# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Livestock and Animal Husbandry >  Baby chicks

## finallyME

Well, I finally convinced the misses that we need some chicks.  Here is a video I did with our new flock.  I got 10 Rode Island Reds, and plan to keep 4 for laying with the rest going into the freezer.  That is, if they can survive all the attention.

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## Justin Case

Don't let the Cat see this  :Wink:

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## nell67

Cool beans,FM! Did you get straight run,or all pullets??? We have them in our store as well,I just purchased some Ameracauna chicks for  99 cents each (before my discount) they are normally nearly $3 each,but these came in a "Fry Pan Special" lot and I had to sex them myself to get just the pullets.

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## Justin Case

> Cool beans,FM! Did you get straight run,or all pullets??? We have them in our store as well,I just purchased some Ameracauna chicks for  99 cents each (before my discount) they are normally nearly $3 each,but these came in a "Fry Pan Special" lot and* I had to sex them myself* to get just the pullets.


Oooooooooo  Really ?   woo hoo !

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## nell67

Pervert........,,And the way I do it does not entail looking under the  tail at all.....

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## Justin Case

:Blushing:  :Blushing:  :Blushing:

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## nell67

Justin,I "hang: the chicks to determine the sex,with my forefinger and thumb around its neck,I let it hang from my hand,if it "fights like a rooster" (kicks and scratches at your hand) it is a cockerel,if it "gives up" and just hangs with its feet straight down,it is a pullet.

 It is not an exact science,but about 92% accurate,you can get your chicks cheaper in the farm supply stores by going to the straight run (mixed male and female) and sexing them yourself,they still have to give it to you at the cheaper s/r price.

I do this for a lot of customers on a daily basis when we have chicks in the store,and rabbits,I sex a lot of bunnies too..

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## Justin Case

> Justin,I "hang: the chicks to determine the sex,with my forefinger and thumb around its neck,I let it hang from my hand,if it "fights like a rooster" (kicks and scratches at your hand) it is a cockerel,if it "gives up" and just hangs with its feet straight down,it is a pullet.
> 
>  It is not an exact science,but about 92% accurate,you can get your chicks cheaper in the farm supply stores by going to the straight run (mixed male and female) and sexing them yourself,they still have to give it to you at the cheaper s/r price.
> 
> I do this for a lot of customers on a daily basis when we have chicks in the store,and rabbits,*I sex a lot of bunnies too.*.


and you call me a "Pervert"  lol,,,   btw,,  do boy chickens have an adams apple ?  :Blink:

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## nell67

I have never paid attention to whether they do or not.....and I have cut a lot of heads off chickens,it just never occured to me to check. LOL

ugghh,there is a lot of jokes about "choking chickens" where I work.... :Blushing:  :Blushing:  :Blushing:  :Sneaky2:

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## finallyME

Nell, they are all pullets.  At least that is what the Farm store was selling them as.  Last year when we were looking at the new chicks one of the employees what showing how to tell pullets from cockerels.  He basically did what you just described.  He would hold the chick upside down by both feet.  If they did a sit-up, they were a cockerel.  If they went limp, a pullet.  Anyways, they had Ameraucanas, but they were $3.79 each and the RIRs were only $2.39 each.  I might get a few of those next year.  This is my first time, so we will see how it goes.  Now I need to build the coop.  I will probably build a tractor.

It took me a few times to figure how to sex rabbits.  But, now I can do it pretty good, if they stay still long enough  :Wink:  .

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## nell67

FM,if they are selling them as pullets,then they came in from the hatchery already sexed by the vent method,I don't do that one because if you dont do it right,you squish their guts out,but still there have been cockerels in the mix of pullets that came in pre sexed.

On the bunnies,grab them by the scruff of the neck,place 2 fingers between the ears and apply light pressure there,and it sort of paralyzes them while you hold them,soon as you left off the pressure,they are fine.

Never ung the chicks by their feet,just the neck! Will have to try that.

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## Justin Case

> FM,if they are selling them as pullets,then they came in from the hatchery already sexed by the vent method,I don't do that one because if you dont do it right,you squish their guts out,but still there have been cockerels in the mix of pullets that came in pre sexed.
> 
> On the bunnies,*grab them by the scruff of the neck,place 2 fingers between the ears and apply light pressure there,and it sort of paralyzes them while you hold them*,soon as you left off the pressure,they are fine.
> 
> Never ung the chicks by their feet,just the neck! Will have to try that.


Hey,,  That works on ME too !   :Blushing:  :Winkiss:

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## nell67

Do you have long furry ears,Justin???

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## Justin Case

> Do you have long furry ears,Justin???


you never said "Long and furry"  :Wink:    btw,,,  no I don't,,  but i am fairly open minded  :Wink:

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## nell67

Then fagedabout it,I ain't sexing you!

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## Justin Case

> Then fagedabout it,I ain't sexing you!


What !   I just placed the order !   http://www.amazon.com/bunny-ears-Bun...N%3DB000GL1DMW

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## finallyME

> FM,if they are selling them as pullets,then they came in from the hatchery already sexed by the vent method,I don't do that one because if you dont do it right,you squish their guts out,but still there have been cockerels in the mix of pullets that came in pre sexed.
> 
> On the bunnies,grab them by the scruff of the neck,place 2 fingers between the ears and apply light pressure there,and it sort of paralyzes them while you hold them,soon as you left off the pressure,they are fine.
> 
> Never ung the chicks by their feet,just the neck! Will have to try that.


I won't mind a couple of cockerels.  that is why I got 10 with the intent to keep 4 layers.  As long as I have 4 layers, then I am happy.  I will try that with the rabbits.  It is really hard when the tiny kits are wiggly and you are trying to see a very small item.  Also, the neighbor just gave me his doe.  He got a divorce and wife took the kids.  He didn't want the rabbit.  Anyways, the doe is more aggressive than my others.  She is calming down as I handle her more, but she still stomps at me when I come close.

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## nell67

Does can be VERY aggressive,I have one (californian) that you have to have leather gloves on to handle,she wants petted through the cage wire,but as soon as you put your hand inside the cage,she bites the hell out of you.

Usually that is a doe that has kits,or ready to,but this one is just bred for the first time,and has been biting for about 3 months,and Californians are the only ones I have had biting issues with.

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## finallyME

> Does can be VERY aggressive,I have one (californian) that you have to have leather gloves on to handle,she wants petted through the cage wire,but as soon as you put your hand inside the cage,she bites the hell out of you.
> 
> Usually that is a doe that has kits,or ready to,but this one is just bred for the first time,and has been biting for about 3 months,and Californians are the only ones I have had biting issues with.


The first rabbit someone gave me was a very aggressive doe.  I couldn't let my kids feed her.  I had to do with leather gloves as well, like you described.  I don't think the previous owner did much with her, so she was very antisocial.  The dog thought she was really tasty.

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## OhioGrizzLapp

Chicks of any kind makes for GREAT Muskey bait on a hook harness................just sayin  :Smile:

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## nell67

LOL I would think this girl is very tasty,but I REALLY want babies out of her,since she is of showable quality,with grand champions on both sides,and I have bred her so my neice and nephew have bunnies to show at the fair! Other wise,she is toast!

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## nell67

awww.you can have the ones that didn't survive,or I have to put down because they are too weak to survive when they make it to the store.LOL

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## crashdive123

You do realize of course that having the kids name their dinner was not a good idea right?

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## finallyME

> You do realize of course that having the kids name their dinner was not a good idea right?


I think they are used to it now.  They know that only 4 will make it past a few months.  I don't think they realize that in a few weeks all the chicks will look different.  Anyways, I kill rabbits all the time, and they still name them.  I just tell them all the time that we are eating them.  They also name the goldfish we buy at the store and then feed to our turtles.

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## crashdive123

Ahhh.  Raising cold blooded................nah.

Good deal.

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## OhioGrizzLapp

Natural Born Killas........... LOLOL

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## kyratshooter

We used to sit at the dinner table and review the atributes of whichever cow/hog/bunny we were eating for that meal.  

The kids learned not to get attached to the livestock.  They would name the breeders/hens because they knew those were going to be around for a while.

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## finallyME

Hopefully it gives them a deeper understanding of life and death, and where our food comes from.  I never had this when I was a kid, so I am learning a lot.  My mom has an immune deficiency, so pets were generally relegated to fish.  Although, we did have bees for a time, and two ducks that roamed the yard freely and completely devoured any bugs inside the fence line.  My wife has a harder time than the kids.  She has a hard time dressing a frozen, store bought turkey.  But, she is learning as well.  I am sure eventually she will be cutting the heads off the fryers like the best of them.  :Smile:

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