What LUCK! :) Or...not?

[4H kids and mom]

Well, I am a VERY happy camper 'bout now!

I'm actually BEAMING! Can you tell?!?

Anywho, our chickies are now 5 weeks old, and we can tell the obvious signs of boys vs. girls. I was worried originally that we would have more roos than we'd know what to do with, as is often the case in ordering Straight Run chicks.

Well, by our final headcount tonight, here's what we have from the 27 chicks:

SEVEN possitive roos. (Three have been choosen as 'our roos' and will be staying here. One has an obvious defect, so he will find a new home, or end up in the pot.

)
SIXTEEN possitive pullets. (We're keeping them all.)
FOUR "still unsure's" (We THINK one is a pullet, and hope she is. IF she is, we're keeping her. <<fingers crossed>>)

Even if the 4 unsure's were all roos, that would be only 11 roos to 16 pullets! I am SO happy! Has anyone else ever had that happen from a hatchery order? The lady DID ask me what their 'purpose' was to be, and I DID tell her they were for a 4-H laying flock project. You don't think she threw in some extra sexed pullets and just didn't charge me for them, do you? Or is such a low ratio of roos to pullets ever this common?

 

[Dandy Acres]

Gotta love that! Has anybody else identified themselves?

 

[MNmommy]

those are great odds in your favor....I hope I fair as well

 

[kellykate]

Woo Hoo!! Great news and amazing odds -- you should buy a lottery ticket!! So my little ones are 5 weeks next week -- do tell your sure-signs for sexing them! I need all them help I can get -- I flip-flop from pullet to cockerel every other day! Ugh!

 

[firedove]

I ordered 6 straight run silver penciled Wyandottes back in Feb. Ended up losing one to shipping problems. The remaining 5, all pullets. On the same thread though I ordered 6 SR BLR Wyandottes and got 3 cockerels, 2 pullets, and one undetermined yet.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Where did you get the chicks? Sounds like at this hatchery straight run means straight run.

How many packing peanuts did you get? Most hatcheries use extra roos as packing peanuts. I don't have a problem with that. It's better than euthanasia, but it distorts the odds.

I'm not running the odds on 27 chicks, but here are the odds on 6 straight run chicks if they are truly straight run.

6 male 0 female - 1 in 64 or 1.6%
5 male 1 female - 6 in 64 or 9.4%
4 male 2 female - 15 in 64 or 23.4%
3 male 3 female - 20 in 64 or 31.3%
2 male 4 female - 15 in 64 or 23.4%
1 male 5 female - 6 in 64 or 9.4%
0 male 6 female - 1 in 64 or 1.6%

 

[crackertrail]

I am impressed with you figuring it out so soon. Mine are 2 months and a mixed batch. I am now looking for little spur bumps on the ones I can't tell.

 

[pdsavage]

Quote:
some hens can get bumbs or spurs also usally you can tell by the comb or if the crow.Also saddle feathers ect ect....

 

[firedove]

I ordered mine from MM. Almost all Wyandottes:

Ordered 5 Silver Laced pullets - received 7 pullets, guess they threw in 2 extras
Ordered 5 Columbian pullets - one died - other 4 pullets
Ordered 5 Gold Laced pullets - got all 5 pullets
Ordered 6 Blue Laced Red SR - got 3 pullets, 3 cockerels
Ordered 6 Silver Penciled SR - one died 5 others all pullets

my last chick was a "free rare" which turned out to be a SSH cockerel.

So I ordered 27 Wyandottes and ended up 27 despite 2 losses. 24 of them are pullets!