Chick Sexer

OFO No:

What is a Chick Sexer? 

A Chick Sexer or Chicken Sexer is a trained individual who is responsible for working out the sex of a baby chicken. They make sure which chickens lay eggs and which become meat. 

Large, commercial hatcheries will employ Chick Sexers. This is necessary as male (cocks) and female (egg-laying hens) have different feeding programmes. 

There are 3 ways to sex a chick: 

• ‘feather sexing’

Fairly easy – as the male and female chicks have different colour feathers

• ‘vent sexing’

The Chick Sexer has to gently squeeze poop out of the chicks so they can see the inside of the chicks where the sex organs are.  Chick Sexers sex thousands of chicks a day. 

• using scientific machinery

Here is a Youtube clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMF9YnQBCkg

What does a Chick Sexer do?

• vent or feather sex chicks
• separate chicks into males and females
• note how many chicks have been sexed

Are you … ?

• calm and patient?
• gentle?
• responsible?
• observant?
• willing to do routine work every day?
• able to stand for long periods at a time?

How do I become a Chick Sexer?

There is no definite answer to this question. However, you may consider contacting one of the large hatcheries to ask them which route you should take. If these hatcheries don’t use machines to sex their chicks they may even offer in-house training to you to become a Chick Sexer.

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Animal Breeder or Animal Health Technician

Is becoming a Chick Sexer the right career choice for me?

See below for more info.