Can a Chick be sexed by egg shape??

[newchickens2009]

There is an older gentlemen that lives on an island about 5 miles from me and he says that you can determine a chicken's sex by their egg shape before you incubate. He says that all sharpely pointed eggs will hatch as roos and all round eggs will hatch as pullets.
Has anyone on here heard of this before and is there any truth to it? Sounds to good to be true to me

 

[speckledhen]

No way, sorry. That means hens I have who lay super oval/rounded eggs would only produce pullets. For example, my Lexie's eggs didn't have a pointy end at all and she produced 95% cockerels.

Think about it--would hatcheries kill millions of male chicks yearly in grinders if they could just avoid hatching the ones they didn't need? There are so many old wives (farmers'?) tales and always have been.

 

[terrilhb]

I have an older gentleman down the road that says this too plus what the temp is in the bator. If it is set right at 99.5 alot of roos, 100 or 101 mostly hens. Ain't seen it happen but he swears by it. Old tale from way back when?

 

[Mahonri]

Wouldn't we all love it, if it were that easy.

 

[Sierra pachie bars]

I've heard of that, not sure how shape of egg would tell but figure you got to be 50/50.

 

[dsqard]

Quote:
This is only true for reptiles as far as cooler or warmer temperatures determining the sex of the babies. Chickens are like mamals in the sense that the sex is determined when the egg is fertilized.

 

[speckledhen]

Sex organs on the chick are already forming by five days into incubation. Temps won't change that. Temperatures may affect reptiles and perhaps one sex is hardier than the other if there is a damaging temp spike, but temps don't actually determine the sex of birds.

 

[suebee]

Quote:

 

[bluere11e]

I'd say there's a 50/50 chance of being right..

 

[terrilhb]

I agree I was joking. I try though to tell my DH this is not true and he says that guy is always right. LOL.