Effect of nutritional intake on the gender ratio of chicks

[Ital]

I’ve read that hens can go through stages of laying eggs with an unusually high ratio of either male or female chicks that can last for months at a time.

In humans the sole factor that determines the gender of offspring is the level of testosterone in the male, some foods are capable of lowering testosterone levels in humans..

• mint
• nuts (almonds and walnuts but the latter probably not a good option because of the high levels of selenium)
• flaxseed
• licorice root

Has anyone tried altering the diet of a roo in order to influence the gender ratio of his offspring?

 

[Patiocoturnix]

I do remember reading something about the temperature in the early embryonic stage of the egg can affect gender outcome i.e. change the gender.

This is for reptiles not chickens the temps do not have an influence on the sex of the chick.

 

[Sic]

This is for reptiles not chickens the temps do not have an influence on the sex of the chick.

I'd have to find the actual research but I don't have time right now. Here's an overview.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/a-drop-in-temperature-can-change-the-sex-of-chickens-1238516.html

 

[Yardmom]

Birds are different than mammals. The gender is determined by the female in chickens. I have seen information about stress to hens causing more male offspring. I don't remember where, but I had a batch of chicks that came from a flock with to many roos. 10/15 of those chicks were male. So maybe a hens diet could have an influence on gender, but I don't know.
As far as temperature of eggs affecting gender the theory in the past has been female embryos are hardier than males. Meaning the males are more likely to die if the eggs are to cold. I have never seen concrete evidence to prove this to be true.

 

[Sic]

Not sure about nutritional influences, but I do remember reading something about the temperature in the early embryonic stage of the egg can affect gender outcome i.e. change the gender. Something to the effect of if the embryo was changed from male to female due to the temperature of the egg, that female when bred to a male would produce all male offspring.. interesting.. sorry I can't answer your question though.

 

[Patiocoturnix]

I'd have to find the actual research but I don't have time right now. Here's an overview.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/a-drop-in-temperature-can-change-the-sex-of-chickens-1238516.html

Hmm that sounds pretty interesting I’ve never heard of that happening but I do know that’s how it works in reptiles.

 

[Ital]

Not sure about nutritional influences, but I do remember reading something about the temperature in the early embryonic stage of the egg can affect gender outcome i.e. change the gender. Something to the effect of if the embryo was changed from male to female due to the temperature of the egg, that female when bred to a male would produce all male offspring.. interesting.. sorry I can't answer your question though.

Ooh thanks, that might explain why there’s a sometimes a disproportionate ratio for months at a time as the temperature changes with the seasons, if any of my hens are temperature switched it might hamper my experiment. I’ll look into it.

I’ve got some Chinese liquorice growing but it won’t be ready to harvest for a few years yet so might try with some mint flax and almonds next time plan on hatching eggs.

 

[Penpal]

I can't speak to chickens, but in humans the pH level of the female strongly influences whether X or Y sperm get to the egg first. I won't go into detail of how you change the pH.

But, on that note, if a chicken is stressed, that may affect the pH level of her system.

 

[Penpal]

Ital, the way humans regulate pH for gender has nothing to do with food. This is a family forum so I'll just leave it at that.

If you can figure out how to control gender of chicks, or how to tell if they are male or female when laid, that would be so cool!

 

[Penpal]

Okay. The longer a woman is "aroused" the more likely she is to have a higher pH in the Fallopian tubes. Male sperm do better in a higher pH, female sperm in a lower pH. It is thought that the reason the men of Israel were circumcised is because their arousal would be slower and thus they would take longer to ejaculate, thus giving their sons a better chance than their daughters (if he doesn't leak).

A person's overall health from eating well and avoiding alcohol doesn't come into play.