Why So Many Males?????

[minifarmgurl1]

Ive notice when hatching eggs for myself and others that there is always a higher number of males than females....anyone know why?

 

[klf73]

it's the same reason some families have all girls or all boys, just the way it happens...

 

[prncssprplfrog]

You'd think genetically (or)for evolution/procreation of the species that there should be more females. I know the genetics & the percentages, but still....


I'd like to know how many out there have had all male or all female hatches before.

 

[Shannon's Chix]

Well I came close, my 6week olds are 7 males, 1 female

 

[JordanFamily]

Ive always had mostly all females and just a couple of males myself.... It is just the luck of the draw and really does not have anything to do with genetics at all... It just depends on which sperm gets to the female's egg first, the XX or XY... They ejaculate hundreds of thousands of sperm and as in humans the ratio of XX to XY sperm is about the same which is pretty close to 50/50... Now I know in humans if you keep the testis cooler than you can have more females just because male sperm are weaker and die off quicker if conflicted with heat... Ofcoarse heat will kill some of the females to and could make for a low sperm count... Also XY (male) sperm also is quicker at first and then loose energy quicker than females so if they have a longer distance to travel you have a better chance for a female. Shorter distance is better for the males because they are great short distance sprinters... Now you can't really change any of this in chickens to make you get more females so you just have to sit and wait and cross your fingers...

 

[klf73]

Quote:
actually, if they were *wild* you would want more males...they protect the flock and many are lost doing that. If there were only a few you would run out of them real quick

 

[Mahonri]

My first two hatches with W/BW Ameraucanas produced 100% females.

Last hatch, out of 41, a whopping 14 were females and the rest roosters!

Go figure.

 

[onthespot]

Quote:
Amost. In chickens, it is the hen that has the deciding hormones of which gender the baby will be. The opposite of mammals. I know, I was flabbergasted too when I firs heard and didn't believe it.

 

[elmo]

You're absolutely right about the female determining gender in avians. I was reading the Cornell Handbook of Bird Biology the other day, and came across that same information. Great book, by the way.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/homestudy/handbook-of-bird-biology

 

[eggsited chickens]

Don't tell me that, I just put 42 in the incu...I don't want all males! When can people usually tell what they are?