Baby chick sexing has long been one of the pains of farmers, hatcheries, and flock owners alike. Surely, in an age of nano technology and genetic engineering, there must be a way to tell the males chicks from the females chicks before shipping them off to local farm supply stores and farms across the country, right? Sort of. While there are a few breeds of chickens with sex-link characteristics, meaning they can be sexed by color alone as baby chicks, sexing many rare and heritage breed chickens in their first days of life is still a challenge for small farmers and hatcheries alike.
So how do you sex baby chicks?
There are two types of gender sexing that farmers and hatcheries generally use on baby chicks today: vent sexing and feather sexing. While sexing most chicken breeds with 100% accuracy is still impossible on a large scale, there are a few methods of sexing baby chicks that at least provide correct gender selection between 95-97%.
What does this mean?
For starters, it means that when you order 100 pullets from your favorite hatchery, your chances of actually getting 100 pullets is … about 0%. It also means that you should adjust your expectations when ordering from a hatchery or picking up sexed day-old pullets from your local farm supply.
Vent Sexing
Vent sexing is a method of sexing day old baby chicks performed by carefully inspecting the baby chick for male genitalia. Vent sexing is incredibly difficult because unlike many other animals, the location of the sexual organs are inside the bird and difficult to identify to the untrained eye. Vent sexing can only be performed safely and accurately by a trained professional, and if done improperly can cause serious injury or even death to the chick.
Vent sexing is time consuming, and the lack of professionals trained at this obscure and difficult trade make it difficult for many smaller scale hatcheries to keep up with the demand. So while vent sexing is usually around 95% accurate when performed by an expert, finding more than a few in a small farming town is a tall order. Expecting them to accurately sex thousands of chicks on a hatch day before sending the biddies off to their new homes is a “whole ‘nother” story. You’re probably going to see vent sexing accuracy closer to 90% when ordering from a hatchery that offers vent sexing.
Thankfully, there is an alternative that is utilized by many hatcheries in addition to vent sexing to alleviate the burden of vent sexing thousands of cockerels and pullets during the busy hatching season.
Feather Sexing
Feather sexing is an ingenious method of chick sexing that can be learned and practiced a bit easier than vent sexing. That’s not to say that it isn’t vulnerable to human error as well. However, if done properly the offspring of selected breeders can be sexed by feather characteristics (covert and primary feather length) with about 80-95% accuracy, depending on the breed.
So if it’s easier, why not feather sex all chicken breeds?
Well, it doesn’t take a mathematician to see that 80-95% accuracy isn’t quite as high as the 95-97% you can achieve by properly vent sexing. However, because it’s safer, faster, and easier to teach, it must be utilized in order to offer gender sexing on so many of America’s favorite chicken breeds. Another reason why feather sexing isn’t used for more breeds is because it’s a bit tricky to properly breed the chicks so that they actually exhibit the feather characteristics necessary to sex the birds on the first days after hatch.
Without going too deep into the genetic specifics, by selectively breeding chickens with the slow and fast feathering sex-linked genes K and k, male offspring will have coverts that are longer than the primary feathers for the first few days. On the contrary the female chicks will have shorter covert feathers than primary feathers. That means that these chicks can only be sexed accurately using this method for a few days. If the breeding is not done exactly right, this method will fail to produce offspring that exhibit these feather characteristics.
So how can I be sure I only receive pullets?
Accurate sexing, whether vent or feather sexing, is a difficult process due to the breeding genetics or actual sexing process. Some breeds are actually significantly more difficult to sex as chicks simply due to their biological make up. The , for example, can only be sexed with 80% accuracy.
If you’re truly looking for 100% accurate sexing, you have limited options. You can either purchase older birds that have already begun exhibiting traits that identify them as pullets or cockerels, or you can purchase what is called a sex link chicken breed – a breed that can be gender sexed based solely on chick coloration on the day of hatch. Some breeds are naturally sex-links, like the . Others are created by crossing a Male and Female of two specific breeds that will produce a hardy and productive cross with a clear color differentiation between pullets and cockerels. One of the most popular sex-link varieties is the , also known as the or . This Gold Sex-Link is created by crossing a Rhode Island White Hen with a Rhode Island Red Rooster. What do you get? A hardy bunch of yellowish white cockerels and reddish buff pullets!
Egg producing farms that order baby chicks once or twice a year to keep a continual supply of young healthy egg layers, they will often choose a sex-link production variety like the so they can be sure they won’t end up raising any males.
What does eFowl Guarantee?
eFowl offers a 100% Sexing Guarantee! No, this does not mean we guarantee you will receive all pullets on an order. On larger orders, this is highly unlikely. However, it does mean that we will refund you for the cost of the pullet chicks you ordered and did not receive. And lucky for you, our partners at Cackle and Hoover’s will include some extras to account for any mis-sexed birds you may have received. Inevitably, you will end up with some male chicks at some point in you poultry raising career. We recommend raising them for table or donating them locally.
Sources
Mississippi State University
University of Missouri
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Baby Chicks House in
Shelbyville, Kentucky
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Shelbyville Kentucky,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Shelbyville
Kentucky also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Shelbyville Kentucky, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale,
turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale,
chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Shelbyville KY.
Baby
Chicks In A Box in
Shelbyville, Kentucky
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Shelbyville Kentucky
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and
different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to
their site and request one if you are interested.
Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Shelbyville Kentucky * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Shelbyville
Kentucky * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Baby Chicks Baby
Chickens in
Shelbyville, Kentucky
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is
necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put
in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce
enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to
buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you
choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship
and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in
Shelbyville Kentucky is easy and has always been a very pleasant
experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks
but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait
was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Shelbyville,
Kentucky Baby chicks are really
adorable and also
tough to resist,
but it's ideal to plan for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first
by collecting not only the
right products, but
likewise the correct
understanding to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
basic, you simply should give them with the following: A tidy and warm
environment A lot of food and also water Attention and
love Environment Your environment could be a
simple box, fish tank,
pet cat service provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and also
coverings (without loosened
strings!) to begin, as well as after a few weeks use straw over newspaper.
Note: Avoid making use of only
newspaper or various other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand
misshapen. You likewise require
something to serve up food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle container
lid for food and also a family
pet bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch
into the habitat to get them
educated on setting down. Warmth To
keep your chicks heat you should
give them with a warmth source.
This could be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment shop, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb also work effectively (my
referral). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which could use
up to 2 months). The recently
hatched out require a temperature
in between 90 as well as 100 levels,
as well as weekly this can
be lowered by
approximately 5 levels or
so. The warmth resource need to be on just one side of the cage
to allow chicks a range of
temperatures. The chicks are your ideal
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
other corner of your heat
light, you need to
lower the temperature. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
warmth (not just curling up),
you should put some warmth.
Home cleaning
Sanitation is vital and also it keeps your chicks healthy. Be sure to change
the bedding
typically and
always provide tidy
food and water Food and water.
Chicks grow really quickly
which calls for a lot of tidy
food as well as water. Provide
enough at all times and examine
typically to avoid dehydrated and
hungry chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, as well as it comes
in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, then
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for one more 2 months,
and afterwards to a slightly
reduced healthy protein feed or a level feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a head start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others won't use up that task till they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
unit, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to wash in.
Attention and also love There are a couple of benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. Firstly, they will most
likely bond with you as well as
not escape as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and also
watch their behavior, you could
catch health problem or various
other issues previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, hopping, or
various other undesirable
indications. Be sure to
also look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could cause matted plumes as well
as stopped up cloaca.
Lastly, it is essential to look out
for social issues, such as the
tiniest chick getting picked
on. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently completely feathery
and its time for them to leave the
safety of your home
and move outside into a
coop. Check out our
area on chicken cages to get more information
concerning coops and also
appropriate cage habitats.
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