Running incubator higher temp to get pullets?

[Grillo]

I think it is in the hen. Reason? Most of what I hatch comes from my own broodfowl and I have learned to spot those hens that will throw a higher percentage of either sex. Some will throw all stags and some throw all pullets, others throw somewhere in between, but I've always seen that percentages depend mostly on the mama because I've hatched from the same dad, different mom and some hens throw all pullets, some all stags. And all of this hatched in the same bator at the same time.

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, it's definitely the hen. I posted some literature here about a week ago from a scientific journal, I think it was, on that subject. I know that my BR hen Lexie throws about 75% cockerels and my BR hen, Ivy, throws almost all pullets. That's from numerous hatches here and with others who have hatched the eggs from these.

 

[Feathered Wings]

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Where did you read this i find it very interesting and would like to know more about it?

 

[speckledhen]

I'll have to try to find it again, but it may not be tonight. Had a long hard day and may be on my way to bed.

 

[Agape Builder]

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That sounds reasonable. I am not saying that I did anything that would guarantee 100% of anything. If I could do THAT, then I would guarantee 100 % hatch rate, which did NOT happen. I may have some cockerels masquerading as pullets here as well, but I haven't heard about wing sexing being that inaccurate. Besides, many commercial hatcheries do it and consider it 95% accurate and give at least a 90% guarantee based on wing sexing.

I think that I just may have gotten lucky is all. And my temperatures would have been on the LOW side, not the high side anyways. I kept a consistent 99.5 degrees based on two different thermometers.

If the wing sexing is only 90% accurate and I get three roosters out of the thirty, then I will still be tickled pink. That would be just enough to help keep pure breeding stock for BR's, even though I hope to cross the BR hens with Cornish roos for meat.

 

[Feathered Wings]

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Okay i had a busy one myself if you would just pm me the info when you find it that would be fine.
Thanks

 

[Agape Builder]

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I would be interested in reading that as well. Like I said, I do not have anywhere near the experience that you do. And, even if it is shown that there is no external means of determining sex, at least by watching hens you could select hens that would give you the ratios that were desired. It sounds like a hen like Lexie would be good for eating eggs, where I would likely save Ivy's eggs for incubation. That may have happened at the place where I got my eggs from. These older folks were somewhat particular about their breeding program.

 

[speckledhen]

Here is one article about this for you:
http://www.biologynews.net/archives...s_increase_progesterone_to_hatch_females.html


Wish I could recall off the top of my head where that literature is about temp spikes killing more female embryos than males, but I'll look for it tomorrow.

 

[saddina]

Perhaps confirm this with vent sexing? If I can do it on quail chicks, you should be able to manage chicken chicks.

 

[Feathered Wings]

Thanks so much for the link