URGENT HELP NEEDED ABOUT THE EGGS WE'RE HATCHING!!

[Laurie in Rabun]

We have a really weird situation here. We have 7 eggs in our little Brinsea digital incubator that are now at 25 days and none have hatched. So, I read all the threads and comments that said, after 25 days, the chicks are no longer alive. Today, I gave up and broke open one egg to see what went wrong. I was shocked that what emerged was a FULLY ALIVE beautiful chick who gasped for air, blinked her eyes at me, and then died in my hand. I was horrified. She looked completely fine but the egg sack she was attached to clearly indicated that she was still at least 5 days away from hatching. So I've but the remaining eggs back into the incubator and decided to just see what happens. We have raised several batches from this incubator before and this has never happened. The ONLY thing I have done differently this time was slightly lower the temperature in the incubator from the standard 37 degrees (C) to 35 degrees because we have been hatching too many roosters and I read that if you lower the incubator temperature, you are more likely to get hens. COULD THIS BE CAUSING THE CHICKS TO DEVELOP MORE SLOWLY????? HAS ANYONE EVER SEEN CHICKS HATCH WELL AFTER 25 DAYS? I am just frantic about this. And devastated that I killed a beautiful little baby. PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[Toddrick]

If you lower the temperature you slow the development. I know of no scientific evidence of the temperature affecting sex. The sex is determined as soon as the egg is fertilized, and cannot be changed. I've heard stories that heating the eggs too high can kill off just the males, but this is definitely not true from my experience (I had temps reach 106 for a couple days, and still had 60% males).

You're going to get about 50% roosters no matter what you do. That's why sex links are so popular, because they can toss the males as soon as they hatch.

 

[CGilbert]

I also read that lowering the temperature determines sex of the chick. I believe that is decided around the first trimester of the eggs incubation. That is very shocking that they're still going at day 25 though. Normally a temperature change like that would only affect it by a day or so, in my experience

 

[Toddrick]

You must understand that hatcheries all over the world produce millions of chicks every year, and if there were a way to determine or manipulate sex before hatching they would be using it! Instead they have experts sexing chicks by looking in their vents. Don't you think they would use a more efficient method if one were available?

If your temps were so low that your birds aren't hatching after 25 days then you have likely sealed their all their fates. If any do hatch I doubt they will be anywhere near as healthy as they could've been.

 

[CGilbert]

You must understand that hatcheries all over the world produce millions of chicks every year, and if there were a way to determine or manipulate sex before hatching they would be using it! Instead they have experts sexing chicks by looking in their vents. Don't you think they would use a more efficient method if one were available?

I just found a study that shows you are correct. No way to get more females/makes based on temperature.

Poop oh well

 

[keesmom]

I also read that lowering the temperature determines sex of the chick. I believe that is decided around the first trimester of the eggs incubation.

The sex of the chick is determined by the hen at the time the egg is formed. Mucking around with the temperature will not alter the sex. Higher or lower temperatures may alter how many of each gender hatch successfully.

Male chicks are a possibility if you hatch. There is no way around it. As Toddrick stated if there were a way to hatch only females the hatcheries would definitely be using that method.

 

[Laurie in Rabun]

Is turning down the temp from the standard 37.5c to 35.7c actually that big of a drop? I thought it was a tiny drop.