Shipping harder on female duck hatching eggs than male?

[TXChookstead]

I've had two hatches from shipped duck eggs this season, and the male/female ratio has been really off. In the first hatch, there were 3 males and 1 female. In the second, there were 6 males and 1 female. Obviously the reverse would be better, but one normally expects at least a 50/50 split.

I've started wondering if the USPS/shipping process damages embryonic females more than males. Has anyone had a similar experience?

(I'm guessing the same could be true of chicken eggs, but haven't dealt with any at this point.)

Would be very interested to see if any BYCers have experienced the same thing, and to find out if there is some way to better protect the girls if, in fact, they are more affected.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I've had two hatches from shipped duck eggs this season, and the male/female ratio has been really off. In the first hatch, there were 3 males and 1 female. In the second, there were 6 males and 1 female. Obviously the reverse would be better, but one normally expects at least a 50/50 split.

I've started wondering if the USPS/shipping process damages embryonic females more than males. Has anyone had a similar experience?

(I'm guessing the same could be true of chicken eggs, but haven't dealt with any at this point.)

Would be very interested to see if any BYCers have experienced the same thing, and to find out if there is some way to better protect the girls if, in fact, they are more affected.

I used my own eggs from my duck and I had 7 eggs hatch I got 6 boys 1 girl
But I used older eggs as I gave my freshly laid ones to the school to hatch
She had 4 eggs. She got 3 girls 1 boy
I had some eggs up to 21 days after being laid there were cracks in some and some smaller then I will incubate that I didn’t use
So 8 eggs between day 5-21 after being laid. I know I had a few in the older range for sure as they weren’t cracked and were a good size but I didn’t date them I just had them lined in a row
Only one egg started but stopped around day 4

 

[Jaime918]

I'm unsure of duck eggs, but all my chicken eggs have been shipped, 4 rounds between January-May this year.

These have been my ratios-

1st- 4 girls, 1 boy
2nd- 4 boys, 3 girls
3rd- 3 girls
4th- 3 boys, 2 girls

 

[Duckduckchicken32]

My ratio was 6 girls and 2 boys. This was my first hatch, and the tractor supply ducklings were 4 boys and 2 girls

 

[TXChookstead]

Hmm...so it sounds like no one else is running into the same problems I have, unless the eggs are older, maybe? That's interesting. The oldest in my batch were probably 9 days old, and the youngest 7.

My ratio was 6 girls and 2 boys. This was my first hatch, and the tractor supply ducklings were 4 boys and 2 girls

So were the 6 and 2 eggs from your own ducks, and probably fresher? I'm guessing the Tractor Supply eggs were mailed to you?

In Jamie's case the eggs with more boys were older.