"Pullets" are almost half roosters: a rant

[BigBlueHen53]

At what age do you process the boys?

I had ten last time, I think. Only three of these big bad boys will fit in my fridge at a time. I think I start processing at about six weeks. After the first batch ages in the fridge for three or four days, I take them down to the freezer and take the next batch to Mrs. W. So the last batch gets done at about 8 weeks. By that time they pretty much can't walk anyway, so it's a mercy to process them. I might get Rangers next time, the Cornish are just too pathetic. Especially when you have layers the same age for comparison.

 

[Lil Country]

In the same boat, I’m going to be re homing several roosters very soon. Took a risk buying straight runs in hopes of getting some nice hens.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

In the same boat, I’m going to be re homing several roosters very soon. Took a risk buying straight runs in hopes of getting some nice hens.

You have a greater chance of getting nice hens ... if you order all pullets!

 

[Lil Country]

You have a greater chance of getting nice hens ... if you order all pullets!

True, but getting chicks online are nearly impossible. Unfortunately I just getting chicks hasn’t been easy for me either.

 

[MountainWoman73]

This was several years ago, but I ordered 4 cream legbar sexed pullets from a hatchery, and got 4 cream legbar cockerels. They're auto-sexing. Cockerels look completely different. So somebody pulled from the wrong bin or something! They gave me my money back.

 

[Pukkits]

True, but getting chicks online are nearly impossible. Unfortunately I just getting chicks hasn’t been easy for me either.

I hear you. We probably would have done the same. I was able to be there at opening on days the local feed stores were *supposed* to get chicks. They couldn't guarantee what they would get or when aside from "maybe Thursday, but possibly Wednesday or Friday". It wasn't the feed stores, it was the hatcheries being on the other side of a huge weather system (that they had to ship through) and not bothering to communicate. The first week I did this, people came in after me and I heard later they were sold out of everything that lays in an hour. The next week five of us waited outside the door, then inside watching them unload chicks. The week after that, the line after me was huge. It got progressively crazier.

I think people that were originally going to get chicks this year got more than they planned and lots of new people got chicks, all because of egg prices. Everyone expected the prices to go down, but in my area price and availability fluctuate wildly. So tons of chicken demand.

Maybe next year I can find some buff Orpingtons for a little friendly chicken rainbow in the hen yard.

 

[TheChickenGirl16]

Hey guys, I know this is an older post, but I just learned something last week and decided to share.

Many times, the hatcheries will fill the orders of their customers, and then the “leftovers” go to the feed stores.
In my experience, only 7 or 8 out of 10 are actually “pullets”. Straight runs are even worse, with over 60% being males.

The only place around us who doesn’t sell out of chicks in the first 2 hours, is Rural King. And the chicks I’ve gotten from there have had a very low survival rate, with only 4 out of 10 pullets making it to week two. One was a boy.

I’m sorry for everyone who can’t get their hands on chickies, I hope it will get better soon!!!