3 ducks, 2 geese, 3 roosters and 6 laying hens are all I have left. Luckily I do have one hen that is sitting on 5 eggs and I am brooding 13 chicks in my bathtub.
I was concerned about the amount of roosters I may have in the bathtub, so last night I applied my newly learned sexing technique. I have 2 roosters, well two that I am positive of. This means that my husband gets to put to use the caponizing kit I bought him.
I also felt the need to put a myth to a test. Something that a woman in a grocery store told me about as we looked over tomatoes and talked ducks.
Hold the pullet by the feet, upside down, if the chicken bend forward, beak toward hand, it is a rooster, if it bends backwards or not at all it's a hen.
With this batch of chicks it seems to be true. I will not say that it works every time, so don't go into the farm store to hold chicks upside down, the clerks nor the chicks will be pleased. Plus I don't want any of you running to me and blaming me for all your roosters.
4 comments:
Go to YouTube and type in "Mike Rowe". They have a 'Dirty Jobs' episode on sexing chicks...maybe you can pick up some pointers.
I found you via Foolies blob :)
:) I so wish I had room for more chickens in me little garden...... if you go over to Twaddle and scroll down one post, you can read all about me well tame chicken called Janet :).......
x
I tried your trick on Lucky ~ the chicklet that hatched on a 7' high wall & I found spreadeagled (spreadchickenelled?) on the concrete yard. She has tail feathers sprouting already & black & white wing feathers & I was told that hen tails feather up early. I'll keep you informed as to whether she grows into a henny or a rooster. Any ideas why I can't hatch from my incubator?
Did you remove the ducks before brooding chicklets in the bath? I had visions of you sitting on eggs in the bath like a broody hen! I have a broody chamber as well as a broody lamp for when they're bigger.
I missed this entry: so where did you find your chick sexing information??? I am dying to know. By the way---I don't mean the info the lady in the store passed along!
Monica
P.S---when you emailed me you linked your blog so I came thinking you posted today about what you told me. Trickster! guess I will have to wait for the whole story to come out at another time!
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