Peeps
Last year we purchased our first chicks. We wanted to try out several different heritage breeds so we bought 2 or 3 each of a number of breeds.
If you are going to buy a large number of chicks, you can order them via a catalog or internet and choose whether you want males, females, or straight run (a mix). We did not want a large quantity so we bought our chicks locally, straight run. Of the 16 we purchased, we now have 9 left – all roosters.
That would be OK, but we really wanted laying hens.
Much to my delight, the farm store had Black Sex-Link chicks this morning. They are a cross between a Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire rooster and a Barred Rock hen. They hatch out black, but the males have a white dot on their heads and the females do not.
I purchased 10 female chicks (pullets). No roosters in our future this time! We will keep them in a brooder in the house until they start to develop feathers and it gets a little warmer outside. Then we will move them to the chicken coop and in about 6 months they will start laying wonderfully delicious eggs.
Hi, I have a way of sexing chicks, my grandma show me, it is fairly accurate. Sometimes you might get a rooster instead of a hen. You put the chick in the palm of your hand, gently put your other hand around the head and lift the chick up a little, very carefully, if it kicks a lot its a hen if it just drops it feet and is calm it's a rooster. I used it a lot when buying chicks, if I want pullets and not straight runs. Hope it helps a little.