Chilled eggs

[Bobbi Lou]

My power went out yesterday and the incubator temperature got down to about 82 degrees before I could get it to a power source. The eggs are scheduled to hatch this coming Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Are they likely to be okay?
I've also heard that if eggs gets chilled during incubation but not chilled enough to kill them that the temperature change will make them all hens. Does anyone know this to be true or false?
Thanks!

 

[TaylorHobbyFarms]

I personally do not believe that the temperature in which you incubate affects the sex of the chicks. It does however, affect when and if the chicks will hatch. It is still possible that your chicks would hatch, though I would not be surprised if they were to take just a tad longer. We too have lost power before while eggs are in the incubator and did not have any adverse results. Just be patient and keep your fingers crossed.

 

[Sweetlilbaby]

Your eggs should be fine. You may have a reduced hatch but should still have some hatch, they may be a day or two late is all.
To create more hens then roosters you have to start at the low temp from the start of incubation. 99.5 typically results in more hens then roosters. The higher temps 102-103 (some incubators that don't let you change the temp are set there) will create equal or more roosters then hens. At least that is the theory. I always incubate at the lower temp because then if the room gets warm it doesn't over heat the incubator. Eggs can handle being two low in temp for a short period but not being to hot.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

So long as the eggs were not chilled for hours and hours you should still have a good many hatch. They're more resilient than that.

There's no truth to the temperature causing more hens otherwise the commercial egg industry would be using it and not having to pay for the incubation (and disposal) of millions of unwanted male layer breed chicks. It is true that borderline dangerously high temperatures can result in more roosters hatching, but that's because male chicks are slightly more tolerant of high temperatures than females so are the last to die when the temperature climbs into the danger zone.