Extract from "The Specialist Chick Sexer"

For the poultry fancier, poultry industry historian and potential chick sexers. Extracts from: 'The Specialist Chick Sexer' R.D. Martin, available at US$32.00 airmailed to any part of the world within 7 to 10 days.

Introduction Carter Brothers The 1960'S Glossary

INTRODUCTION

The 'Introduction' of the book covers eight pages; the two pages and the last half page below are to give some idea of the areas the book covers. On other pages there are several interesting anecdotes, plus examples of the early financial rewards from chick sexing. The complete 'Introduction' is interesting and informative reading, even for those not in the poultry industry.

From 1929 to the early 1940s was a period of economic depression throughout the world, yet it was during this decade that the poultry industry experienced two events, which had a profound influence on the industry's future growth and stability.

The two events were the development of the electric forced-draught egg incubator in the early 1930s and the development and introduction by the Japanese of day-old chick sexing.

The larger forced-draught incubators revolutionized the production of day-old chickens: not only in the quality of the chickens but also in hatching percentages of eggs set. Up to the development of these forced-draught incubators hatching results of around 50 per cent of all eggs set were considered satisfactory. With forced-draught incubators these figures gradually improved till 90 per cent of all eggs set were achieved. The latest mammoth steel cabinet incubators sometimes achieve higher percentages than this. These improvements in hatching results and later being able to separate the sexes as soon as they were hatched enabled the egg-producing industry to expand and to greatly reduce costs.

The benefits to the egg industry of being able to distinguish the sex of day-old chickens were better utilization of shedding, and reducing feed costs for replacement egg-laying stock. The unwanted day-old cockerels could he disposed of after sexing, a saving in brooder space and valuable feed, both big savings in costs.

The farmer no longer had to rear and feed unsexed chickens until he or she could pick out the cockerels at five to seven weeks and then either sell them, usually below costs, or rear them until they were at a marketable age and weight, which took up to three times as long as it now takes today's meat chickens. Most times the farmer would lose money on these sales, as the markets were flooded with these unwanted by-products of the egg industry.

With the developments in sex-linked genetic stock with its resulting easy separation of the sexes as they are unloaded from the incubators by hatchery-trained staff, the specialist chick sexer is now needed only by the hatcheries and breeders who produce parent stock or for sexing turkeys. This is a far cry from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s when many hatchery men built their business reputations partly on the accuracy and reliability of their chick sexer.

There is, however, in some countries a move away from the egg replacement stock, which has been genetically bred for easy separation of the sexes at day-old. How far this trend will develop depends on any economic gains from the change back to vent-sexed replacement stock.

As we will see in Part 11 of this study, the future of the specialist chick sexer looks brighter than the casual observer might at first assume.

In the history of the 60-plus years of the specialist chick sexer there have been several threats to the commercial chick sexer as an occupation.
Earlier, there were threats of being able to treat eggs so that only females would hatch. Feather and autosexing breeds have always been available. Then in the 1950s the Japanese introduced the "Chick- tester", an instrument which enabled a skilled operator to sex chickens with 100 per cent accuracy after only a few months' practice.

This new and easier to learn 100 per cent method prospered mainly where there was a shortage of skilled vent sexers. The Japanese stopped teaching this method in 1966, and no one manufactures any of these so-called "machines" now.

The vent sexers were more than able to hold their own with these "machine sexers" both in accuracy, speed and in many cases, injury to the chick. There are still very skilled commercial users of this method who can sex at the rate of 1200 plus an hour with accuracy comparable with the best vent sexers. They work side by side with their vent colleagues and there is no doubt that they will he commercial chick sexers until they decide to retire.
But, as Australia's most experienced and accurate "machine" sexer said when I went to interview him for this study, "The 'machine' is finished! "
The biggest change that has brought about some reduction in the number of specialist chick sexers throughout the world has of course been the growth of feather and color sexing of day-old chicks.

This change has been made possible by the concentration of the breeding and hatchery industry around the world under the control of few large breeding companies. As far back as 1988 it was said that 75 per cent of the western world's egg-laying replacement breeding stock was in the hands of five companies

Because of their size, they are able to employ highly skilled geneticists and other technical staff to undertake research and development work.
These developments have reduced the need for specialist chick sexers to sex replacement layer stock, and in some cases broiler breeders, but the specialist chick sexer is still an essential part of the poultry industry and there does not appear any likelihood of this changing...

At no time during this study did 1 depend on the glowing memories of the participants for evidence of speed, accuracy or the number of chickens handled in a day or year.

In Part II I have written in the first person as 1 am very much involved by way of researching statistics, correspondence, visits, interviews and some practical update. It seemed to be the best way of presenting the evidence and opinions of others as well as my own.
In looking at future prospects, any historian or researcher can base predictions only on what is happening now and on looking at the experience from the past.

Teaching is a task for an experienced commercial chick sexer able to sex chicks with almost a 100 per cent accuracy.

For an advanced student or a practicing commercial chick sexer a reading, or a re-reading, of this study could help a 95 to 97-percenter advance to a 98 or 100 percenter.

Most of the individual histories relate to Australian chick sexers, but their experiences and observations are not so very different to chick sexer's worldwide.

With close reading of their comments and observations as well as some of the Japanese masters, the reader will notice a common theme, with those who have mastered the skills, which go towards making a top commercial chick sexer.

There are no hidden secrets. There is, however, practice, practice and practice, together with perseverance-together with an under- standing of the biology behind the method of being able to distinguish quickly and accurately the differences between the degenerate eminences of the male and female day-old chick.

R.D.M.

• Introduction
• Carter Brothers
• The 1960'S
• Glossary