.

 

[Barbeque]

Hmm, I actually want Barbecue, my BR to be male! o;

 

[speckledhen]

Didn't you know that all chicks are female until proven otherwise?

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
I usually refer to mine as "it" until a personality shows. Usually I am wrong. I called Elmer him for a while, then found out it is an Elmira.