Incubator Temp - Regulating Sex of Birds

[Farmer Kitty]

Quote:
There is a way to collect and artifically breed chickens!

 

[ginasmarans]

I don't think that controlling temps would produce more females,but I did read(can't remember where) that it is believed female chicks die more often than males at higher temps. Having said this, the last two Summers I had hens go broody in late July and hatch in August. I am in SW Tn and those are our hottest months. A total of 11 chicks hatched and all but 1 were pullets. Last Summer,the temps got up to 106 for over a week straight. By bantam hen hatched only 2 chicks,both pullets. So, I don't know what that says for the theory. If I have hens go broody this July, I will try to keep data on the temps each day and the sex of chicks that hatch.

 

[Gatekeeper]

Well if the hotter it is and the more rooster you produced that might lend some creedence to what I heard, and maybe not.

I did some perusing and found many nice and helpful threads here. The one on making your own incubator was insightful.

Ms. Prissy what did it cost you?

How well did the computer fan work? Was wondering if that was durable enough.

Some florist receive nice styrofoam boxes when flowers are shipped from foreign countries. You might be able to beg one from them - they usually are just trashed and its a great way to recycle.

Has anyone made a cabinet style incubator? I have some extra plywood - 3/8" and 1/2".

Yes, I was a "Why" baby ... I still am!

Gate

 

[MissPrissy]

Here is the link to my bator and the cost breakdown.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=61599#p61599

PC fan works just fine.

 

[Gatekeeper]

At the risk of sounding "backwoods" what is a "Water Wiggler"?

Gate

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

Ok here's another what if.

What if you introduced a rooster to your hens, let them do their thing. Take the roo away, and discard (eat) the eggs for a couple of days. If the female gene is stronger could you increase the ratio of pullets hatching?

I know it sounds easy and if it was easy the big hatcheries would use it, but then again their in it for money and discarding eggs means loosing money.

Any thoughts? Anyone want to give it a try and let us know what happens.

 

[onthespot]

I have found in breeding dogs that if you breed the earliest day the female will accept a male and do NOT breed later in the cycle the percentage of females increases. I did it for my friend and last litter she had five female puppies. This litter I was busy and she was out of town and had a hard time scheduling time to breed her dog working around family members' schedules so she got bred twice, and late in the cycle and just a week ago had all males.

 

[championny]

Quote:
You don't sound backwoods. Its a water filled plastic "toy" that has a hole in it, almost resembles a water filled water wing. If you place it in the incubator and use a probe thermometer, you can adjust the temp so that the inside reads 99.5. That way you'll know the eggs are getting to the right temp inside, and not just what the outside reads.

 

[Gatekeeper]

Ahhhh Haaaa!!! That makes sense.

Thanks

Gate

 

[feathersnfur]

I know ya'll are gonna think I'm crazy, but I was complaining to a long time breeder that we were hatching out way too many roos and not enough hens. He told me to lower the temp in our bator. We did and the only roo we have hatched recently is the one that was hatched under a broody hen! Everything else is a hen....

the temp according to the electronic thermometer attached to the outside of the bator is 99.7. Before it was set at 100.2.