Toad Raising.

[Karen523]

Doesn't change it, just supposedly male embryos are more sensitive to cold.

So do the male embryos die off? A what temps does this happen? This is interesting.

 

[yellowherb]

I dream of living in the cold. I want to be a reverse snowbird! Fl has already had temps in the low 90s this year

I was just passing around the idea of why you may not have many roosters yet to work with ralphie. As temps rise in your area you should get plenty of roosters

 

[yellowherb]

So do the male embryos die off? A what temps does this happen? This is interesting.

I'm sure there's some info out there. I don't want to hijack the thread with egg experiments. But the eggs I hatched with 1 rooster had gotten so cold a few were frozen and discarded due to cracks. I think the theory is that normal refrigerator temperatures are fine. Just remember it will not sex change the eggs, just kill off the majority of rooster eggs.

 

[BantyChooks]

I dream of living in the cold.  I want to be a reverse snowbird!  Fl has already had temps in the low 90s this year

I was just passing around the idea of why you may not have many roosters yet to work with ralphie.  As temps rise in your area you should get plenty of roosters

Come on up, there's plenty of room!

​So do the male embryos die off? A what temps does this happen? This is interesting.

Supposedly. All I've heard is hearsay. I've hatched eggs about this time of year, bit earlier, before and I got almost all roos, so...

But that was also on a near 100% hatch, the only loss was a malpo.

 

[Karen523]

I'm sure there's some info out there. I don't want to hijack the thread with egg experiments. But the eggs I hatched with 1 rooster had gotten so cold a few were frozen and discarded due to cracks. I think the theory is that normal refrigerator temperatures are fine. Just remember it will not sex change the eggs, just kill off the majority of rooster eggs.

I don't believe that anything can change the sex of the chick. It sounds like it's just a matter of female embryos surviving lower temps than male embryos.

 

[duluthralphie]

It is an interesting theory, I am not sure toads are the birds to work with for it either, considering how hard getting a fertile egg is even.

I might try cage raising the toads indoors next winter and see if that helps. Also as inbred as the toads are it is possible they produce more Z eggs than W eggs just liek some men have more X sperm than Y sperm....I think, Does that make sense?

 

[duluthralphie]

I don't believe that anything can change the sex of the chick. It sounds like it's just a matter of female embryos surviving lower temps than male embryos.

I think most of us think if there is anything to this, this would be the "thing".

 

[BantyChooks]

I think most of us think if there is anything to this, this would be the "thing".

X2

 

[yellowherb]

You have to wonder if it makes for a "cold" hardier rooster if they survive the egg refrigeration haha! They would have to be a over all hardier embryo to survive it.

It is an interesting theory, I am not sure toads are the birds to work with for it either, considering how hard getting a fertile egg is even.

I might try cage raising the toads indoors next winter and see if that helps. Also as inbred as the toads are it is possible they produce more Z eggs than W eggs just liek some men have more X sperm than Y sperm....I think, Does that make sense?

Definitely do not use the Toads for experiments! The world needs the Toads to survive and thrive.

My info is based on caged birds but it's said that the hen determines the eggs sex and she bases that on if more roosters are needed or more hens. If I were a hen and hated my rooster leader I'd make more males to try to get access to a better rooster protector. That aside, we know males of most species have a higher mortality rate than females, so sexing is generally skewed to the high side for males. Birds probably do this too which is why hens do not lay 4 hen eggs to 1 rooster. If you house 1 rooster to too many hens, the hens will probably lay more rooster eggs than 55%, just trying to sort out the balance.

A EE breeder I know laments how many rooster chicks he gets. I tried to explain that he should add more roosters to his pens but he didn't believe me either My neighbor down the road has 1 adult rooster and 20 or so hens. He has a very high percentage of rooster offspring. I think his hens are trying to say they need more males around!

 

[BantyChooks]

In that case, my girls should be laying all females cos I have 5 cockbirds in a 15 hen flock....