does egg shape have any bearing on chick sex

[kat1117]

I was just wondering if the shape of the egg has anything to do with the sex of the chick inside it. I have noticed some of my eggs have a pointed end and round end and some are pointed on both ends and some round on the ends. Just courious if anyone thinks you can predict the sex of the chick by the egg shape. Just wondering! you can make yourself crazy wondering.

 

[lazy gardener]

Old wives tale says yes. Recently published study on BYC says maybe, stating that the smaller and rounder eggs are more likely to house female chicks than the larger and more pointy eggs. But, the study was about as clear as mud, and didn't appear to bear any statistical significance. Long story short, if this was at all reliable, hatcheries would have cashed in on this trait long ago. I found it intriguing enough, that when I set eggs later this month, I plan to collect a weeks worth of eggs, and divide them into pointy and not so pointy groups, and incubate the rounder eggs. My past incubations have yielded > 50% males, so we'll see if this change skews the numbers in favor of female chicks.

 

[mymilliefleur]

Old wives tale says no. Recently published study on BYC says maybe, stating that the smaller and rounder eggs are more likely to house female chicks than the larger and more pointy eggs. But, the study was about as clear as mud, and didn't appear to bear any statistical significance. Long story short, if this was at all reliable, hatcheries would have cashed in on this trait long ago. I found it intriguing enough, that when I set eggs later this month, I plan to collect a weeks worth of eggs, and divide them into pointy and not so pointy groups, and incubate the rounder eggs. My past incubations have yielded > 50% males, so we'll see if this change skews the numbers in favor of female chicks.

Agreed. Let us know how your experiment goes!

 

[kat1117]

Please post the outcome of your experiment i hope the rounder ones are girls!

 

[keesmom]

Egg shape does not determine a chick's sex. Each hen lays an egg with a distinctive shape. Does that mean there are some that can produce only pullets and others that can produce only cockerels? I do not think so.

Two years ago I gave some broody silkies some rounded eggs and some pointed eggs. ALL that hatched were cockerels. Lucky me.

 

[lazy gardener]

Egg shape does not determine a chick's sex. Each hen lays an egg with a distinctive shape. Does that mean there are some that can produce only pullets and others that can produce only cockerels? I do not think so.

Two years ago I gave some broody silkies some rounded eggs and some pointed eggs. ALL that hatched were cockerels. Lucky me.

Yes, I agree that hens have distinctive shaped eggs. How ever, when I look at eggs laid by my 2 RCBL, they are often pointy. But, on any given day, the eggs will have a more rounded shape. Same birds, just a slightly different shape. And while I do agree at least from a point of head knowledge that egg shape should have NOTHING to do with chick gender, the scientist in me comes out. I love to experiment, never satisfied with the status quo. So, I'll experiment in this fashion, this time around. I'll be eating a lot of pointy eggs. I hope they don't give me indigestion. BTW, I have better than average odds of looking at a pregnant woman's belly, and predicting whether she's carrying a boy or girl, based on how she's carrying the baby. Old wive's tale, yes. Accurate? Stats should say I'd only be right at best around 50% of the time, but I average about 70 - 80%.

 

[coni55087]

Can controling the temp in incubator ensure more pullets instead of roosters? I was reading Craig's list and someone claimed to controle by controling the temp. If so how would this work?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Can controling the temp in incubator ensure more pullets instead of roosters? I was reading Craig's list and someone claimed to controle by controling the temp. If so how would this work?

No, another wives' tale. DNA is what controls and the only thing that controls sex of warm blooded animals. Think about it, if there was a way to control sex of chickens, these hatcheries would be using it. The interesting thing I did learn, not to long ago was that the female is the genetic contributor that determines the sex of the chicken and not the male.

 

[mymilliefleur]

No, another wives' tale. DNA is what controls and the only thing that controls sex of warm blooded animals. Think about it, if there was a way to control sex of chickens, these hatcheries would be using it. The interesting thing I did learn, not to long ago was that the female is the genetic contributor that determines the sex of the chicken and not the male.

Agreed.

 

[dirtychick]

thing I heard was temp. higher or lower controled in less than a 1/2 a deg. meant less on more of one of the sexes hatching . I think it was like 100.5 more females vs 98.5 more males.the opposite sex just died didn't hatch .I think some hatcherys use this but the temps have to be controled so close it is hard to do ; JUST A WHAT I THINK I ROUGTLY REMEMBER . NOT STATEING ANY AS FACT. AND THIS WAS JUST HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF ONE OR OTHER HATCHED .