What are the odds?

[Kusanar]

Yes, this I know. I've seen the videos. Pretty sure some of them end up "poultry by product" This is my thinking though, say a hatchery has 1000 chicks. Expert sexer says 420 girls, 80 maybes and 500 boys. You get LOTS of orders for girls, and you can sell them a little bit higher than for straight run. You are filling an order for straight run, are you going to pull chicks out of the girls bin? Nope. I've never been to a hatchery, so I don't really know, this is just me, applying my logic to it. Also based on the number of posts where folks have bought straight run, and got a lot of cockerels. I'm sure there are still lots of leftover boys to go "elsewhere" Not talking about silkies and other hard to sex bantam types, or sex links. Just my guess, is all.

For straight run, the chicks are SUPPOSED to be pulled at random before the sexers get to them, then the pullets are pulled from the remainder and the males get ground.

 

[townchicks]

For straight run, the chicks are SUPPOSED to be pulled at random before the sexers get to them, then the pullets are pulled from the remainder and the males get ground.

Thanks for clarifying that for me, good to know. I won't ever be buying straight run, myself, as this is a no roos kinda town.

 

[jeepgirl13]

Years ago, I tried hatching sexlink chicks (Rhode Island Red rooster, white rock and barred rock hens--chicks were red sexlinks and black sexlinks.) We all got so excited as the first third or so hatched out ALL FEMALES. Then there were a few of each, and then the slow hatchers were all males.

I can easily see a breeder first setting aside the number of chicks they need, then selling the others. Keeping the first ones hatched for breeding makes sense: they're presumably more vigorous. If they're also mostly females, so much the better!

I can also easily see a hatchery having the sexers get to work on the first chicks (because they can only work so fast, thus start early). After they've sexed enough females and males, the rest would be "straight run."

But if the late-hatching chicks are mostly males, then the chicks sold as straight run might be mostly males--while the hatchery could honestly guarantee that the chicks "have not been sexed" (most hatcheries do make such a guarantee, although there's no way to check them on it.)

Has anyone else hatched sexlink chicks? Was my experience just a fluke, or is it the norm that the females hatch first?

I've never tried to hatch sex linked chicks before, but my last hatch I had 3 eggs hatch, one silkie mix, and 2 from an SLW roo over a mixed flock of hens.

The first one to start hatching(I ended up assisting and repairing splay legs on this one) I'm pretty sure turned out to be a boy. The silkie hatched on it's own first, then while I was assisting the one egg, another popped out. I'm pretty sure the 2 SLW crosses are boys. No clue on the silkie mix yet.

So 1st one to hatch, (silkie) unknown, 2nd(SLW mix) and 3rd(SLW mix assisted) boys. All hatched a day early. They are 4 weeks and 2 days now.

 

[jeepgirl13]

@MROO here's some more cute pics for you. He got this blanket on his head by himself some how. He was playing on my Alabama blanket(ROLL TIDE!) while I was cleaning and I look over to find this...

 

[oldhen2345]

This is why I never order straight run. Even with sex linked, there can be issues. Twice I ordered sex linked and got roosters. The hatchery was good enough to give me credit for the mistake. Also got a cross beak with a blind eye- got credit for that too. While I appreciate that they were good about the credit, it was a hastle to get rid of the roosters and raise a special needs the crossbeak (she is doing well)

 

[jeepgirl13]

This is why I never order straight run. Even with sex linked, there can be issues. Twice I ordered sex linked and got roosters. The hatchery was good enough to give me credit for the mistake. Also got a cross beak with a blind eye- got credit for that too. While I appreciate that they were good about the credit, it was a hastle to get rid of the roosters and raise a special needs the crossbeak (she is doing well)

This is why I prefer to butcher any boys that I have extras of. It's too hard IMO to try and give them away. I always worry they wont be going to a good place. At least I know I treated and fed them well, and their death humane and remains not wasted.

 

[jeepgirl13]

Granted, I've never ordered from a hatchery, just bought chicks from the feed stores, hatched out my own, and purchased and rescued a few grown birds along the way.

 

[MROO]

@MROO here's some more cute pics for you. He got this blanket on his head by himself some how. He was playing on my Alabama blanket(ROLL TIDE!) while I was cleaning and I look over to find this...View attachment 1910457 View attachment 1910458 View attachment 1910459 View attachment 1910460

What a FLIRT! My "baby boy" is twenty, now. I miss the baby days!

 

[MROO]

Years ago, I tried hatching sexlink chicks (Rhode Island Red rooster, white rock and barred rock hens--chicks were red sexlinks and black sexlinks.) We all got so excited as the first third or so hatched out ALL FEMALES. Then there were a few of each, and then the slow hatchers were all males.



Has anyone else hatched sexlink chicks? Was my experience just a fluke, or is it the norm that the females hatch first?

Curious to find out!

 

[townchicks]

@jeepgirl13 how do you ever get anything done? I would be taking pictures of that face all day, lol. Keep em coming.