Straight Run Ratio?

[Deleted]

OK, all you chicken people who have been buying chickens for years - is there any kind of average as to boy/girl ratio when you get straight run? The lady at the hatchery that I spoke with said there was no rule of thumb - that I could end up with one girl and 24 boys, or vice-versa. It seems to me that there would be some sort of "average ratio" for this, like there's usually more of one than the other, or they're likely to come out about the same...

I'm trying to decide whether to order just pullets for my laying hens and finish out with meat birds, or getting a straight run order of all the same type of chicken and butcher the roosters. From what I understand, getting laying hens and meat birds will be difficult because they need two different types of feed. Or is this just sales hype? I only have the equipment and space to brood one batch of 25, and I sure don't need 25 laying hens. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

~Lannie

[auntieemu]

It has been years, but we used to get around 75% male.

[Deleted]

Hmmm... that seems so odd. If I would have had a gun pointed at my head and had to GUESS, I would have thought it would be more females, just because of breeding stats. You know, one rooster can service several hens... weird...

Maybe I'd better order the pullets only, then the meat birds to fill out my order. I'll have to learn as I go on the feeding requirements for a mixed batch like that.

Thanks, Auntie. ;D

~Lannie

[dirty]

the one time i didnt get sexed chicks. i ended up getting about 75% roosters. i figure they have to do something with the males, after they remove the sexed hen orders .

[auntieemu]

It depends on how hot they incubate them. The higher the temp, the quicker the hatch but also more males.

[Deleted]

So.... if we left it the way Mother Nature intended, with the hen sitting her own eggs (if we hadn't bred that trait out of them in the first place), the balance might be better. It never ceases to amaze me...

Dirty, I never thought about them giving you the "leftovers" but that makes a lot of sense, too. In fact, DUH! Since probably most people want the pullets, that would naturally leave a lot of roosters.

I guess I'll order pullets then, just to be sure. Then someone else can get MY leftovers! LOL!

Thanks for saving me from an excessive amount of butchering and an egg shortage, you guys! ;D

~Lannie

[Deleted]

It also depends on which hatchery and how many you order. If you are ordering 100 birds you are probably going to end up with about 25% roos. If you are ordering 20 birds, you'll end up with 75% roos. If you are dealing with a hatchery that knows you well then they probably will stack it the other way. I did get a st run of 5 birds once and got all pullets. Once and only....

[bergere]

Lets see with Privett I tend to get 50x50...pullets and Roos.
Murry Mcmurry,, I always got 90% Roos.

If you can, it is more than worth it to buy just Pullets.

[Deleted]

Lannie, I seem to end up with mostly cockerals when buying straigh run. Also, I end up with mainly males when incubating some eggs.
If ordering, I would ask for hens only. I have reached that point.
tnborn

[momo]

The last time we bought chicks we wanted about 4 hens. Just enough for our own use. So we got 10 chicks figuring that would cover it. Eight of them were roos.