Ep 7. Chick Sexer

Dirty Jobs Season 1 Episode 7: Chick Sexer

In this episode of Dirty Jobs, host Mike Rowe travels to the Central Valley of California to take on the dirty and difficult job of chick sexing. Rowe begins his journey at a hatchery where he meets his job supervisor, who is also a chicken sexing expert.

Rowe then suits up in protective gear, which includes a white jumpsuit, gloves, and a face mask, before entering the hatchery. Inside, he sees thousands of baby chicks moving through conveyor belts and into bins. He befuddles over how overtly similar all of the chicks look, an essential requirement for sexing.

As the expert begins to explain the process, Rowe is surprised by what he learns. He discovers that chick sexers have to sort baby chicks according to their gender, an extremely important procedure in breeding chickens for meat and eggs. This job requires a high degree of concentration and a sharp eye for detail, as the difference between a male and female chick is tiny.

The first step in determining the sex is to check the vent of the chick, a challenging task as the chick has to be held securely with one hand to avoid making a mistake while working with a scissor-like tool with the other hand. Mike tries his hand at the job, nervously snipping away with the tool as he attempts to identify the chick's gender. He struggles a bit initially, but with time and under the tutelage of his mentor, he gradually gets the hang of the technique.

However, Rowe finds the chicks' welfare extremely concerning, as only female chicks are kept to grow into chickens that lay eggs. The male chicks, though equally healthy, are sadly discarded. He discovers that this common practice is because male chicks are incapable of laying eggs; hence, they are deemed useless.

After a full day's work, Rowe heads off to meet up with one of the unique upcycles - people who take discarded objects and turn them into something new. In particular, he visits a craftsman who collects old trains crossings, refurbishes them, and turns them into decorative bookcases. Rowe is impressed by the quality and ingenuity of the work, as well as the skill this profession demands.

The episode ends with Rowe, who has been toiling away since dawn, bidding farewell to the experienced chick-sexer, thoroughly exhausted but satisfied with a newfound respect for what he initially considered an easy task.

Dirty Jobs episode 7, Chick Sexer, is both educational and entertaining. It provides viewers insight into a unique profession, one that is incredibly specialized and requires a rare set of skills, concentration, and expertise. Additionally, it explores an aspect of farming that most people don't usually pay attention to - the raw and gritty reality of breeding livestock for human consumption - and raises the question of whether ethics should play a role in upholding efficiency in the industry. Overall, this episode is an excellent addition to the Dirty Jobs canon, and one that is worth the watch if you're interested in learning about professions that are both challenging and necessary in supporting the economy.