Maine

[Tony K T]

I had read somewhere and can't remember for the life of me where but that the temperature the eggs are kept prior to incubation effects the boy : girl ratio when they hatch. If that's true, then it would seem that eggs laid/stored during cooler temperatures have a greater chance at becoming females.

The only egg I've ever tried to hatch turned out to be a male: hatch day 6/8/14 after it sat on my kitchen counter for a week prior to being put in the incubator and I don't remember what the temps were like then but I do remember it being very sunny so likely rather warm in my kitchen. There were two other chicks that hatched during that incubation from another keeper (in my son's kindergarten class) and at least one is female (whom I also have). The third chick was a silkie and I have no idea what it turned out to be or any details about how long it had been from lay date to incubation for those two chicks.

There are so many variables to a study like that but it would definitely be an interesting one to undertake!

That's not for birds but for reptiles.Egg can be stored as cold as 40 degrees for up to 15 days and then their viability drops after the 15 days.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

That's hilarious! I had a guy call after I sold my SS trio wanting the roo. Same guy had bought hatching eggs in early summer then bought more SS chicks from my stock end of summer. He said every one of them turned out to be females! I've never heard anyone complain about NOT getting males until now

I'm upset about all girls because I eat the boys. I want a freezer full.

How many years have you noticed this trend? Do you think this is a coincidence, or a commentary on girls being stronger? ;-) I suppose if you are hatching in an incubator it wouldn't have anything to do with the latter...

My broody, being the teenage mother that she is (haha), has not succeeded. She kicked out the second egg two days ago, but she is still sitting. I think I need to try to break her, because she is starting to lose weight. I'm thinking of just going in several times a day and picking her up off the nest and blocking off the area she has chosen. Any suggestions? I don't want to be inhumane to her, but I also don't want her to get weak in this cold...

I've been hatching 4+ish years or so, and have had an overall 50ish% ratio of boys to girls but individual hatches often end up 75% or more one sex. I really can't figure it out except like I said, earlier in the season (January/February) I tend to get mostly girls, and later in the season mostly boys. An exception to that is hatching ducks... boys in January! The sex of the egg is determined prior to it being laid, but I think the temperature does have something to do with what develops.

 

[buckabucka]

I dunno......I'm a skeptic on the temperature thing. I need some scientific facts to back up this theory.

I've had a couple hatches that were 50/50 (including a February hatch), one that was just slightly male, and two that were heavily male. And, at the risk of feeding this fire, both heavily male hatches were set in April.

I think it is a normal human quest to look for reason and patterns in random events that occur (the everything-happens-for-a-reason crowd). But I say people find reason in everything that happens. So what patterns have I discovered in my own hatches? The more you pay for the eggs, the more you are likely to get cockerels. That's my theory (and experience, unfortunately ). I made sure to pay less for this year's eggs.

I do like early season hatches, since the pullets mature before the days shorten too much, but I picked my April 1st-ish set date for two reasons. One is that I want to be on vacation when they hatch. It seems like they always hatch out while I am working, and I just get a few grainy pictures from DH, and I'm always dying to know which egg(s) have hatched. The other reason is last year I was able to go away camping a few times. My neighbor checked on the flocks, and the roosters were young enough that she didn't have to deal with bloodshed. I'm hoping I might be able to repeat that.

I also figured out that I can have exchequer leghorn hatching eggs shipped for about $55. So if 6 hatch, and half are male, I get three pullets for $55. It also cost $55 to have 3 sexed exchequer leghorn chicks shipped to my house (from a hatchery). I don't really want to raise any male leghorns for eating, so the latter sounds like a better deal. Really, though, if I want white eggs, I should probably just grab a few white leghorns at TSC or longhorn. I just think those Exchequers are pretty. They're cheap, too, but the shipping for just a few chicks is $40!

 

[Widget]

For anyone interested there is a free online course on Coursera called Chicken Behavior and Welfare that will run from April 3rd-Oct 4th. I have taken a couple course with Coursera in the past couple years and have liked them. You can go at your own pace. Since you do not get a grade you can either do the homework or not.

From the page this is the description of the course. (This course will explain the general principles of chicken behaviour and welfare, and the behavioural and physiological indicators that can be used to assess welfare in chickens kept in hobby flocks through to commercial farms. The focus is primarily on laying hens and meat chickens (broilers) although many of the principles will be relevant to other types of poultry. The course is likely to be of interest to people who own chickens as pets or keep a small hobby flock, commercial egg and chicken meat producers, veterinarians and vet nurses.) It is through the Univ. of Edinburgh.

https://www.coursera.org/course/chickens is the link to the course

 

[CoopChick719]

Thanks for he course info, Widget! It sounds interesting!

I checked my girl (Chipmunk aka Miss Chip) for impacted crop. I didnt feel anything odd. She's eating, drinking & pooping okay. Still feeding her a scrambled egg in the morning, added chick grit to it & her feed. Giving her plain water. She did not care for the save a chick in her water so I'm sprinkling a little in her egg. I know DH thinks I'm babying her but she was hatched in my coop by Janice one of my Sizzles.

 

[Hiltonizer]

Hi All,

Checking in as my wife and I recently moved to Maine (from the NH seacoast) and are finally getting settled. Our renovation hasn't quite finished but we wasted no time in getting 6 tetra tints to keep our breakfasts hearty and plans are in the works for spring meat chickens and turkeys. We did two started Turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas and enjoyed that.

We're between Augusta and Belfast. Looking forward to getting acquainted!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I dunno......I'm a skeptic on the temperature thing. I need some scientific facts to back up this theory.

I've had a couple hatches that were 50/50 (including a February hatch), one that was just slightly male, and two that were heavily male. And, at the risk of feeding this fire, both heavily male hatches were set in April.

I think it is a normal human quest to look for reason and patterns in random events that occur (the everything-happens-for-a-reason crowd). But I say people find reason in everything that happens. So what patterns have I discovered in my own hatches? The more you pay for the eggs, the more you are likely to get cockerels. That's my theory (and experience, unfortunately

). I made sure to pay less for this year's eggs.

I do like early season hatches, since the pullets mature before the days shorten too much, but I picked my April 1st-ish set date for two reasons. One is that I want to be on vacation when they hatch. It seems like they always hatch out while I am working, and I just get a few grainy pictures from DH, and I'm always dying to know which egg(s) have hatched. The other reason is last year I was able to go away camping a few times. My neighbor checked on the flocks, and the roosters were young enough that she didn't have to deal with bloodshed. I'm hoping I might be able to repeat that.

I also figured out that I can have exchequer leghorn hatching eggs shipped for about $55. So if 6 hatch, and half are male, I get three pullets for $55. It also cost $55 to have 3 sexed exchequer leghorn chicks shipped to my house (from a hatchery). I don't really want to raise any male leghorns for eating, so the latter sounds like a better deal. Really, though, if I want white eggs, I should probably just grab a few white leghorns at TSC or longhorn. I just think those Exchequers are pretty. They're cheap, too, but the shipping for just a few chicks is $40!

I do look for patterns - it's natural. I certainly haven't hatched a ton of eggs to be able to make a sound theory, but I have had significantly sexually skewed hatches enough to make me wonder. I think you've also hit the nail on the head - more expensive eggs = more boys. I have also found that to be true!!!!

Hi All,

Checking in as my wife and I recently moved to Maine (from the NH seacoast) and are finally getting settled. Our renovation hasn't quite finished but we wasted no time in getting 6 tetra tints to keep our breakfasts hearty and plans are in the works for spring meat chickens and turkeys. We did two started Turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas and enjoyed that.

We're between Augusta and Belfast. Looking forward to getting acquainted!

Hello! I'm between Augusta and Waterville. Welcome.

 

[Cknldy]

Broodies know good eggs from nondeveloping and bad ones. You could do as you said and try to break the broodiness or get some more eggs from someone that may have a better chance of being fertile or something. My BO wouldn't give up but the only chickens laying fertile eggs at the time were SS- of course when I decided to collect for the BO the SS went on hiatus so I only got 2 eggs under the BO. One she pushed out and 1 she hatched. They just know what's best and it's hard/time consuming trying to break a broody even for their own health! I wish you luck

 

[IZZYBELLA]

Thanks for the input, Cknldy! I sort of rustled around her chosen nest and put her on the roost late last night... not sure if either did it, but she is up and about today! I'm hoping she doesn't change her mind... from what I am reading, that seems like it was too easy!

Welcome Hiltonizer! I grew up in Seacoast NH (haven't lived there in many years). I've been keeping chickens about 1 1/2 now and have a mixed flock... lots of fun. The people on this forum are great... welcome! I'm located south of Portland.

 

[lazy gardener]

I dunno......I'm a skeptic on the temperature thing. I need some scientific facts to back up this theory.
I also figured out that I can have exchequer leghorn hatching eggs shipped for about $55. So if 6 hatch, and half are male, I get three pullets for $55. It also cost $55 to have 3 sexed exchequer leghorn chicks shipped to my house (from a hatchery). I don't really want to raise any male leghorns for eating, so the latter sounds like a better deal. Really, though, if I want white eggs, I should probably just grab a few white leghorns at TSC or longhorn. I just think those Exchequers are pretty. They're cheap, too, but the shipping for just a few chicks is $40!

Bucka: I've read a study that supports the temp thing. I'm not sure which temp favors which gender, but there is a study that backs up the incubation temp favoring one gender over an other. If you googled the topic, I bet it'd show up. But, as previously stated (? by SCG) the gender of the egglett is determined before it's laid. So, the skewed percentage would be made up of failure to hatch eggs, which would bring down your overall hatch rate. Now, this raises the question regarding if the hen is predisposed to kick out ova favoring a specific gender in relation to environmental temps or perhaps even related to diet. I'm going to try giving my flock ACV in addition to their FF this spring to see if there might be a correlation between increased acidity and increased female chicks.

Bucka, are you looking to raise the Exchecquer? They are pretty! The only downside to them IMO is that they have the straight comb. I do like my Rose Comb Brown Leghorns, but feel that their quality is lacking. Of the 3 gals from MMc, one of them is a dud, laying lots of rubber eggs. But, you'll never find a more hardy chick than those RCBL. They were bouncing around like popcorn right from the start. I favor the rose comb due to frost bite issues.