Essay 16 Contents
Essay 16:
Sexing Day Old Chickens
by R.D. Martin
Introduction
Learn to sex day old chickens or improve your accuracy to a 100 per cent.
The book covers the four methods of distinguishing the sexes of day old chickens.
The most skilled method, and the method used by the world's specialist chick sexers is the vent method.
If you are familiar with handling adult birds down to day old chickens ... with a bit of perseverance and practice ... you should be able to learn to sex chickens to a certain accuracy from the book.
By practicing on adult birds first, then younger birds, until you finally get down to day old chicks, this is how the original Japanese experts learnt. With a 100 chicks you would expect to get 50 cockerels and 50 pullets. A self-taught person should be able to pick out at least 30 of these cockerels (or pullets) without too much difficulty.
To make further progress you would need to practice on thousands of day old cockerels. This would get most people from 90 to 92 per cent accuracy. To get beyond this accuracy and obtain the commercial accuracy of most of today's chick sexers of 98 to 100 per cent accuracy ... most people would require tuition from an experienced chick sexer, and further practice on many thousands (if not millions) of chickens. Most, but not all, 100 per centers, are over 40 years old.
A special Note from the Author:
A skilled chick sexer could further increase his or her accuracy by reading the book from beginning to end. As 1 pointed out in my 'Preface' to the Book:
'Why write this book? The men and women interviewed and written about in this book have sexed millions of day-old chickens, many have been commercial chick sexers for over fifty years, and all have something to contribute to those who will follow after them.
Maybe just one comment they make could trigger in the student a clue, a spark that is relevant to a particular student's thinking for success.
Maybe a student needs to think better of himself, or herself, to have a dream, and be able to turn that dream into a practical application for success.
The book has 306 pages; approximately 41 pages cover drawings, photos and written instructions etc. relating directly on how to sex day old chickens. If you only read these forty odd pages, you will not get full benefit from your purchase; the book needs to be read from cover to cover.
Whether you are a poultry fancier wanting to pick out most of your cockerels (or pullets) or an experienced chick sexer, but not yet consistently getting a 100 per cent accuracy: reading the book from cover to cover, will bring you a bit closer to your goal.
I very much want you to have my book because I know it is a good book and you will gain a lot from reading it.
Good luck
Next Page » Part I: The Vent Method
A book covering all aspects of chick sexing
'The Specialist Chick Sexer' R. D. Martin.
A History' - 'A World View' - 'Future Prospects'
ISBN 0646 19886 6. HB 316pp US$17.00
The book covers every aspect of chick sexing and how it is taught, including the role of intuition in becoming a fast and accurate chick sexer. As in all learning intuition plays a major part in learning to sex day old ".chickens accurately. There is also something for the poultry fancier who wishes to be able to pick out at least some of his/her cockerels or pullets at day old. It is a well-researched book and is fully indexed.
It has sold well in Australia and 34 overseas countries: to chick sexers, prospective chick sexers, universities/colleagues, poultry fanciers, libraries and the general reader. The way chick sexing is taught is an excellent example of something that is taught by 'tacit' learning. The sexing of emus and ducklings are covered also.
Available from Bernal Publishing