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 Chickens For Sale Online in
Newcastle, Utah
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Newcastle Utah,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
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Utah also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
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chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Newcastle UT.
Baby Chicks Order Online in
Newcastle, Utah
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Newcastle Utah
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
Newcastle Utah * 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 Newcastle
Utah * 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 Outside in
Newcastle, Utah
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
Newcastle Utah 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 Newcastle,
Utah Baby chicks are very
charming and also
hard to resist,
but it's finest to prepare for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare first
by gathering not just the
correct materials, but
likewise the appropriate
expertise to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
straightforward, you simply need
to supply them with the following: A tidy as well as warm
environment A lot of food as well
as water Focus as well as
love Habitat Your environment could be a straightforward box, aquarium,
pet cat service provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
coverings (without loose
strings!) to start, and after a few weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing just
newspaper or various other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs can expand
malformed. You additionally need
something to dish out food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar
cover for food and also a family
pet bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Likewise, as the chicks age you could introduce a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
educated on perching. Heat To
keep your chicks warm you need to
give them with a heat resource.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb also function very
well (my
recommendation). Chicks need this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which can take up to two months). The recently
hatched require a temperature
between 90 and 100 degrees,
as well as each week this can
be decreased by
around 5 levels or
so. The heat source need to get on just one side of the cage
to enable chicks a range of
temperatures. The chicks are your ideal
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
opposite edge of your warmth
lamp, you need to
reduce the temperature. If
they are smothering each other under the
heat (not simply curling up),
you need to add some heat.
Home cleaning
Sanitation is crucial and it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Be sure to transform
the bedding
commonly and also
constantly provide clean
food and also water Food as well as water.
Chicks grow really quickly
which requires a lot of clean
food and also water. Supply
sufficient at all times as well
as check
typically to avoid thirsty as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is different compared
to 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, after that
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
then to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks like to get a head start on taking
dust baths, while others won't use up that task until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
enclosure, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to bathe in.
Focus as well as love There are a
few advantages to spending time with your chicks. First off, they will certainly most
likely bond with you and also
not flee as adults. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily as well as
watch their habits, you can
catch ailment or various
other problems previously. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, limping, or
various other harmful
indications. Make sure to
also take a look at
their poop, as looseness of the bowels can cause matted feathers and also blocked cloaca.
Lastly, it is essential to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the
littlest chick getting teased. Empty nest disorder So your
chicks are now fully feathery
as well as its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your house
and move outside into a
coop. Take a look at our
part on chicken coops for more information
regarding cages as well as
appropriate cage environments.
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