The Pullet Premium, Measured: What Sexed Chicks Really Cost
Same breed, same hatchery, same hatch — and the female chick costs two-thirds more. We measured the pullet premium across every matched pair we track, and found the one bird where it flips.
Published July 29, 2026 · figures recomputed from data through November 9, 2026 · by Chick Price Index
Every hatchery order form asks the same first question: pullets (sexed females), straight run (unsexed, as hatched), or cockerels (sexed males)? The price differences look small on a single order — a few dollars a bird. Measured across the whole market, they're the most consistent pricing structure hatcheries have. This study compares the same breed at the same hatchery in different sexes, so nothing in the gap comes from breed mix or hatchery mix.
The premium, measured
Across 141 same-breed, same-hatchery pairs in stock today, the median pullet costs 78% more than the cockerel of the identical breed — a median gap of $3.50 per chick. Straight run sits in between, as you'd expect for a coin-flip: across 142 matched pairs, the pullet costs a median $2.06 more than straight run of the same breed.
The economics behind the gap are unsentimental. Most backyard buyers want hens for eggs; a sexed male is close to unsalable at any price. So the pullet price carries the whole product's value, the cockerel price is mostly a way to move the other half of the hatch, and straight run prices the coin flip. The premium is the market's honest quote for certainty of getting hens.
Where the premium is steepest
| Breed | Hatchery | Pullet | Cockerel | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silkie (Bantam) | My Pet Chicken | $34.99 | $15.99 | +$19.00 |
| silkie | My Pet Chicken | $34.99 | $15.99 | +$19.00 |
| Cochin (Bantam) | My Pet Chicken | $25.99 | $10.99 | +$15.00 |
| Easter Egger (Bantam) | My Pet Chicken | $20.99 | $7.49 | +$13.50 |
| Belgian Bearded d'Uccle (Bantam) | My Pet Chicken | $20.99 | $7.49 | +$13.50 |
| Ameraucana (Bantam) | My Pet Chicken | $20.99 | $7.49 | +$13.50 |
| Polish (Bantam) | My Pet Chicken | $20.99 | $7.49 | +$13.50 |
| Silkie (Bantam) | Meyer Hatchery | $17.00 | $5.67 | +$11.33 |
The steepest gaps cluster in ornamental and bantam listings, where sexing is harder and the female is overwhelmingly what buyers want — a Silkie or bantam Cochin pullet can cost double or triple its brother. In the utility breeds the gap narrows to a dollar or two: a cockerel of a dual-purpose breed at least has a freezer value.
The bird where the premium flips
2 matched pairs invert the premium today — the male costs more: Cornish Cross Broiler at Meyer Hatchery (pullet $2.70, cockerel $3.19); Cornish Cross Broiler at Murray McMurray Hatchery (pullet $5.00, cockerel $5.50). That's not a data error — it's the meat market talking. Cornish Cross is a broiler: males grow faster and finish heavier, so for a bird headed to the freezer the male is the premium product and the usual logic runs in reverse. (Cornish Cross overall: median $3.68 across 3 hatcheries — the cheapest chicken in the catalog; see the cheapest chicks.)
How to use this when ordering
- Straight run is a real discount only if you can rehome males. The straight-run price is close to fair-coin value; if half your hatch has nowhere to go, pullets are cheaper than they look.
- The premium is information. An unusually small pullet premium on an ornamental breed sometimes means vent-sexing isn't offered and "pullet" is a best-effort guess — check the hatchery's sexing guarantee before comparing prices alone.
- Sex prices don't wobble. Like every price we track, sexed prices hold still day to day (measured here) — compare hatcheries, not days.
Method: for each breed-and-hatchery combination we take the cheapest in-stock listing per sex on the latest snapshot (November 9, 2026) and compare only within the combination. Pairs, gaps, and premiums recompute at every daily build.