Running incubator higher temp to get pullets?

[azelgin]

Incubation temperature apparantly does affect the sex ratio of hatchlings in the Austrailian brush-turkey. Ratios were at most 70/30. They incubate their eggs in a mound, not by setting. No evidence yet for birds that incubate by setting, that sex is determined by temperature.
http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/1/1/31.full

 

[IggiMom]

No birds are not mammals. But they are not reptiles, either.

Sex is determined at the moment of fertilization and cannot be changed.

The only way you could influence the number of pullets hatched by upping the temps, would be if, and this is possible, pullets are basically a little tougher than tiny roos. This is certainly true of humans. There are more male babies in utero, BUT more little girls are born.

So if you upped the temp, you might, (and I don't know this), conceivably, kill some of the weaker sex, maybe roos, and then hatch out more pullets.

But you would not have created more pullets, just changed the percentage that hatched.

And this is just a theory on my part. Interesting topic, though.

And the other threads on wing sexing that I have read say that it is only true for certain breeds. Not all.

Catherine

 

[ginasmarans]

I also read an article that said female chicken embryos are more fragile then male embryos and are more likely to die at higher temps. I've been running my bater about 1 degree lower than normal and have not seen a big difference in the ratio. I have had several hens go broody in late July(and it get's hot at that time here in Tn) and they would hatch out mostly pullets,so I dunno what to believe.

 

[Agape Builder]

Quote:
I TRIED to take your advice. I FIRMLY QUIT! Yesterday, when the chicks were newly hatched, I had no problem squeezing out the poo before they ate, but they have ben eating all day today. Tonight, when I tried to go back and sex again both by color and verify it be vent sexing, I was horrified when the first chick went limp in my hands and immediately died. I am done. I don't care if they are pullets or cockerels, I don't want to risk killing another chick like that.

It is not that I can't kill ckickens if necesary... I have an overly vocal cockerel soaking in brined ice water in the fridge right now. But, to kill needlessly and so wastefully, that sickens me. I had 30 perfectly healthy BR chicks earlier this evening, now one is buried in the garden and I am down to 29.

That is even taking in account that I had one chick that I had to work on a bit to even keep alive after if first had a prolapsed yolk sac, then prolapsed bowels. That one I took the time to tie off the yolk sac with a thread and cut it off as he was tripping on it and the other chicks were pecking at it while getting blood everywhere. Then, a little later, I looked at the same chick and realized that its protruding belly button had prgressed into a large portion of its intestines protruding. So, I carefully replaced them with a small piece of plastic and then sutured up the belly button with a needle and thread.

That chick is doing fine. In fact, I don't even know which of the chicks that it is anymore. I have lost chicks prior to hatching due to circumstances beyond my control, but I was pleased that I have never lost a chick or bird other than that. Then, tonight, I kill a chick trying to vent sex it. I felt like I was hit in the gut. Ughhhh...

So, looking at the colors I probably do have a number of cockerels. However, I don't seem to care as much anymore. I'd rather have pullets, but I am too sick to worry about it now.

 

[IggiMom]

Awwwww.....

What a thing to have happen.

I had a similar thing happen when I was a child to a piglet. I won't describe it. But I am a grandma now and I still remember.

So I can understand your feelings.

And you are right, I guess I won't try it either. I did try the wing sexing on a couple of BO chicks, they look like pullets, but that may be wishful thinking, too.

Anyway--sending sympathy.

Catherine

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
I TRIED to take your advice. I FIRMLY QUIT! Yesterday, when the chicks were newly hatched, I had no problem squeezing out the poo before they ate, but they have ben eating all day today. Tonight, when I tried to go back and sex again both by color and verify it be vent sexing, I was horrified when the first chick went limp in my hands and immediately died. I am done. I don't care if they are pullets or cockerels, I don't want to risk killing another chick like that.

It is not that I can't kill ckickens if necesary... I have an overly vocal cockerel soaking in brined ice water in the fridge right now. But, to kill needlessly and so wastefully, that sickens me. I had 30 perfectly healthy BR chicks earlier this evening, now one is buried in the garden and I am down to 29.

That is even taking in account that I had one chick that I had to work on a bit to even keep alive after if first had a prolapsed yolk sac, then prolapsed bowels. That one I took the time to tie off the yolk sac with a thread and cut it off as he was tripping on it and the other chicks were pecking at it while getting blood everywhere. Then, a little later, I looked at the same chick and realized that its protruding belly button had prgressed into a large portion of its intestines protruding. So, I carefully replaced them with a small piece of plastic and then sutured up the belly button with a needle and thread.

That chick is doing fine. In fact, I don't even know which of the chicks that it is anymore. I have lost chicks prior to hatching due to circumstances beyond my control, but I was pleased that I have never lost a chick or bird other than that. Then, tonight, I kill a chick trying to vent sex it. I felt like I was hit in the gut. Ughhhh...

So, looking at the colors I probably do have a number of cockerels. However, I don't seem to care as much anymore. I'd rather have pullets, but I am too sick to worry about it now.

I read this, and you have to watch....coturnix (of any age) when scared will vomit, if you were holding them a certain way (upside down) and not watching their breathing they can aspirate when they vomit. Just one of the quirks about coturnix. Just be careful holding them too you dont even have to be vent sexing them for them to aspirate on their own vomit so just be careful

I'm sorry for your loss

 

[Agape Builder]

Well, these were Barred Rock chicks, not quail, and this one did not vomit at all. At least, not that I noticed or could see. It just shut its eyes and went limp all at once. I don't know if I accidentally broke its neck or what. It was really strange to me, especially how sudden and unexpected it died. And, I had a nice round number of 30 healthy chicks that I was happy with. Now, 29 just seems less than a good result to me. I don't know, maybe it is some silly subconscious thing.

I REALLY hope it was not a pullet that I killed. I pulled it out first because it looked like a cockerel by coloration, but I did not see the indication of that when vent sexing either. So, I just don't know. I guess if I knew for sure that it was a cockerel that I killed I would probably not feel quite as bad since he more than likely would have to be culled sooner or later anyways.

 

[Akane]

Plenty of people have backed up before that the roos withstand higher temps than the pullets so if anything you'll just end up with more roos not more pullets.

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.

This does not work with gender. There is only 1 possible genotype for male or female barring weird mutations. The odds genetically are always going to be 50/50 no matter what you do. Whether more pullets or roos survive to hatch is the only thing you might impact and of course you will occasionally have more pullets or roos laid in a small amount of eggs but if you took 1000 eggs it would even out to about half pullets and half roos. You cannot select for anything else.​

 

[Agape Builder]

Quote:
This does not work with gender. There is only 1 possible genotype for male or female barring weird mutations. The odds genetically are always going to be 50/50 no matter what you do. Whether more pullets or roos survive to hatch is the only thing you might impact and of course you will occasionally have more pullets or roos laid in a small amount of eggs but if you took 1000 eggs it would even out to about half pullets and half roos. You cannot select for anything else.

Well, Akane, I was just going by what speckledhen (Cynthia) had to say:

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.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cynthia

She apparently has determined this from experience.​

 

[Akane]

Often times a certain individual will seem to throw very much in favor of one gender over several litters/hatches/etc but when you really start running the numbers and doing many combinations it doesn't hold true. The few times it does it never holds true for subsequent generations from that individual. If it were possible to breed consistently for all of one gender in animals someone would have done it. Nearly every animal has a high desire for one gender over the other for various reasons and for that reason nearly every domesticated species has a more disposable gender that everyone sells off cheap, gives away, or butchers.