➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

Theoretically, they should be 50/50 but the reason I started this experiment is because I noticed a few years ago I was hatching a disproportionately number of male birds. Then began putting the observation of pointed eggs versus round eggs into the theory. It sounds crazy and 'theoretically' shouldn't be but that has been my observations.
I have hens that lay both types, pointed and round. And others as you said, some only lay pointed and others only round. Some of the ones that lay the blunt eggs tend to lay some of their eggs that are actually completely round! I have also noticed that those eggs are almost never fertile and if they are, the embryos will 'quit' somewhere along in the incubation process. I haven't broken it down that far as to what each of those hens eggs turn out to be, yet.
The reason I'm using Goldens and Amherst only, is because they can be sexed at hatch, whereas with the True pheasants, I would have to band or mark them somehow to 'wait' and see what sex they are...also easier to get them mixed up in the banding or marking process. With the Ruff pheasants I'll know immediately.
Basically, just doing this for my own curiosity, and see if it's just a fallacy or if there is something behind the observations.
As I said, it has been proven to be a fallacy when talking about chicken eggs. Whether or not that can be applied to game birds is unknown.

I also suspect that like humans the game birds are probably not expected to be 50% of each sex.

"What is the ratio of boy to girl births?
While historically, there have been about 105 boys born for every 100 girls worldwide — which creates a “sex ratio at birth” of 1.05 — the share of boy babies has increased in recent decades. 2011 data from the World Bank show the global sex ratio at birth is now 1.07, or 107 boys born for every 100 girls.Sep 24, 2013"

The theory is that those populations that have a tendency for male deaths (war, etc.) will produce more males than females at birth.

The other problem is having a sufficiently large enough sample size to meet statistical expectations.

When I was raising Slate turkeys, it is statistically expected to hatch 50% Slates and 50% Self Blues when breeding self blue to slate. I had hatches that would come out 90% self blue and others that would come out 90% slates. Over the course of a full season they did meet the expected results but not necessarily during each hatch.
 
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Next question: these are the temps in our area over next ten days...assuming my birds will be at least mostly feathered out next week (at three weeks old), are they ok to move to outdoor hutch? It will be protected from wind/rain.
:smack That’s warmer than inside my house. They will be fine.
 
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Next question: these are the temps in our area over next ten days...assuming my birds will be at least mostly feathered out next week (at three weeks old), are they ok to move to outdoor hutch? It will be protected from wind/rain.
I haven't checked what others said, but I would move them. I intend to get mine into our shed ASAP and already cut off the heat in the sunroom where they are housed currently. It's 40s and 50s here (near Chicago, IL) during the day and 30s at night. You are warmer than me and my birds are fairing well, so should be safe.
 
Help! The second to last chick didn't absorb all of the yolk, and doesn't appear to be walking correctly. I think the walking should fix itself now that he's in the brooder. He did poop, so I think internally he's probably ok. Has anyone had the yolk look like this? And turned out ok? I put him in with the quail because I figured they would be less likely to do as much damage if they started picking on him.
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Still not walking right, the unabsorbed portion looks smaller but changed color. I'm not sure that's good. Last night I noticed he is not opening his eyes, I wiped with water but they weren't gunky, not sure why he's keeping eyes closed. I don't think he's going to make it.
 
With chicken eggs there has been more than enough proof that you cannot predict the sex based on the shape of the egg. One of my hens laid only the blunt eggs. Her offspring were essentially 50% male and 50% female over the years. All of my hens laid only pointy eggs or blunt eggs including a few that laid nearly round eggs. No hen laid both types of eggs.
x2 I tried this as well with my Australorp eggs and they were very wrong in terms of statistics. Almost the complete opposite really in terms of shape meaning specific gender.
 
Nooo! I'm sorry :( Everyone else still doing okay?
Yeah, everyone else is doing well. Even the coturnix chick who took an extra day. Most of the chicken chicks should go to their new home today or tomorrow. Lockdown for the turkey and coturnix eggs tonight, and your eggs get locked down on Friday. How cool would that be if they hatched on the weekend when you are here?
 
Yeah, everyone else is doing well. Even the coturnix chick who took an extra day. Most of the chicken chicks should go to their new home today or tomorrow. Lockdown for the turkey and coturnix eggs tonight, and your eggs get locked down on Friday. How cool would that be if they hatched on the weekend when you are here?

That would be! I'd love to see the little ones! I hope they all hatch.

That male is one I am wanting as many offspring as possible on the ground. If he is hiding pearl-fee genes under the silver (which is...weird...it would mean there was another gene preventing them from just blending into snowie) he is going to have a lot more girlfriends soon. I hope you get one :fl
 

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