how to sex day old light sussex

[newinnfarm]

how im wondering how to sex day old light sussex as im putting eggs in for incubation can anyone help?

 

[Bertie & The Chooks]

you need to look at their wing feather lengths and shapes.

 

[Bertie & The Chooks]

also this is a really good tutorial http://animalsciences.missouri.edu/reprod/ReproTech/Feathersex/sld001.htm

 

[newinnfarm]

thanks alot

 

[foxy]

I think it might be a little challenging trying to sex light sussex at a day old. I would wait until sexual characteristics become apparent at around 6 to 8 weeks plus.

You can get commercial hybrids which you can feather sex, indeed feather sexers can earn good money! However, not all breeds have the slow feathering gene and you may end up culling females by relying on this method.

If you really want to be sure, you might want to consider an auto-sexing breed like cream legbars where you can distinguish between the sexes at a day old.

 

[Chuck]

It's not possible to sex LS chicks at D/O except by vent sexing which is highly skilled.

Some breeds such as Leghorns can have the long wing feathers at hatching but it also takes skill and experience to sort them out.

With certain sex linked crosses, you can tell by the colouring of the chicks which sex they are. Best known example is the Rhode Island Red male on Light Sussex hens which gives you white males and gold females at hatching. It will only work one way i.e. RIR/LS hens but not LS/RIR hens.

Then as Foxy has said there are the auto sexing breeds.

 

[Bertie & The Chooks]

It's not possible to sex LS chicks at D/O except by vent sexing which is highly skilled.

Some breeds such as Leghorns can have the long wing feathers at hatching but it also takes skill and experience to sort them out.

With certain sex linked crosses, you can tell by the colouring of the chicks which sex they are. Best known example is the Rhode Island Red male on Light Sussex hens which gives you white males and gold females at hatching. It will only work one way i.e. RIR/LS hens but not LS/RIR hens.

Then as Foxy has said there are the auto sexing breeds.

cool! never knew that Chuck. 17 cheers for the info!

 

[newinnfarm]

so should i hope for the best and if i get severel cockrels ill have to sell trios, pairs

 

[Chuck]

You can hatch but can't assume there will be a ready market for them. Many people can only keep hens so there are usually many more males than are needed.

Light Sussex are now, as with many breeds, divided into three camps: those bred for show which are not good layers; those bred for egg laying including dual purpose ones and those bred by people who have no idea which are which and just hatch to sell and are the people who will do most damage to the reputation of the pure breeds.

Sussex males are very hard on the hens and trios and pairs are only suitable if there's lots of space or the hens will suffer damage from the treading.

 

[newinnfarm]

i will be keeping them seprate if so or, discard when i sex them

 

[Marigold]

so should i hope for the best and if i get severel cockrels ill have to sell trios, pairs

Wouldn't most people getting a pair or trio prefer an unrelated cockerel, rather than one from the same hatch?

 

[newinnfarm]

ah, didnt think of that, good point then just have to discard the cockerals