Method of hatching avian eggs
First Claim
1. A method of hatching eggs of avian species which comprises carrying out at least one cycle of steps (a) to (c) as follows:
- (a) incubating the eggs in a first, baseline ambient environment which is normal for hatchery incubation of the eggs of the avian species In the prevailing climatic conditions and then during a sex-sensitive time window of embryonic development, (b) altering the ambient environment to shifted conditions for a period of time effective to bias the normal phenotypic sex ratio of the embryos, without significant adverse effect on the average mortality rate, and (c) thereafter restoring the incubation conditions to or towards normal, and allowing the eggs to hatch.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of hatching eggs of avian species, especially chickens, which comprises carrying out at least one cycle of steps (a) and (c) as follows: (a) incubating the eggs in a first, baseline ambient environment which is normal for hatchery incubation of the eggs of the avian species in the prevailing climatic conditions and then during a sex-sensitive time window of embryonic development, (b) altering the ambient environment to shifted conditions for a period of time effective to bias the normal phenotypic sex ratio of the embryos, without significant adverse effect on the average mortality rate, and (c) thereafter restoring the incubation conditions to or towards normal and allowing the eggs to hatch. Preferably the ambient environment comprises a temperature of 37.5°-38° C. and the shifted conditions comprise reduced temperature, especially a temperature maintained at about 22° C. for a period of from 18 to 42 hours. The method may be used to produce birds which are chromosomally male (ZZ) but phenotypically female or chromosomally female (ZW) but phenotypically male.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method of hatching eggs of avian species which comprises carrying out at least one cycle of steps (a) to (c) as follows:
(a) incubating the eggs in a first, baseline ambient environment which is normal for hatchery incubation of the eggs of the avian species In the prevailing climatic conditions and then during a sex-sensitive time window of embryonic development, (b) altering the ambient environment to shifted conditions for a period of time effective to bias the normal phenotypic sex ratio of the embryos, without significant adverse effect on the average mortality rate, and (c) thereafter restoring the incubation conditions to or towards normal, and allowing the eggs to hatch. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of producing birds of an avian species which are chromosomally male (ZZ) but phenotypically female or chromosomally female (ZW) but phenotypically male, which comprises hatching eggs to bias the phenotypic sex ratio, by carrying out at least one cycle of steps (a) to (c) as follows:
- (a) incubating the eggs in a first, baseline ambient environment which is normal for hatchery incubation of the eggs of the avian species in a prevailing climatic conditions and then during a sex-sensitive time window of embryonic development, (b) altering the ambient environment to bias the normal phenotypic sex ratio of the embryos, without significant adverse effect on the average mortality rate, and (c) thereafter restoring the incubation conditions to or towards normal, and allowing the eggs to hatch, detecting the chromosome type of the hatchlings and selecting hatchlings which are chromosomally male but phenotypically female or vice versa.
- View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. An incubator for hatching avian eggs adapted to provide at least one of the following cycle of conditions:
- (a) incubating the eggs in a first, baseline ambient environment which is normal for hatchery incubation of the eggs of the avian species in the prevailing climatic conditions and then during a sex-sensitive time window of embryonic development, (b) altering the ambient environment to shifted conditions for a period of time effective to bias the normal phenotypic sex ratio of the embryos, without significant adverse effect on the average mortality rate, and (c) thereafter restoring the incubation conditions to or towards normal, and allowing the eggs to hatch.
- View Dependent Claims (13)
Specification