When ordering baby chicks, you’ll often see terms like “straight run”, “pullets”, and “cockerels” used to describe the chickens. But what exactly do these terms mean, and how do they impact the chickens you receive? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll demystify straight run chickens and explain everything you need to know before placing your next chick order.
What is a Straight Run Chicken?
A straight run chicken refers to a chick that comes from a hatchery batch that has not been sexed. In other words, straight run chicks are a random mix of males and females.
When a batch of chicks hatches they all look identical externally regardless of sex. To determine the gender trained professionals called “chicken sexers” carefully examine the underside of each chick to identify male and female anatomy. Sexing a large batch of chicks is very labor-intensive.
To save time and costs, many hatcheries will sell chicks that have not been sexed at all. These unsorted chicks are called “straight run.”
With straight run chickens there is no guarantee what ratio of males to females you will get. The industry standard is approximately a 50/50 split but there can be natural variation especially with smaller orders. You may end up with all males, all females, or anything in between!
Reasons to Choose Straight Run Chicks
Here are some of the key benefits of opting for straight run chickens:
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Cost savings – Skipping the labor-intensive sexing process reduces expenses for hatcheries. These savings get passed onto customers, so straight run chicks are cheaper than sexed chicks.
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Natural mix of flock – With straight run, you’ll likely end up with a natural mix of roosters and hens. This can lead to a balanced and productive flock.
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Meat and eggs – For dual-purpose breeds raised for both eggs and meat, straight run allows you to get both roosters for meat and hens for laying.
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Fertilized eggs – If you want to hatch your own chicks, you’ll need both a rooster and hens for fertilized eggs. Straight run provides both.
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Unexpected colors – Certain chicken breeds have sex-linked color genetics. Straight run allows for fun surprises like colorful roosters.
Drawbacks of Straight Run Chickens
There are also some potential downsides to consider with straight run:
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Unwanted roosters – If your goal is just egg-laying hens, extra roosters can be problematic. They don’t lay eggs, crow loudly, and sometimes fight.
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No guarantees – You won’t know the exact ratio of males to females until they grow and show their gender.
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Limited options – Some hatcheries only offer rare chicken breeds in straight run. So you have to accept whatever mix of chicks they provide.
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Culling extra roosters – To maintain flock balance, you may have to humanely cull or re-home excess roosters from a straight run batch.
Alternatives to Straight Run
If you definitely want chickens of one specific gender, there are alternatives:
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Sexed pullets – Ordering sexed pullets ensures you receive only female chicks. This maximizes egg production but costs more.
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Sexed cockerels – Ordering sexed cockerels gives you only male chicks, which are useful for meat production or as flock roosters.
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Hybrid sex-links – Special hybrid breeds allow easy sexing based on feather color. Red Sex Links have red/brown females and pale males.
Estimating the Rooster to Hen Ratio
With straight run chickens, you won’t know the exact male to female ratio until the chicks are several weeks old and clearly reveal their gender. However, these general estimates can help set expectations:
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Industry standard is 50% roosters, 50% hens when ordering large batches of chicks.
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Small backyard flocks may see more natural variation in ratios.
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Extreme skews like 90% roosters or 90% hens are very rare.
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The more chicks ordered, the more likely the ratio will be close to 50/50.
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Certain chicken breeds may have slightly more tendencies towards one gender.
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Always expect at least a few roosters from any straight run order. Don’t be surprised if you end up with a higher rooster percentage than expected.
When are Roosters Ready for Harvesting?
If you end up with excess roosters from straight run chicks, you may choose to humanely harvest them for meat. Here is a guide to timelines on when roosters reach harvest size:
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4-6 months – Standard harvest age for most dual purpose breeds. Roosters achieve good size by this age.
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2-3 months – Some fast growing meat breeds like Cornish Cross can be ready by 10-12 weeks.
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6-8 months – Slower growing heritage breeds may need 6+ months to reach maximum size.
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1 year – Largest roosters may still be increasing in size up to a year old.
Always use humane harvesting practices and dispatch the birds quickly and calmly. butcher the birds on-site if regulations allow to minimize transport stress.
Tips for Integrating Straight Run Chicks
Here are some tips to help your new straight run chicks settle into the flock smoothly:
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Brood them separately – Keep chicks isolated from adult chickens until around 4-6 weeks old when they establish immunity.
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Avoid rooster fights – Introduce mature roosters carefully to avoid aggressive fights over flock dominance.
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Manage crowing – Limit excess noise by harvesting excess roosters before crowing starts around 16-24 weeks of age.
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Space for all – Ensure adequate food, water, and roosting space for the increased numbers from straight runs.
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Monitor for issues – Watch for signs of bullying or exclusion and intervene if needed to protect timid birds.
Summary
Beware the Straight Run Chicks
Beware the Straight Run Chicks
By Amy Barkley, Livestock and Beginning Farm Specialist with the SWNY Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Program and Jason Detzel, Livestock Educator with CCE Ulster
The pandemic has disrupted many of our domestic industries, and the farming sector is no exception. Last year brought trouble for seed suppliers (Seed shortages, 2021), tool makers (Meester, Bisson, and Dekker, 2020), and even poultry hatcheries as demand far outstripped supply (Chick suppliers, 2020). With many families spending more time at home, some are fixing up their backyards and growing some of their own food, which for many includes chickens.
While agricultural supply stores are in the thick of their chick season, there has been a rumor floating around that one of our largest agricultural supply stores in the state was only going to sell straight run chickens this year. While not yet confirmed, it would not be a surprise. Ordering chicks in from major hatcheries has been difficult. Not only has the pandemic resulted in increased demand, but the recent cold snap in the Midwest had a significant impact on number of chicks hatched in March. This, and hatcheries are still catching up on orders that were cancelled because of the recent live animal weather-related transport ban and brutal stretch of winter weather which resulted in the inability to ship chicks safely. When there are more orders than there are chicks to fill them, one option that hatcheries have is increasing the number of straight run chicks sold to help keep up with the demand. Pullets (or female chicks) are sold out at many hatcheries through the summer, and straight run may be the only option available for those looking to get chicks this spring.
That said, as livestock educators, we have a simple warning for those who are interested in raising poultry for fun and profit…BEWARE THE STRAIGHT RUN!
Straight run means that hatcheries do not separate the chicks by sex; your purchase will be split roughly 50/50 between roosters and hens. Hatcheries do not yet have the commercially available technology to sex baby chicks before hatching, but the technology is being developed in countries around the world (In-ovo sexing, 2021). Another technology, which features the ability to hatch 100% females, is being developed right here in NYS (Zonshine, 2020). However, those technologies are still some years out from being commonplace. Hatcheries are currently forced to hatch all the eggs set, and then hire highly trained “sexers” to sort the birds by sex. The reason they are separated is that most heritage egg-type poultry growers only want the birds that are going to lay eggs for them to sell, and as we all know, roosters dont lay many eggs.
Typically, when you buy from the hatcheries directly, you can choose from three different options for sexing, depending on your specific needs. The most expensive class is female birds because these are the egg layers. The male chicks still cost money to produce, and by separating out the males, which must be sold at a lower price point, the costs must be made up through the sale of the female chicks. That, and its an equation of supply and demand; female chicks are in higher demand, so naturally theyll cost more.
The second most expensive class would be the straight run, a mix of birds that are 50/50 male and female. While not preferred by folks wanting to produce eggs for their own enjoyment or for market, straight run is popular with farms that raise broilers (meat birds). This is because the strains of birds grown for meat grow so quickly that weight differences due to the sex of the bird are not a large factor. The lack of need to separate the birds by sex also helps to keep costs lower for meat bird producers.
The final and cheapest class of heritage egg-producing chicks you can purchase are the males. They are cheapest because they do not lay eggs, they have a slow, inefficient growth rate for meat production, and they can be very loud and aggressive.
Most hatcheries offer all three options to the public, but farm supply stores typically only have pullets and straight run, since demand for male chicks is so low. However, because of the shortage of chicks this year, some merchants may switch from offering primarily pullet chicks to offering primarily straight run chicks. That means that you will have approximately 50 percent males and 50 percent females. While this may seem like fun, it can mean big problems for many newer poultry farmers and enthusiasts who are not aware of the potential issues with raising roosters.
Most backyard chicken-keeping regulations state that no roosters may be kept on residential properties. Not only can they be aggressive, but they have evolved to be very loud to claim their territories and protect their hens, which is disruptive to neighbors, especially those living close by. While raising roosters is very similar to raising hens at first, in about 3-4 months, those roosters are going to feel their oats and begin crowing and going after the hens to mate them. Unfortunately, this can be quite an aggressive behavior, and some may find that hens will lose feathers or run scared out of fear of being harassed, which can delay their maturity to egg-laying age. Because its possible to manage young males advances on the hens, you may think that you can just hold onto a couple and no one in the neighborhood will notice. Unfortunately, this is not true.
Although the young birds will only crow a little at first, as time goes on, they will crow louder and more often. Roosters crowing in one part of a neighborhood can cause other, local roosters to crow in return as a show of dominance. Crowing starts a few hours before sunrise because of birds internal clocks. Theyll even crow as early as 3-4am in the summer! I bet if you ask around, no one is going to want to be woken up in the wee hours of the morning, and that can include you and your family! Crowing isnt confined to morning, either. Most roosters will crow throughout the day, and some will crow in the middle of the night if something startles them. What were getting at here is if you have neighbors, they are going to notice the gentleman you keep with the ladies.
If youve identified that you have roosters where they arent permitted or dont want roosters in your flock, you may be wondering your options are.
You may have the idea to send your birds to a local farm sanctuary or rescue organization. However, after speaking with some of them, they have shared that they dont have room, and therefore cannot take on any more unclaimed roosters. The same is true for the ASPCA. In 2020, the Ulster County ASPCA took in about 25 birds that were part of a former fighting ring in the area. Those birds, which have been raised to be aggressive, must live in solitary cages and are difficult to rehome. This is one of the many examples of how shelters fill up, leaving no more room for roosters that need new homes. That leaves a rooster owner in a pickle.
If you have the resources and abilities, humanly processing these birds for meat at home would be a great option. Unfortunately, many local codes specifically prohibit at-home slaughter in high density neighborhoods. That said, if you live in an area where this is allowed, there are resources on humane slaughter and food-safe processing, such as Cornells self-paced, On-Farm Poultry Processing Course (https://smallfarmcourses.com/p/on-farm-poultry-processing).
Alternatively, there are small, local poultry processors across the state that will take small orders, but sometimes these folks are booked out months in advance, and its difficult to get an appointment. However, if you can get a slot when you start to see the male birds combs and wattles begin to grow large and red, which is around 6-8 weeks of age, you may be able to book an appointment for them when they are 16-20 weeks old, which is the proper finishing age for an egg-type heritage rooster.
With the above said, there are a few more options for flock owners. There are some ads on social media by individuals who indicate that they will take in any birds that you have of the offer. However, we cannot speak for any of these entities or individuals, or what will become of the birds you give them. There are also opportunities to post ads that either sell or give away live birds in the paper, on farm store bulletin boards, and on some limited online advertising forums. If you have a local livestock auction nearby, that may also be an option. Most often, roosters sold through these means are processed at buyers homes for their own consumption. Very few sold will end up as pets or flock protectors, but it is a possibility.
So there you have it: your options for unwanted roosters. If after reading this article, you feel that you are up to the challenge of purchasing and managing straight run chicks, go for it! However, if this isnt the right decision for you, steer clear of the straight run chicks and opt for pullets instead.
References:
- Backyard chickens and covid-19. (2020). Retrieved from http://extension.msstate.edu/p…
- In-ovo sexing. (2021). Retrieved March 18, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-
- Meester, J., Bisson, L., & Dekker, B. (2020). . Clingendael Institute. doi:10.2307/resrep29361
- Seed shortages in 2021. (2021). Retrieved from https://extension.umn.edu/yard…
- Zonshine, I. (2020). Israeli chicken sex-change start-up wins $1M prize in NY Agri-Tech Contest. Retrieved April 3, 2021, from https://www.jpost.com/jpost-te…
WNY Pastureland Conversion & Soil Health Field Day
Join American Farmland Trust for the Western New York Soil Health Field Day on July 16, 2025, at Zeliff Farm in Middleport, NY, from 9:00 AM-3:15 PM. Learn about pasture conversion, soil health benchmarking, biochar in grazing systems, and best grazing practices. Plus, enjoy hands-on demos with the NY Soil Health Trailer, drones, and cover crops! Check out the attached agenda for more information about the field day and REGISTER HERE. Zeliff Farms is a regenerative beef operation who has recently partnered with AFT on outreach and education to farmers including learning circles and evaluating biochar effects on soil health.
What Is A Straight Run Chicken?
FAQ
How many chickens are in a straight run?
Straight run birds are an “as hatched” mix of males and females. Therefore, if you were to order eight straight run birds, for example, you will get between zero and eight roosters and between zero and eight hens–there is no way to tell.
What’s the difference between a straight and a run?
A straight, also known as a run, is a hand that contains five cards of sequential rank, not all of the same suit, such as 7♣ 6♠ 5♠ 4♥ 3♥ (a “seven-high straight”). It ranks below a flush and above three of a kind. Under high rules, an ace can rank either high (as in A. K♣ Q♣ J.
What is the 90/10 rule for chickens?
The “90/10 rule” for chickens refers to a feeding guideline that recommends 90% of a chicken’s daily diet should be a complete feed, while the remaining 10% can be treats.
How long do straight run chickens live?
Chicken lifespans vary widely, with most hens generally living between 3 and 7 years. However, with ideal care, they may live even longer. If a chicken is kept safe from predators (including dogs) and has no genetic issues, it can certainly live 10 to 12 years old.