Consistently hatching more males than females

[Ponypoor]

It appears that some female birds do produce uneven sex ratios, and scientists are still working to understand how.

Here's one article that discusses a possible mechanism, and a quote from the article:

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/20...ther-birds-find-way-produce-more-progesterone
"Cornell University researchers think they understand the mechanism that several bird species use to bias the sex ratios of their offspring toward female.

"By experimenting with domestic chickens, they have determined that the presence of higher-than-normal levels of the hormone progesterone during the first meiosis -- the cell division that divides the sex chromosomes and genetically determines the sex of an offspring -- produces significantly more females. "

Well my hens are getting HRT in that case haha!

 

[NatJ]

If your testing things you should test fridgerated eggs to see if more females will hatch...its what ive heard before lol

I think the idea is that refrigerating the eggs may kill more male embryos than females. So it would not cause more females, just less males and a lower total hatch rate.

If it was very effective, I am sure the big hatcheries would be doing it, and then they would not have so many male chicks to sell cheaply or dispose of. So I am pretty sure there is no method that works very well to influence what gender of chicks will hatch.

 

[NatJ]

I think I’m finally starting to get it lol

Genetics fascinate me!

Me too

I don’t know what genes the rooster has or his hens… so I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what gender the chicks are, I’m really excited to see if my guesses will be right!

When they are old enough to tell, I'd be curious to know as well.

For sorting out the genes:

If any chicks are female, their feathering speed came from their father. So you would know at least one of the two genes he has, and maybe both (if you get some females with fast feathering and some with slow, all from the same father, you know that father has both of those genes.)

If any chicks are male, their feathering speed genes came from both parents. If they feather fast, they got it from both parents, because fast feathering is recessive (only shows when they have two copies of the gene). If they feather slow (dominant trait), that could have come from either parent or from both parents. Of course, the mothers might not have the same feathering speed as each other, so that makes it even more complicated to sort out.

 

[PeepingK]

I think the idea is that refrigerating the eggs may kill more male embryos than females. So it would not cause more females, just less males and a lower total hatch rate.

If it was very effective, I am sure the big hatcheries would be doing it, and then they would not have so many male chicks to sell cheaply or dispose of. So I am pretty sure there is no method that works very well to influence what gender of chicks will hatch.

I heard someone say that you’ll hatch more females than males, but all the females you hatch will only lay male embryos. I have no idea how true that is tho

 

[WallyG74]

Your hens likely lay male heavy

True dat

 

[PeepingK]

Me too


When they are old enough to tell, I'd be curious to know as well.

For sorting out the genes:

If any chicks are female, their feathering speed came from their father. So you would know at least one of the two genes he has, and maybe both (if you get some females with fast feathering and some with slow, all from the same father, you know that father has both of those genes.)

If any chicks are male, their feathering speed genes came from both parents. If they feather fast, they got it from both parents, because fast feathering is recessive (only shows when they have two copies of the gene). If they feather slow (dominant trait), that could have come from either parent or from both parents. Of course, the mothers might not have the same feathering speed as each other, so that makes it even more complicated to sort out.

Yeah I’ll have to come back on here with updates, I took a few pictures today to start things off.

Thanks again for all your help and taking the time to explain everything for me!

Here are some pics from today!

 

[NatJ]

I heard someone say that you’ll hatch more females than males, but all the females you hatch will only lay male embryos. I have no idea how true that is tho

Oh, THAT idea. Different than the "males die" idea. Yes, that idea says that certain conditions can make chicks who are male (ZZ sex chromosomes) develop as females who grow up to lay eggs. I think some scientist did manage it, but the details were too fussy to be practical at the home or backyard level.

Whether anyone really wants it to work is another question-- a bird with ZZ sex chromosomes can never produce normal daughters (ZW sex chromosomes), because they have no W chromosome to give. So if someone was able to do that, they could have a line of chickens that are all male (genetically speaking). But if the person ever tried to go back to normal incubation practices, they would have only male chickens, and anyone who got eggs or chicks from them would have only males. So for most people hatching chicks, who want future generations to work right too, it would not be helpful.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Yeah I’ll have to come back on here with updates, I took a few pictures today to start things off.

Thanks again for all your help and taking the time to explain everything for me!

Here are some pics from today!

Second one looks like he could be a roo, comb development already. I feel for you, my last hatch I had three girls and five boys, they were from all different mothers. I think my olive egger only makes boys, . Also, I had one roo that was slow feathering, one girl that had fast feathering and the rest feathered out at the same time. It was fascinating to watch. At one point I thought I had one girl and the rest all boys

 

[3KillerBs]

If it was very effective, I am sure the big hatcheries would be doing it, and then they would not have so many male chicks to sell cheaply or dispose of. So I am pretty sure there is no method that works very well to influence what gender of chicks will hatch.

Excellent point.

These various old wives tales of how to sex chicks or influence the eggs should be common-sense tested by comparing them to the practices of people whose ability to pay their bills depends on hatching chicks that people want to buy.

 

[PeepingK]

Oh, THAT idea. Different than the "males die" idea. Yes, that idea says that certain conditions can make chicks who are male (ZZ sex chromosomes) develop as females who grow up to lay eggs. I think some scientist did manage it, but the details were too fussy to be practical at the home or backyard level.

Whether anyone really wants it to work is another question-- a bird with ZZ sex chromosomes can never produce normal daughters (ZW sex chromosomes), because they have no W chromosome to give. So if someone was able to do that, they could have a line of chickens that are all male (genetically speaking). But if the person ever tried to go back to normal incubation practices, they would have only male chickens, and anyone who got eggs or chicks from them would have only males. So for most people hatching chicks, who want future generations to work right too, it would not be helpful.

I definitely wouldn’t want that to happen. A biologically male chicken laying only male embryos?? That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid lol
I first came across the idea on Quora
I remember I had some eggs in the fridge that I was going to incubate (in hopes of killing off some male embryos) and then I read that theory on Quora and I was so worried that the eggs I had incubating would turn out to hens that only laid male embryos lol

I’m guessing it probably takes more than just placing your eggs in the fridge to create those mutant chicks. Now I’ve just accepted that theres probably nothing I can do to get more females than males, it just has to happen naturally