Sexing Right in the Store

Buff Orphingtons in box from TSC

 Tuesday, I was drawn to TSC, wanting cheap and reliable chicks. Since the first ten I purchased from the Mennonite farmer five years ago were mostly huge birds, That is what I was looking for. Later, I got one pullet from the same place that was part banty. I kept it, thinking it was not full grown. It was. And, it had the banty profile as it stood and walked around.

Figuring I could not get chicks that were all pullets, so I decided to sex them myself since I had read about the procedure once and was sure I could do it myself. lol...and I am confident. Cockerels are a waste of money because I give them away.

The young woman gathering my chicks agreed to hand them to me one at a time and let me look in the vent and decide. People were stopping, some looking and laughing from afar. One guy had his head next to mine, sort of hanging on my shoulder so he could look for a penis, too.  I did not squeeze out their poop or handle them for long so they would not die.

There was lots, I mean lots of cheeping going on as I did this! The three-day-old chicks flopped lots and flapped their little wings. Soon, I could feel the fine feather fluff in my nose. The front of my shirt was full of allergens. I rushed home to clean out my nose and take allergy medicine and throw that shirt in the laundry.

Afterward, one guy bought eight or so and asked me to see what he had. The three he handed me looked like girls to me. He looked at those three, too, after I did.

lonely chick

When I came home, I put one on the ground and called Thelma and Patsy Cline. Thelma stayed about six feet away. Patsy Cline put her bill about three inches from the baby chick and would startle, withdrawing her head and neck. Then, she moved backward about two steps. The chicks stood absolutely still when Patsy Cline was near. They only moved when big chickens moved away.

Patsy Cline and Thelma running to me

 

Thelma, behind above, never came any closer than the daffodils she is approaching.

Patsy Cline investigates.

 

She acts as though she is afraid of the chick.

When I took the box of chicks into the house, both Thelma and Patsy Cline rushed up the steps and jumped onto the porch railing making "enemy" alarm calls. They decided to hang out on the porch, railing, and right around the back door, both making funny sounds. If it were warmer out or they had an actual house, I would slip a chick under them tonight. Thelma and Patsy Cline sleep right together, so one chick would be enough to maybe sacrifice to see what the reaction would be.

Have you ever sexed chicks before? Right in TSC?

Here are some sites I found after the fact. Maybe THIS ONE will help you. I wish I had seen it before I bought these chicks.

For a laugh:
Reminds me of an old “Dennis the Menace” cartoon.

 Dennis and his little friend Alice have some kittens and Dennis is holding one upside down and says to Alice, “Well, my dad can tell by looking at the bottom of their feet.”

What I did
I held them upside down and spread the vent. I did not expel their poop. If I saw poop, I just handed it back. I saw a process (penis) on two and gave them back. Two had their vents tight not allowing me to invade their privacy. I figured they were shy females or stubborn males, so I put those back. Three had the beginnings of pasty butt, so I told the employee and gave them back. We will see how well I did this the first time.

Alternate method
The young woman showed me how to dangle the chicks by their head. The pullets (girls) kick and draw their feet up like mad little chicks. The cockerels (boys) just let their legs dangle. That is another method for determining sex according to farmer lore. I don't know. But, the demonstration was interesting.

These are Buff Orphingtons, so I hope they are gentle and not flighty. I have heard they are good chickens.

Your turn
If you buy chicks that are straight run, do you get many girls compared to boys? Have you ever seen a chick process (penis)? Have you ever sexed chickens by any method other than watching and waiting for crowing or eggs?