The Facts About Chick Sexing!

Chick sexing is a method of determining the sexdifficult process because the sexual organs of the
of either chicks or other hatchlings. Big commercialbirds are located within the body and not easily
hatcheries perform chick sexing to put the chicksdistinguishable. The copulatory organs of chickens
on the right track from the beginning, dependingcan be determined as a male or female by the
on the purpose for which they are being raised.shape, and venting involves squeezing the feces
For example, when raising for eggs, males areout of the chick, to open up the rectum, which
unwanted. For meat purposes, both male andallows the chick sexer to see if the bird has a
female chicks are needed to raise hybrid birds.small bump. This small bump indicates that it is a
After chick sexing is done, many hatcheries killmale. Some females also have very small bumps.
the birds of the unwanted sex immediately toWhen compared to both the methods of chick
avoid future expenses.sexing above, the easier and more convenient
The people who can actually determine the sexmethod, and usually one preferred by small
of birds are highly trained professionals, known aspoultry owners, is to wait until the chicks start
chick sexers or chicken sexers.showing other characteristics of their sex. In male
There are two methods by which chicks arechicks, the wattles and combs will grow larger
sexed; feather sexing and vent sexing. Featherthan that of the females and the head will also be
sexing is based on the difference in feathera different shape and masculine looking. The
characteristics and vent sexing is based onfemale will be smaller than the male and is more
identifying the sexual organs visually.feminine looking. In some breeds, the feathers of
Feather sexing is based on the characteristics ofeach sex also develop a distinctive color pattern
the feathers that differ from male to female. It isthat makes it easier to identify the sex. This type
easy to learn, but the appearance of the feathersof sexing based on other characteristics can be
is usually determined by some genetic traitsdone at about 4-6 weeks of age.
present in the chick strain. Many chicken strainsChick sexing is a complicated process and can
do not have the characteristics of feather sexingonly be done by trained professionals who
and feathering of both sexes appear the same toundergo a lengthy training. This is the reason; small
the normal person and only trained chick sexersflock owners may not be able to afford engaging
can distinguish.the services of these chick sexers.
Vent sexing is also known as venting and is a