Richard Dixon

My own 20 years, as a mostly full-time all the year, chick sexer were very satisfying; and in those times very profitable. I sexed chickens for one large hatchery all the year round, another large egg farm in the spring hatching season (in Australia June till mid-October), and seventeen smaller farms and hatcheries mainly in the 'Spring' hatching season, with some hatching smaller numbers all the year round. If I went for more than four days without chick sexing work I started to have 'withdrawal symptoms'. Several of my students have expressed the same feeling when they have not sexed chickens for a week or so. A couple of my more sophisticated acquaintances have asked: 'How can you spend all your time just sitting there looking up chickens bums?'Part of the answer is a chick sexer has to always be living in the present moment, I guess. With chick sexing you have to focus solely on what you are doing all the time if you want to be very accurate and fast, both essential if you want to keep your customers and get highly paid. Also there is the satisfaction of being well known for your accuracy in the industry: I think they call this ego. I am sure there are other occupations that also require this focusing skill. Learning to always live in the present moment has benefits far beyond chick sexing. Meeting and talking with the actual owners of the farms and hatcheries each week, was a pleasure and advantage, that today's chicken sexers would rarely have. It was like an industry exchange of information or gossip if you like.Another of the positive and lasting gains from my years as a chick sexer was the habit of self- discipline in every thing I do. You have to be fit and alert and have good eyesight and nibble fingers. Which for most chick sexers means no smoking, if you drink, it must be in moderation; also you tend to look after your health, even if only in a subconscious way. This can be said of all occupations, but for accurate chick sexers it is essential.