Air sac determines sex.

[Saaniya]

I recently read a booklet by Thomas Quisenberry that was titled How to Tell The Sex of an Egg Before Incubation. In the book it described candling a chicken egg prior to incubation. If the air sac is off center and can only be viewed from the front and sides of the egg, a female will hatch. If the air sac is centered in the end and can be viewed from all sides, a male will hatch. This was proved in a University study. Mrs. Noda Fry was the person who reported this method to Mr. Quisenberry. She hatched 96 eggs and 92 were female. She also described holding a chick by the head. If the legs relax and hang, this is a cockerel. If the legs draw up toward the head/abdomen, this is a female.
Has anyone else ever tried this? I am about to put a couple dozen eggs in the incubator that I have candled using this method.

good information

 

[MROO]

Someone told me Maryland is where all the rich people live tho. Another myth debunked I suppose.

"The Money" here in Maryland is centered mostly around Annapolis and the DC suburbs ... where the COL is ridiculously high. The rest of us are mostly "house-poor" like the rest of the States!

 

[McChooky]

Hoping someone goes broody so my welsummers eggs will hatch.
(cream legbar rooster)

 

[TicaCielo]

I recently read a booklet by Thomas Quisenberry that was titled How to Tell The Sex of an Egg Before Incubation. In the book it described candling a chicken egg prior to incubation. If the air sac is off center and can only be viewed from the front and sides of the egg, a female will hatch. If the air sac is centered in the end and can be viewed from all sides, a male will hatch. This was proved in a University study. Mrs. Noda Fry was the person who reported this method to Mr. Quisenberry. She hatched 96 eggs and 92 were female. She also described holding a chick by the head. If the legs relax and hang, this is a cockerel. If the legs draw up toward the head/abdomen, this is a female.
Has anyone else ever tried this? I am about to put a couple dozen eggs in the incubator that I have candled using this method.

Interesting. I've been reading PubMed articles about the shape of the egg as well with some interesting results. The rounder the egg, there is a 70% chance it's a pullet..or was it 80? Anyway, I would love to hear the results in 20-23 days

 

[McChooky]

Studies show cockerel embryos are more fragile and less likely to survive when the hatching eggs are stored under cooler temps.Might be a good idea to read up on it and try this if you hatch lots of chicks

 

[Ladybird CA]

I remember reading something like that on here. But also someone posting about McMurray saying that when they had a power outage more male chicks hatched.

 

[Ladybird CA]

It was a high of 9 C, low -6. I measured the SI of 5 of the 6 eggs we had today but the baby is on my shoulder and it’s nearly midnight here…didn’t remember to write the amounts on my phone. Did write on the eggs, maybe will update it tomorrow with the other eggs. 2 were cracked, probably because all of them except the EE want to share a nest. The green food gel did not show up on any eggs. The golden lace’s is one of the cracked eggs. All the white eggs had centered air cells. The two brown (serama and Wyandotte) had side air cells.

 

[Ladybird CA]

The EE was the other cracked egg

 

[Ladybird CA]

Today was a high of 7C, -8C. I didn’t remember to note the temperature when eggs were when DH collected them around 5. 5 eggs again.

Another cracked EE egg. The air cell might’ve been side but I’m not sure.

Three white eggs, no coloring on any. 2 side; one SI is 71, the other is 74. The centered SI = 75.

A BLRW that is off center but I can see a bit of it on the one side so I’ll consider it centered. SI 68.

Yesterday’s side air cell eggs were a wyandotte egg at SI 56 and a serama egg with SI 76.

The ones with centered air eggs are two white eggs, one SI 71, the other SI 72.

Currently have 19 eggs with side air cells to put in the incubator tomorrow. But it is a styrofoam hovabator that my cat chewed a few inches off of last year. Maybe I’ll be able to get it fixed with gorilla tape. I did have some success with a foam spray but need to locate it again. The Turner for it will arrive in about 2 weeks. The new incubator will arrive in about a week.

If I don’t include the 3 cracked eggs there are 13 eggs with centered air cells but we ate some - I don’t recall how many. I’ll wash them in vinegar and dish soap with warm water and refrigerate, then we will eat them. The cracked eggs will go back to the hens.

The new thermometer/hygrometer is reading 98.5 F. It shows that it was at 99.5 F at one point which is a better temperature but I’m afraid if I adjust it will climb overnight. It does have an app which I’ll have to set up so I can be alerted of high or low temperature extremes. The incubator itself is showing between 37.6 C and 37.9 C. Humidity only 14%. I’m doing a dry hatch then will increase humidity to 60-65 at lockdown.

Just candled the 6 eggs due April 19- they look ok.

 

[Ladybird CA]

If I butchered my own chickens I would put the eggs with centered air cells in the fridge to see how many males hatch but I’m in the city so I’m not supposed to have them let alone butcher them.

I could hatch them then sell at the auction the males but most likely DH would try to get me to keep them which has not been a good idea lol. I will be selling the males in my bantam chick order there along with females. Hoping to keep a female of each breed. The eggs I have are siblings so I probably won’t sell males and females together.