Rooster & Hen Hatching

[gwboolean]

I sometimes like to hatch birds, my favorite being button quail. The last batch I hatched was way over distributed with roosters. Out of about 30 eggs that hatched, 20 of them were roosters. I won't go into the horrors these little bastards played with me and the hens, but this was a CF from start to finish.
So, what I would like to ask anyone is whether there are any incubator conditions that might favor one sex over the other. I am currently looking through some literature but haven't found anything helpful. BTW, anyone want some really handsome roosters?

 

[sourland]

If there was something that worked, hatcheries would not be hatching so many cockerels.

 

[Ridgerunner]

For 30 chicks that's a bit steep but not that unusual. Most of my hatches favor one sex or the other, seldom do I get a 50-50 hatch. My smaller broody hatches are often 2/3 or even 3/4 one sex or the other. My incubator hatches are usually around 20 chicks, often close to 60% either way. I typically hatch 45 chicks a year. While any one hatch can be way off, over a 2 year span it usually averages right at 50-50.

You can find references in ancient literature on ways to hatch one sex or the other. Hatcheries have spent fortunes on trying to determine how to hatch males (for meat) or females (for laying) and still have not found an economical way that works. Still, lots of people believe in magic. They can DNA test individual eggs before they set them to determine sex but that's not very economical, not when you are setting a million eggs a week.

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

So, what I would like to ask anyone is whether there are any incubator conditions that might favor one sex over the other. I am currently looking through some literature but haven't found anything helpful.

If food, including the volume of greens, has not changed the variable left is the temperature at the time of breeding. Also the age of both parents. Have you found any studies in that area?

 

[Susan Skylark]

I’ve never had a 50/50 hatch (coturnix quail) overall stats are about that but for individual hatches 4/4 female, 5/6 male, 17/23 female…not uncommon to have it heavily one way or the other but it levels out over time, and unless you are incubating alligators your incubation conditions can’t change the hardwired sex. There might be a lower hatch rate on male eggs exposed to colder temps (for example) but it is probably a single digit drop in percentage (if that) and they just become non hatching eggs which lower your overall hatch rate rather than increasing the number of females hatched. There are some nifty but high tech sex determining techniques out there but not accessible or affordable to the backyard enthusiast. The problem with statistics is you need thousands or millions of reps to make them work but you can’t apply that to individual eggs or small hatches. My 100% female hatch was a high humidity test run, so keeping your humidity above 80% all incubation gets you all girls right? Nope, just a fluke, it was only four eggs! Just set your eggs and cross your fingers, it does as much good as anything!

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

I’ve never had a 50/50 hatch (coturnix quail) overall stats are about that but for individual hatches 4/4 female, 5/6 male, 17/23 female…not uncommon to have it heavily one way or the other but it levels out over time, and unless you are incubating alligators your incubation conditions can’t change the hardwired sex.

I agree temp will not change "hardwired sex" of the egg once it has been laid. I was referring to the temperature when the birds were breeding. Granted most people are hatching eggs in the spring, so age of the birds may be more of a factor.

 

[gwboolean]

Thanks for that! It is about like I figured. These eggs were bought eggs. Having said that, I do have a pair that are still laying after almost 5 years. They still have viable eggs.

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

Thanks for that! It is about like I figured. These eggs were bought eggs. Having said that, I do have a pair that are still laying after almost 5 years. They still have viable eggs.

A great age to experiment with. Next time you are ready hatch eggs, pair five year old hen with a first year rooster and the five year old rooster with a first year hen. We'll look forward to the results!

 

[McChooky]

None of eggs I stored in my refrigerator hatched when I gave them to my broody hen but all of the fresh eggs I gathered hatched . If you decide to use the cold storage method do your research or you risk destroying all the eggs.This was the 1st time my broody hen hatched any chicks so I'm happy with the ones that hatched