Hatching female chicks method

[rbc-bow-chicka]

Just to check my memory-- they were all "supposed" to be females, right?

Thank you for reporting back with the results I see lots of posts from people who start experiments, but not nearly as many telling what the results were.

They seemed to be... and I think I was crossing fingers at last report. I didn't check to see when I made my delusionally hopeful statement... and I am honestly the last person who should be trusted w sex guessing chickens. Lol.

 

[peafowl_Lover]

I heard that if you let the eggs get a bit old more pullets will hatch

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

I heard that if you let the eggs get a bit old more pullets will hatch

Hmmm! Thats a new one for me to try. I wonder how much older? I always put in the freshest ones... never considered a little older.

 

[peafowl_Lover]

I think it's 2 weeks, but I didn't try it yet, so I don't know

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I heard that if you let the eggs get a bit old more pullets will hatch

The only reason that would be is because less male eggs survive. So it wouldn't be more females hatch, just that less males do

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

I think it's 2 weeks, but I didn't try it yet, so I don't know

Well, I am finding myself at almost the same point/date i did last year, feeling like I need to do an experiment. Lol. I'll try to keep you posted....and if I don't... please remind me. Looks like I'm going to pick my eggs and refrigerate them tomorrow evening and plan to incubate Friday night.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

Well, I am finding myself at almost the same point/date i did last year, feeling like I need to do an experiment. Lol. I'll try to keep you posted....and if I don't... please remind me. Looks like I'm going to pick my eggs and refrigerate them tomorrow evening and plan to incubate Friday night.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

If you have tuned in to follow along with my science project of trying to hatch more females than males... here is my latest chapter... and it is a doozy.

I have been trying to organize my records, thoughts, 'data'.... and I will say right here that I could have done better.... but the results have been most interesting.

(My last comment above dated April 8 apparently was not finished and I have no idea what I was supposed to be saying. Sorry.)

I decided to use a combination of 'older eggs' (one of the last comments/ideas from above), refrigeration time and slightly cooler incubator temp. I did not keep record of how old the eggs were, but I would say 7 to 9 days-- because as a general rule, I do not incubate eggs 10+ days old. Eggs were refrigerated 4/3 until 4/6 and set on 4/7. Eggs were 6 olive egger (F1 OE hen × RIR roo-- both roughly a year old) and 8 green Easter Eggers (EE X EE-- roughly 6 -8 years old)

Candled on day 9 and again before placing into hatcher on day 19. 3 of 14 removed for not being viable in some way (infertile, quitter). 11 went into hatcher, 10 hatched. 4 OE and 6 EE.

Note: One would think I would have picked something more easily sexable than EEs to test, but I needed them.

I made a very long post asking for best guesses... lots of pictures.... trying to ascertain the sex of these chicks. At the beginning, it looked like I had mostly males.

Of the 4 OE, the cockerel made it easy for me with that red comb and general disposition soooooo early.... and based on RIR sexing, I was able to determine that the 3 others were females. OEs were done.

The EEs though.... my word. Over a period of weeks.... it was iffy. I spent more time staring at, watching behavior, stance and taking pictures of chicks than I have in my entire life. The last comment on the big EE sexing post... the gal said that all of the EEs looked FEMALE. I said 'okay'....entertained the thought for 5 minutes, but said 'nahhhh'... because 50/50 is normal.

Alas no. The chicks are circling in on 18 weeks. And it **would seem** (im still refusing to believe it even though there is no more crowing, dominant male behavior...) that i have 9 females and 1 male.

I am not getting super stoked about anything until I can repeat this with similar results.

Figured I should update the patient souls that find this entertaining.

 

[NatJ]

Figured I should update the patient souls that find this entertaining.

Thank you for updating!

I am not getting super stoked about anything until I can repeat this with similar results.

I agree, almost anything can happen once (as regards how many males/females in a batch), but being able to repeat it can be something else again!

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

You are welcome AND 100% right. I do not have the room to try this again (I was supposed to rehome some and I just cannot... they are just so sweet ) for kicks, so it will be awhile. At least I have it more or less documented.

And thank YOU for playing along. Lol.