Learning to Sex Chicks

Big developments have taken place since the last issue of Canada Poultryman rolled off the press. The first real class in Chick Sexing in Canada has been held, and the first large-scale effort has been made to spread this new science throughout Ontario.  In fact, things have been happening so quickly in the chick sexing world lately, that you humble correspondent isn’t quite sure yet himself just what he has ben doing and why.

It all started as an offshoot of the Baby Chick Convention at Cleveland. When I was down there I happened to meet a Canadian hatcheryman by the name of Mr. Hogarth.  Mr. Hogarth became very interested in chick sexing, and when he returned to his home at Exeter he asked me to help him organize a group of hatcherymen in his locality so that they could all learn something about chick sexing. Well, almost before he knew it, we had arranged for a class of about fifteen students to be instructed at Mr. Hogarth’s hatchery at Exeter.

Now, to tell the truth, I was pretty dubious about the possibility of making chick sexers out of fifteen good, bad and indifferent hatcherymen in the course of just four days.  However, the students arrived and we set to work to explain the mysteries of chick sexing.  Well, the results were really remarkable.  After just four days we had six out of the fifteen students sexing chicks with an accuracy of 90 to 95 per cent, and the rest were 80 per cent accurate or better. And honestly, no one was more surprised than I was.

Then came the next big event.  Professor Graham of the Ontario Agricultural College decided that it was time to arrange a large demonstration at which all the hatcherymen would have a chance to see how chick sexing was performed.  Consequently, August 21 and 22 were set aside for the purpose and invitations sent out to hatcherymen all over the country.  The came from far and they came from wide, and it seemed that everyone who could get away was preset at the demonstration.  I talked to them about how chick sexing had worked out in the West, about the various problems they would have to face next year, and gave them demonstration how to sex chicks.  They certainly seemed very interested, and what’s more, they wanted to learn something more about this new science.

Well, that gave me a new idea.  The hatcheryman want to learn, and the results of the Exeter class showed that they could learn, so the logical thing to do was to organize a series of schools in different parts of the country and supply the demand for chick sexing.

And that’s just what I have been doing in the past few weeks.  Schools are going to be held at Woodstock, Brantford, Port Credit, Schomberg, Port Hope and several other places.

This new development should have several interesting effects.  In the first place it has created a widespread interest in chick sexing.  At the Canadian National Exhibition, for instance, there were some few thousands of people who saw the demonstrations we put on of chick sexing.  And in the second place, a good many of the hatcherymen have the idea now that they will be able to do most of their own sexing work next spring, and in that way get around the necessity of bringing in Japanese experts to perform this service.  If the hatcherymen can learn how to sex chicks before next season they will be able to put many thousands of dollars in their pockets that would otherwise got to Japan.

But it seems to me that a couple of months ago I started out to tell you something about the technique of chick sexing, so I guess it’s about time to get down to business.

The classes, which have been held so far, have brought out one point very clearly.  And that point is that beginner cannot spend too much time learning how to open the chicks.  You will remember that there is a little eminence just inside the vent of the chick that we use to tell the sex of the chick by.  Well, to see this little eminence, the vent has to be carefully turned inside out, so that the eminence is exposed.  Now this is a delicate matter, and requires a rather gently touch, and just the right finger combination.  You see, if the vent is not turned out far enough, then this eminence cannot be seen, and if the vent is turned out too far, the intestine comes sliding out and covers everything.  It becomes a problem then of turning the vent out so far and no further.

However, before we start let me suggest one more thing. The first time you try to turn the vent of a chick inside out, help yourself to a good measure of patience.  Otherwise, when you begin to find that all your fingers have turned into thumbs, there will be a strong temptation to toss the chick in the waste paper basket and consign the whole business to the hot place.  Please remember that it has been done by all sorts and classes of people, and that there is no good reason why you can’t do it too.  I have found that going at it “little and often” is the best way to learn the technique of chic sexing. 

Step number one is as follows: Extend your left hand palm downward and grasp a chick.  The head of the chick should be on the left side of your hand, and its other end extending from the right side of your hand. With the thumb and first finger give the tummy of the chick a gently squeeze just near the vent.  This will remove any surplus waste matter that is in the intestines, and may prevent a serious accident to your clothes.

When this little job is done the chick is ready to be opened.  Lay the little fellow in the hollow of your fingers, in such a position that its back is against your fingers, its vent is near your thumb, and its legs are tucked under your fingers.

With the chick more or less in position put the left thumb at the very edge of the vent, and on the left side of the vent.  The first finger of the right hand goes in exactly the same position on the right side of the vent.  Be sure and keep the two of them very close together because this prevents the intestine from coming out.  Then turn your right thumb on its edge and place it right at the bottom of the vent.

Now what happens is this.  You press gently down and pull slowly sideways with the left thumb and the first finger.  This makes the vent stand out from the body. Then you take that right thumb, press it well into the chick’s body and with the point of the thumb nail, lift up right underneath the center of the lower half of the vent, and there you are.  The action of the right thumb in digging down and lifting up turns the vent nicely inside out and exposes the eminence.  Simple, isn’t it?

Well it is simple, believe it or not.  But there are two things, which you simple must do if you are to make a success of turning that vent inside out.  The first one is to be sure to keep the top finger and thumb closely together, and the second is to dig ruthlessly into the chick with that right thumb, and get under the eminence.  The chick will stand a lot of punishment.  If you do this, and don’t get too discouraged in the first few hours, you will find that you soon acquire the knack of turning the vent of the chick inside out.  It is a matter of gradually becoming accustomed to the feel of the chick. 

And that’s the first fifty miles in chick sexing.  The next step is to tell the cockerels from the pullets once you do get the vent inside out.  But that is a story in itself, and perhaps it would be best for you to practice the trick of turning the vent inside out so that when the next issue of Canada Poultryman comes along, you won’t have to worry about the technique.