Sexing eggs!

[lazy gardener]

I'm thinking the egg shape has more to do with flock conditions, hen activity, than roo sperm chromosome composition, e.g X or Y. I have a single laying hen, a older black copper maran, among four younger old rhode island reds.

First egg I put aside for hatching is the roundest, ratio 1.433. She was normally free ranging with the old man and other hens. After the first saved egg I started dropping her in for a short period with a much younger roo, this when it was convenient to catch her. Following those days the eggs tended to be more pointed, i.e. 1.495, 1.496, 1.513.

Earlier post posited dropping the incubator 2° tended toward hens, citing a great hen to roo ratio that resulted. I recall in biology class that red blood cells have the optimal surface area for carrying oxygen and a true globe the worst. Since pointed eggs have more surface area they'd tend to heat better, faster but conversely lose heat quicker too. So shape does have an effect though indeterminate. Perhaps the shape describes an effect on oxygen availability to the embryo.


Also I'm wondering about egg storage conditions. I opted for one of those new clear plastic egg cartons but I've started to wonder about fertile egg oxygen consumption and have gone to an open cardboard carton while waiting for enough to start incubation. I thought of this because I've been snugging up my homebrew incubator and wonder how a higher incubator oxygen content would effect development. While serving aboard an antique submarine circa 1944, we were held down by sonar in war games for an extended period searching for a thermal. We started releasing O2 into the atmosphere from tanks but had the option to spread lithium hydroxide crystals to absorb CO2. Improved now, submarines carry lithium hydroxide curtains so as not to release caustic dust. The USN gets the curtains for $19 each. These also produce heat. So, small patch versions of these shouldn't be expensive and might be a nice addition to an incubator. But if pointed eggs produce more roo's due to increased oxygen availability to the embryo then putting a lithium hydroxide patch in an incubator would get more roo's fewer hens.

Bill J

Hi Bill. Just a quick comment re: the rooster's sperm contribution in relation to chick gender: The HEN determines the sex of the chick, not like mammals with the XY, where the male determines the sex. Interesting observations you've made.

 

[BillJ]

Thanks. Yes, I started reading a wiki on sex determination in eggs but my eyes glazed over.

 

[BillJ]

A family that raises a lot of birds keeps an older roo and a younger with even younger birds. I noticed my old man roo was mounting infrequently. I have quite a few year old roo's kept separately. I had been keeping together two which had been friendly but that ended. When they got to fighting all the birds raised a ruckus. That evening the old man roo started mounting his hens again. So, it would argue for keeping a younger roo in the flock with an older to keep the old man demonstrating his dominance.

 

[BillJ]

So, for someone who hatches a lot of eggs, an experiment: dip the pointed egg end half way into warm heavy cream before starting incubation. Shouldn't hurt and may effect sex.

BillJ

 

[junebuggena]

So, for someone who hatches a lot of eggs, an experiment: dip the pointed egg end half way into warm heavy cream before starting incubation. Shouldn't hurt and may effect sex.

BillJ

The gender of an egg is already determined by the time it's laid. All that the dipping might do is to prevent one gender or another from developing and hatching properly... It's not going to magically change the genetic material already inside the egg.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Heavy cream likely would hurt the embryo by providing a perfect environment for bacteria to grow on the surface at 100F. That would compromise the bloom and migrate into the egg.

 

[BillJ]

Okay, it was just a thought. Like this one: getting one's wife or daughter to part with a birth control pill to put in the hen's water is far fetched but soybean lecithin is loaded with estrogens. Adding granulated soybean lecithin (GNC) to the flock's drinking water might fudge the hens egg gender ratio toward females.

BillJ

I'll ask a buddy if he'll take some chicks when this clutch is done incubating. I'll start adding soy lecithin today to the water. If he agrees, then in almost a month I'll start another clutch. It will give the hens three weeks or a month on lecithin.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Well Bill, I'm starting to think you think too much. Like most of us here.

 

[BillJ]

I see a masters thesis was done on soy feed with chickens. The word gender appears once and sex never. It does note the increase of isoflavone in the egg yokes. (http://www.phoenixorganicfeed.com/u..._transfer_from_feed_into_eggs_and_tissues.pdf).


BillJ

 

[junebuggena]

I see a masters thesis was done on soy feed with chickens. The word gender appears once and sex never. It does note the increase of isoflavone in the egg yokes. (http://www.phoenixorganicfeed.com/u..._transfer_from_feed_into_eggs_and_tissues.pdf).


BillJ

The thing is, most commercially available feeds are soy-based. And there is still about a 50/50 chance of pullets v. cockerels when hatching eggs from flocks fed soy-based feed. We don't even see an increase in 'hen' feathered males.