How to raise chicks: including revision of facts about white diarrhoea -
Page 50
Prince Tannat Woods - 1912 - 117 pages
http://tinyurl.com/762sw3m
"Sex of Eggs.—There is no known way of determining the sex of the chick by the appearance of the egg. The theory of foretelling the sex of the future chicken by the formation of the egg is centuries old. In the writings of Horace, long eggs are mentioned as certain to produce males. The position of the air cell has also been supposed to indicate the sex. Several well known writers of recent years have expressed the belief that long eggs or those having wrinkled ends would produce males and that the smooth, round ones would hatch pullets. There is absolutely no foundation for this belief, as may be easily ascertained by making a few test hatches.
Several English writers, and more than one American, attribute the control of sex chiefly to the condition of the male bird, and they apparently base their theory on good ground. Briefly, it is to the effect that when the male is full of vigor early in the season cockerels are likely to predominate in the chicks from his pen. Later in the season, as the male's strength and vigor (sexually) decreases, the number of pullets in his progeny increases. However, when the male bird apparently remains equally healthy, strong and vigorous throughout the entire season, it is a common thing to have a majority of cockerels early in the season, while later on pullets predominate.
From the same flock, with as vigorous males as could be obtained, the writer has had nearly two-thirds cockerels early in the season, while later, in June and July hatches, from 90 to 100 pullets have been obtained from a hatch of 150 chicks. This, however, does not prove or disprove the theory, and it is highly probable that other elements, which we do not understand or appreciate, enter into the question of control of sex in the offspring. It is a well known fact that usually the generative organs of the male undergo considerable change at different seasons and the testes of the cock are usually largest and best developed at the height of the breeding season, which generally is in April.
There are many theories and methods proposed for the regulation of the sex of chicks, but thus far none seem to prove dependable when put to the test. It is a fact well known that some families are prone to produce females and others equally prone to produce males. This will apply to some breeding birds and some matings, and this may prove the true solution of the control of sex in so far as we can regulate it. If you have a male bird or a particular mating that gives you a larger percentage of the desired sex in the chicks, you will do well to continue breeding it or from the same line as long as you can successfully, and take whatever sex of chicks you get with as good grace as possible. It is not probable that anyone will discover any infallible rule for the control of the sex of future chicks, either by selection of eggs or by handling and management of the breeding stock."
