How to Identify the Gender of Chickens Prior to Hatching

Figuring out the gender of poultry is more accurately and easily accomplished after the chick is hatched, yet you can still do so while the chick is still inside of the egg. The process of identifying whether a chick will be female or male is called sexing. Sexing an unhatched chick is important for farmers so they can determine how many of the newborn chicks will be used for egg production or meat. In the end, farmers can sort the eggs faster when they know whether the egg will produce hatched male or female chicks.

Things You'll Need

  • Needle
  • Thermometer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Pay attention to the eggs that begin to hatch first. In a scientific study published by "Behavioral Ecology" on avian prehatched eggs, researchers found female newborn chicks had shorter embryonic periods than male chicks. The female chicks hatched sooner after incubation. When you begin the incubation process, observe the first few eggs that hatch. They are likely female. The study indicates gender may influence the size and composition of eggs, so eggs similar to the ones that hatched first are likely female as well.

    • 2

      Have the eggs' allantoic fluid tested at a laboratory to measure the estrogen content of the embryos. Lab technicians perform the test by inserting a needle into the midpoint of the egg around the 17th day of incubation and evaluating the levels of estrogen in comparison to testosterone.

    • 3

      Check the mound temperature where the eggs are. According to Wildlife Queensland, the mound temperature affects the sex of unhatched chicks from turkeys. A temperature of 34 degrees creates an equal gender ratio. Lower temperatures have a tendency to produce a higher percentage of male chicks, while higher temperatures produce more female chicks.