So folks, wanna hear how this whole “boob sexing” thing blew up on my farm? Yeah, no joke. Last spring, my dumb butt ordered chicks before fully figuring out how to tell the girls from the boys. Staring at dozens of fluffy little peepers hopping around, all looking exactly freaking identical? Total panic mode.
The “Oh Sht” Moment and a Weird Idea
Okay, picture it: Me pacing the coop, sweating buckets, cooing at the chicks like an idiot, hoping for some magical sign. Zilch. Then I remembered Uncle Jerry, the crazy old goat down the road years back, mumbling about something involving, well, feeling around the body. Sounded nuts at the time.
Desperation’s one hell of a motivator, let me tell ya. So I grabbed a chick, gentle-like, held it warm in my palm. Now, everyone always focuses on the vent. Fine. But Uncle Jerry’s weird idea kept poking my brain. He swore blind that VERY early on, especially in certain breeds I was messing with, you could sometimes feel something ELSE.
Actually Trying It Out (Fingers Crossed!)
- Started super, super young. We’re talking just a few days old, way before feathers came in proper.
- Get the chick calm. Warm hands. Slow moves. Didn’t wanna stress ’em.
- Got the chick on its back. Held it snug, but not squishing. Head facing my belly.
- Used my thumb. Seriously, just my thumb pad. Placed it really gently right in that little soft belly area, kinda sliding down below the breastbone, careful not to press too hard near the vent.
And here’s where Uncle Jerry’s nutty advice might have been onto something, or maybe I was just incredibly lucky with timing. On a couple of the bigger chicks, I swear under my thumb I felt… a tiny nubbin? Super soft, super small, barely a bump. Like the size of a pinhead hiding under fluff and skin. Way different from just smooth belly feel. My eyebrows damn near hit the roof! I immediately tagged those specific chicks with a little colored leg band. Pure guesswork, felt ridiculous.
Weeks Later: The Moment of Truth
Fast forward a couple weeks, feathers starting to show proper color. The chicks I thought had that lil’ bump? Started crowing! Not quiet peeps, full-on ROOSTER crowing! No doubt about it. The ones that felt smooth down there? Yeah, laying eggs started not long after! My hit rate wasn’t 100% perfect, mind you. A few got flagged wrong, maybe I was pressing too hard or too soft? But overall, spotting those early “boob bumps” actually gave me a weirdly decent head start on separating the ladies from the loudmouths WAY earlier than just wing-feathering clues.
Why This Stuck With Me
Thing is, it wasn’t about this being some genius method. Hell, vent sexing pros would probably laugh me out the barn. It was about that moment of pure “what the heck, let’s try anything” panic leading to something that actually kinda worked for MY chickens, on MY timeline. Worked way better than staring blankly, anyway! Made the endless coop cleaning a little less crazy-making knowing roughly who was who sooner.
Just goes to show, sometimes the weird old tricks someone mutters about REALLY do the job when you’re stuck like I was. Especially if you’re patient and gentle with the little fluffballs.
