Wondering about small batch straight runs

[kycowgirl78]

I placed my first order to Cackle yesterday, 6 wk wait!

but anyway that's another post. I was wondering if anyone else has ever ordered birds that were straight runs, just 5 and gotten both pullets and cockerels. My fiancee that they will send mostly cockerels because they're cheaper than pullets but may end up with all cockerels and no pullets. Has anyone had this happen? I'm wanting to raise some babies and ordered the chicks because I can't find anyone around here with any and there are no guarantee on buying eggs and no one I can find on here that has these birds will ship chicks so I was kinda between a rock and a hard place. If you have any info or experiences with this let me know how your straight run turned out. I bought 6 ducklings as a straight run from TSC and came out with 2 females and 4 males so that's acceptable. Just wondering if I'm gonna get screwed by the hatchery and get just a bunch of cockerels.

 

[EweSheep]

Believe it or not, you will get mostly cockerals. St run is usually mostly cockerals. Your fiancee may be right.

I do remember a friend bought 25 chicks and she got three pullets. A friend that bought my chickens earlier this year, she said her neighbor bought 50 chicks and got two pullets out of the straight run.

So the statics are bad! You are better off buying pullets and cockerals individually.

 

[undermywings]

Uh, are you sitting down? If you want just pullets, it is better to pay more and order just pullets. That way you have a 50/50 chance of getting hens.
My luck of straight runs was never less than 70% cockerels. If you order straight runs or all pullets, the hatcheries use this excuse to add in male chicks: "we will give you extras to compensate for any losses" and "we add extra to help keep them warm for shipping" and "we will give you a free chick with every order".
It is their way of getting rid of roos.

 

[EweSheep]

Oh, I remember ordering the Rare Assortment from McMurray as st run. Guess what I had, I got THREE pullets out of 26 they sent me. Never again! So I went for the Rarest of Rare PULLETS only and was happy that I had all pullets including the freebie chick which it was a WC Polish pullet.

It pays to pay a little more for pullets. You will be happy when you do!

 

[JRT]

Well kycowgirl78 is my fiancee so I will add another question to this. Most of the chickens we ordered was offered as a straight run only. So does the percentages still fall about the same?

 

[SpringChickens]

It may depend on what company you order from too, I think some are more ethical than others...

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
Yes, from four different hatcheries, I had more males than female ratio. The female ratio was somewhere between 10-20 percent of the total orders I've had in the last five years I ordered as st run from different hatcheries such as Ideal, Marti's, McMurray, Meyers, Horstman, and one other hatchery I can not remember right off bat.

And more proof from my friends and families I know, they got about 80-90 percent males from their straight run orders from hatcheries from Cackle and McMurray and Stromsberg.

Sorry but it would be best to get pullets if you want to go that route.

 

[kycowgirl78]

I knew that they would be MOSTLY cockerels but was just wondering if anyone had ever ordered just 5 and got at least 1 pullet out of the bunch. I understand that they will be MOSTLY cockerels but I wanted at least 1 pullet so I'll have at least 1 hen. And I would have ordered just pullets but that was not an option, all the chicks we ordered were STRAIGHT RUN ONLY so was not able to order pullets. Now then, anyone who has ever order a SMALL number straight run, did you get at least one pullet or anyone ever get JUST cockerels.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Interesting that no one has come up with anything other than gloom and doom. I'm still waiting on my first order from Cackle, so I can't give you any specific experience. If the chicks are true straight run, these are the odds of what you get.

5 male 0 female - 1 in 32 or 3.1%
4 male 1 female - 5 in 16 or 15.6%
3 male 2 female - 10 in 16 or 31.3%
2 male 3 female - 10 in 16 or 31.3%
1 male 4 female - 5 in 16 or 15.6%
0 male 5 female - 1 in 16 or 3.1%

I have seen posts on here of people who got mostly pullets from their straight run. I saw a post in the last few days where one person had 5 straight run of one breed and got 5 pullets. In the same order was another breed of 5 straight run with 4 pullets and 1 rooster. If I remember right, that was from McMurray. I'm convinced there are ethical hatcheries out there. And the ethical ones will use roosters as packing peanuts.

It is disturbing that no one has come on this thread and said that they got more pullets than roosters in a straight run order. I will be paying a lot of attention when I get mine to see what sexes I get. I have some coming straight run and some coming as pullets only.

 

[EweSheep]

Well ordering five of the same breed, what if ONE was a pullet that died? Then you would be out of luck there.

I would spend the extra $ and get some pullets!