WHY did I hatch so many roos?

[4wdingman]

yea i think it is to do with the temp,cauce i know with guppies if you have the babies in cold water like I did they all turn into girls and all of my ones did.

 

[mediazeal]

Yet I keep hearing/reading that the sex of chickens is determined the same way the sex of mammals is, by DNA, not by temperature like reptiles might 'select' which sex to be.
I think cockerel embryos may survive better in incubator conditions or in high temps or with temp changes.
And the pullets embryos die off easier.
I dont know either, but it sure has been the year of the rooster.

 

[johnwilly1962]

Quote:
#

 

[firedove]

Quote:
Me too!!!

 

[firedove]

Quote:
You are correct in that the sex of chickens is determined by DNA just like people and other mammals. Anything warm blooded is determined by DNA. Cold blooded creatures are very different. Not only does temp during development affect them, but some can even change sexes if there is a shortage of one sex or the other in their environment. Now if only chickens would do that, hatch a big batch of roos and some turn into hens to even it out, lol, now that would be sweet!

I'm only now on my second hatch for the year since DH doesn't like me hatching ("It uses too much electricity for you to hatch and brood your chicks all the time."). I hatched 8 out of 18 in the spring. One had died in the first few days (RIP Bounce). I think it turned out more pullets than roos, but I can't remember what people told me exactly. I know the one I kept over the summer was a pullet and I'm pretty sure I sold 3 that turned out to be pullets. But still that makes 4 and 3, with one unknown, so about 50/50.

Right now I have EEs hatching from eggs from ChooksChicks. 4 out so far.

That most are pullets, though 2 look awfully rooish. I say that but they are only hours out of the egg, lol!

 

[saddina]

Ok again, and I know I've posted the link for the article before...

Sex of the birds is determined at conception (like in humans), however female embrios have a higher in shell mortality when exposed to short hot heat spikes. So what can happen is that you set 30 eggs, the bator spikes while you sleep (at least mine does when I sleep), and now 10 of the eggs won't hatch (mostly female). So out of the 20 that do hatch 15 are roos and 5 are hens....

So temp doesn't turn hens into roos or vice-versa, but it can kill off hen embrios at lower temps than roosters, leaving with a mostly male hatch. (Right now there's a university in Japan trying to sort out the why hen chicks have higher mortality at younger temps).

 

[firedove]

Quote:
Gee, I hope I don't get all roos! I had a 105 heat spike while I was asleep one night. But then if I recall correctly I had one in the spring and as previously posted, ended up about 50/50. But maybe the 8 eggs that didn't develop all the way were pullets. (there were 2 quitters at pip if I remember correctly).

 

[keesmom]

Quote:
This makes sense. I know the eggs going in the incubator would be close to 50/50 boys vs girls. But I was wondering if there is something I'm doing that's causing more of the pullet chicks to die before hatching, giving me more roo chicks at hatch than pullet chicks.

 

[firedove]

Well so far 7 out of 16 have hatched completely and there are at least 2 more pips so either my temp spike didn't kill off anyone or there are an awful large number of roo eggs. Both possible