Amazing Odds

A while ago there was a post about how it seemed roosters were hatching in abundance this year, but I have a different story to tell. I could be wrong, as we are still learning, but from all appearances, out of 12 chicks hatched this year, currently about 3 months old, 2 are roosters, and 10 are hens, with one in the hen camp that is a maybe. It's a black/blue ameraucana, and we can't completely decide yet. I am flabbergasted. What are the odds? All six white chanteclers are hens, and the rest are ameraucana crosses. Time to expand the roosting area! There are plenty of nest boxes, but of course, they all use the same one. Maybe the when the little ones start laying they will figure out it is better to use an empty box rather than wait cackling in line for the busy one.

Chicken team, I always hatch mostly girls. I think it is the water here.

Go buy a lottery ticket!

The probability of getting exactly 10 females in 12 chicks is 1.6%. So, it's pretty small, but not impossible (or really all that unlikely). I mean, who writes in to say "I hatched 14 chicks and got 8 females!"
We only report the outcomes that seem odd.

With my ducks, out of 12 that I kept it looks like I have 3 maybe 4 females. My odds this year have been the opposite. Even my chickens I have had more males than females. I got only one cooper hen. With my turkeys however I seem to be running to more females. My geese seem to be fifty fifty.

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Out of 7 barred rock chicks I hatched 6 were hens.
I bought 6 day old barred rock chicks and they were all hens
this year with my limited hatch rate I have more hens then roosters.
Geri  

Interesting what Tara said about feathers. Last year we picked up some ameraucana crosses, and the lady had a partridge chantecler left, missed when selling them to someone. Since that is what I had originally wanted, I took it. Turned out to be a hen, but very unique. She is small, and her feathers came in very narrow. I am looking forward to her molt, and seeing how her feathers come in this time. But, I have wondered all along if it is a certain condition that made her feathers like that, and her different look is maybe why she was passed over the first time (or, the buyer realized right away she wasn't good breeding stock, unlike me, who was just happy to have a partridge chantecler). She is very tame, was my first mother hen, and we all love her, but I should probably be careful not to hatch any of her eggs? I enjoyed all the rest of the information - so much to learn! Next year I hope to repeat Coopslave's black ameraucana/partridge chantecler cross project and I won't mind so much if there are a few more roosters, because this year the freezer is rather bare. I am in this mostly for the eggs; still a little hard for us ex-town folks to be putting roosters in the freezer every year. I really enjoy roosters and their crowing. But my practical and healthy side knows it is important. I just wish we had more space so I could do more breeding, but all in good time (I hope). It was so cool, though, to not have to buy any chicks (money is rather tight), and get to watch at least the good mother hens do a fantastic job with their little chicks.