The Great SI (Shape index) experiment

[BantyChooks]

Can they tell the breed of the chicken if say I sent in a feather to be tested?

How on earth could they do that?

 

[lazy gardener]

Ha, ha! Aren't you the clever one!!
By your advice, I would say you have done this a time or two!!
I may just do that!! I just have to figure out which kids room to put it in!!
I ordered more OE, CL, BCM, Polish, and Cochin. The only autosexing are the CL, however how could I resist not having such variety!!!
I will likely keep many of them long enough to sex them.(at least I plan to)

Hi everybody!

So, this is really fascinating and fun! I currently have 9 eggs in my incubator. They are due to hatch on 2/28/18. I know which of my hens laid which eggs (three different hens, three different color of eggs...blue, olive & a pinkish). The funny thing is when I was telling my sister-in-law that I was going to hatch some of my own flocks eggs, she asked me if I had any "pointy" eggs. I told her one of my blue eggs was noticeably "pointy". She went on to explain that there was a theory that the "pointy" eggs would be boys. I told her I'd watch to see.

Fast forward to finding this thread. I of course haven't measured the eggs, but I did just text my husband to stop a Lowes on his way home and pick up the digital calipers I just purchased for in-store pickup (I'm a have it now kind of girl) I mean time is of the essence wouldn't you say? He asked me what I needed those for...I explained this experiment and told him that if I didn't get the calipers before lockdown, I'd have to hatch more eggs to do the experiment...he said he would stop and pick them up! LOL!!!

I haven't read the link to the original experiment yet, as I was excited to get to the end of this thread to see if there were any conclusions! I'll go read it now so I have clue about what I'm supposed to do I'll also create a spreadsheet to track this on. Below is a picture of the eggs (I removed one blue egg as it wasn't fertilized, all of the others are developing and still in the incubator). @Nksg75 if you have any pointers I'm all ears!
View attachment 1274449

When I did my egg shape selection, I did not measure the eggs. I simply eye balled them. If I could figure out which eggs belonged to a particular hen, I'd compare all of hers as a group. I would then move the long/pointy and often the larger to one pile, and the round to an other pile, often, by default, the rounder ones were also smaller. There were a lot of "middle of the road" eggs. I only set the "rounder" pile. And ended up with a 60% pullet rate.

Based on how I did my selection, looking at your set eggs, I'd choose to set: Top row: #1 and #4. Second row, #1 and #4. Bottom row, #1.

Well we had to take a side detour here due to a delayed hatch with a pip already started and nothing for 15 hours at all but squealing, not chirping). I had to intervene with helping to zip and pop out. (first time and hope never again). She made it!! It was a complete learning experience on my end. So far I have 4 chicks and 1 left to hatch. Three are for sure pullets (autosexing) and my marans I will know at the end of the week since I mail in the shell for DNA. (great company for $11 does this). I will post everything when all is said and done!

Good save on that chick. You showed good judgement. As a result, there is one more little peep to go in your brooder. Were you able to determine why she got stuck? Often it's a malposition, or they get glued to the membrane.

 

[CABINHOLLOWNC]

When I did my egg shape selection, I did not measure the eggs. I simply eye balled them. If I could figure out which eggs belonged to a particular hen, I'd compare all of hers as a group. I would then move the long/pointy and often the larger to one pile, and the round to an other pile, often, by default, the rounder ones were also smaller. There were a lot of "middle of the road" eggs. I only set the "rounder" pile. And ended up with a 60% pullet rate.

Based on how I did my selection, looking at your set eggs, I'd choose to set: Top row: #1 and #4. Second row, #1 and #4. Bottom row, #1.

Thanks for the input!!! So, you guestimate that I'll get 5 pullets...we'll see how that pans out! I set these eggs before I found this thread...but I've been totally sucked in! LOL! My theory is that you need to evaluate each hens eggs and find that "sweet spot"/'number". I know that I'd need to evaluate more than this small number of eggs per hen to get a good number...but this is a start.

I'll never set eggs again without measuring them first and choosing the ones that have the highest SI...then my plan is to narrow that number margin till I have a good grasp on a range that will produce the most pullets. What have I got to loose? I was going to hatch already...so why not have fun with it right?

I read one thread where someone stated that all hens lay the same sized egg throughout their laying life...WOW...I was like...do you look at your eggs?? I don't have to use a digital caliper to see that each of my hens can and do lay different sized eggs each day You just demonstrated that each of my hens represented here are laying different size eggs as you picked out eggs that you feel they are different sizes!

I think this is fun...so no harm no fowl (pun intended)

 

[lazy gardener]

I read one thread where someone stated that all hens lay the same sized egg throughout their laying life...WOW...I was like...do you look at your eggs?? I don't have to use a digital caliper to see that each of my hens can and do lay different sized eggs each day

No doubt the person who would make such a statement is also an expert when it comes to designing a chicken coop!

 

[CABINHOLLOWNC]

No doubt the person who would make such a statement is also an expert when it comes to designing a chicken coop!

Well...of course...

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

How on earth could they do that?

I dunno map the genome

 

[CABINHOLLOWNC]

I've measured my eggs and they are now in lock down. If I do a rough guestimate of the numbers, anything below 3.XXX is a cockerel and anything 3.XXX and above is a pullet. By that estimate I'll get 5 to 6 pullets from this hatch. One egg is on the bubble of being below the 3.XXX number. Not counting my chickens before they hatch...just saying

3.081863 - olive
2.909887 - olive
3.017713 - olive
3.00972 - olive
3.047242 - blue
3.004337 - blue
2.851936 - blue
3.131795 - pinkish
2.894093 - pinkish

Predictions:
The 2 pinkish eggs = 1 pullet & 1 cockerel
The 4 olive eggs = 2 pullets, maybe another pullet and 1 cockerel
The 3 blue eggs= 2 pullets, 1 cockerel

Now I sit on my hands and wait...

 

[lazy gardener]

 

[Nksg75]

Hi everybody!

So, this is really fascinating and fun! I currently have 9 eggs in my incubator. They are due to hatch on 2/28/18. I know which of my hens laid which eggs (three different hens, three different color of eggs...blue, olive & a pinkish). The funny thing is when I was telling my sister-in-law that I was going to hatch some of my own flocks eggs, she asked me if I had any "pointy" eggs. I told her one of my blue eggs was noticeably "pointy". She went on to explain that there was a theory that the "pointy" eggs would be boys. I told her I'd watch to see.

Fast forward to finding this thread. I of course haven't measured the eggs, but I did just text my husband to stop a Lowes on his way home and pick up the digital calipers I just purchased for in-store pickup (I'm a have it now kind of girl) I mean time is of the essence wouldn't you say? He asked me what I needed those for...I explained this experiment and told him that if I didn't get the calipers before lockdown, I'd have to hatch more eggs to do the experiment...he said he would stop and pick them up! LOL!!!

I haven't read the link to the original experiment yet, as I was excited to get to the end of this thread to see if there were any conclusions! I'll go read it now so I have clue about what I'm supposed to do I'll also create a spreadsheet to track this on. Below is a picture of the eggs (I removed one blue egg as it wasn't fertilized, all of the others are developing and still in the incubator). @Nksg75 if you have any pointers I'm all ears!
View attachment 1274449

Oops, sorry for not responding sooner. Anyway, cabin hollow can, glad you could join us and try this expierement.
So just take the. Calipers and measure width of the egg. Find the largest part(usually smack dab in the middle)
Then put the calipers end on end to get your length!!

 

[Nksg75]

WOO HOO close to seeing if the data has any merit. Bad thing is I only have possibly 6 chicks to analyze. I know 5 for sure are good of the rest of my 6 in the incubator. HATCH day today, 3 PIPS so far, gonna be a long day/night!!!View attachment 1274858

Yeah!! I am now catching up!!