What in the world?!

[hotmessJess]

Okay, so I hatched a good bit of our eggs trying to replace my ladies after dog-pocalyse (I was only left with 4 hens, 2 of which were meat birds). I have two different roosters, not related, and they both sired pretty equally. But I'll be blowed, d**n near 75% of all four hens' hatches were cockerels!

What in the world is in their DNA that caused them to put out so many boys?!

 

[MainerChick]

Maybe they were trying to breed a generation of guard-chickens? Good luck with the next round!

 

[hotmessJess]

I swear! I about died when the last group started to feather out and I was sure at least 14 out of 19 were cockerels! But I don't think my meatie mutants will make much for guards! They're everyone's friends!

 

[JanetMarie]

Most of the time I get many more boys than girls. I just have to hatch more chicks in order to get a decent number of pullets. I've read that the normal ratio is 50/50, but I'm finding that is not so. Not in my flock.

 

[hotmessJess]

I'm right there with you! I don't know who is getting this 50/50 bunch, but it's not me!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Okay, so I hatched a good bit of our eggs trying to replace my ladies after dog-pocalyse (I was only left with 4 hens, 2 of which were meat birds). I have two different roosters, not related, and they both sired pretty equally. But I'll be blowed, d**n near 75% of all four hens' hatches were cockerels!

What in the world is in their DNA that caused them to put out so many boys?!

It's the hens that determine the sex of the chicks, so yell at them.....lol

 

[hotmessJess]

AmyLynn, believe me, they've ALL been yelled at! I just couldn't believe there were so many boys, and I don't quite know what I'm going to do with them all. It's hard for me to process that which I've raised from an egg, and knowing that's my only recourse after pouring my heart into hatching them is killing me!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

AmyLynn, believe me, they've ALL been yelled at! I just couldn't believe there were so many boys, and I don't quite know what I'm going to do with them all. It's hard for me to process that which I've raised from an egg, and knowing that's my only recourse after pouring my heart into hatching them is killing me!

I can't eat my own chickens. Usually in the spring I can sell them (cockerells) cheap in groups, especially if I throw in an extra girl or two, but the last few I had I had to take down to the Amish cause I couldn't even get any takers for free on CL.

I hatched out 11 Spitzhaubens at Easter and 9 out of the 11 ended up being boys. My worst ratio yet. lol

 

[Naser]

Unlike you, this summer I hatched 5. all of them were pullet. I actually hatched them because I wanted two roosters. today I have 4 chicks hatched. wish me good luck
I have 30 hens and one rooster, I need another one. the problem of buying adult rooster is they fight.

 

[JanetMarie]

Our cockerel chicks are given the best life possible, and when the day comes to butcher it's done in a way that they only know they're in danger for maybe 15 seconds. I've never re-homed any, since many, way too many chickens owners should not be.