Quote:
IF that theory is correct I really don't see the point in taking up incubator space hoping to kill off your unwanted cockeral chicks and end up with a poor hatch. I'd rather have a good hatch and sell off the cockerals a few weeks down the road and at least get something in return for my trouble.
To say that temps play a role in what sex of chicks you hatch is misleading (if the theory is true) to new people.....makes it sound like you're claiming that temps can magically change the sex of the chicks.....it wouldn't be changing anything.....only killing off one sex or the other so they don't hatch. Sounds like that would be a waste of chicks to me......and unless you open up every unhatched egg and sex the unhatched chicks there is no proof of anything.
In my area, it is impossible to GIVE away extra cockerel chicks. Most people don't want straight run, let alone cockerels. Once the cockerels are just about big enough to butcher my friend is willing to take them, and I'm thankful for this outlet. They are not feed efficient to raise for meat, and are a pain in the rear to layer hens and their sisters when they reach maturity. It is SO hard to give the males away in my area that after trying to find a home for some this spring I was forced to put them all down and feed them to the barn cats.
Obviously, I hated doing that, so if I can get 80% female hatches I'm happy.
Now if you can find a market for male chicks or make a profit raising extra cockerels to butchering age, then it doesn't make sense to try and raise the temperature. Then by all means, do the normal temperature!
I have mentioned several times that the temperature does not change the sex of the chick. The sex is decided before the egg is even laid. With higher temps you're just killing off some of the cockerels.
We have a poultry auction about 45 minutes from me that I take my excess roosters to. I suppose it probably makes a difference what type of birds you're raising. I don't know what kind of birds you've got, but I raise non-hatchery purebred birds so many of my cockerals I keep for quite some time so I know how they're going to turn out. Any with obvious flaws go to the auction very quickly.
I realize you've said the temps really don't determine the sex, but some people only skim and don't read everything and come away with the wrong idea about what exactly is happening.
Sorry, but I'd still rather not have those chicks be a total waste of space in my incubators.
IF that theory is correct I really don't see the point in taking up incubator space hoping to kill off your unwanted cockeral chicks and end up with a poor hatch. I'd rather have a good hatch and sell off the cockerals a few weeks down the road and at least get something in return for my trouble.
To say that temps play a role in what sex of chicks you hatch is misleading (if the theory is true) to new people.....makes it sound like you're claiming that temps can magically change the sex of the chicks.....it wouldn't be changing anything.....only killing off one sex or the other so they don't hatch. Sounds like that would be a waste of chicks to me......and unless you open up every unhatched egg and sex the unhatched chicks there is no proof of anything.
In my area, it is impossible to GIVE away extra cockerel chicks. Most people don't want straight run, let alone cockerels. Once the cockerels are just about big enough to butcher my friend is willing to take them, and I'm thankful for this outlet. They are not feed efficient to raise for meat, and are a pain in the rear to layer hens and their sisters when they reach maturity. It is SO hard to give the males away in my area that after trying to find a home for some this spring I was forced to put them all down and feed them to the barn cats.
Now if you can find a market for male chicks or make a profit raising extra cockerels to butchering age, then it doesn't make sense to try and raise the temperature. Then by all means, do the normal temperature!
I have mentioned several times that the temperature does not change the sex of the chick. The sex is decided before the egg is even laid. With higher temps you're just killing off some of the cockerels.
We have a poultry auction about 45 minutes from me that I take my excess roosters to. I suppose it probably makes a difference what type of birds you're raising. I don't know what kind of birds you've got, but I raise non-hatchery purebred birds so many of my cockerals I keep for quite some time so I know how they're going to turn out. Any with obvious flaws go to the auction very quickly.
I realize you've said the temps really don't determine the sex, but some people only skim and don't read everything and come away with the wrong idea about what exactly is happening.
Sorry, but I'd still rather not have those chicks be a total waste of space in my incubators.
