Filing Information

Inventor(s)	Patricia Phelps ·
Assignee(s)	None listed in document.  View assignee updates
Correspondent	MYERS BIGEL SIBLEY & SAJOVEC ·
Application Number	US10301245
Filing date	11/21/2002
PCT 371 date	10/03/1997
Publication date	05/22/2003
Predicted expiration date	03/23/2019
U.S. Classifications	435/7.2  · 119/300  ·
International Classifications	A01K031/19  · G01N033/53  · G01N033/567  ·
Kind Code	A1

Patent Family

Abstract

A method of determining the gender of a bird in ovo comprises detecting the presence or absence of an elevated level of a sex-related hormone in the extra-embryonic fluid of the bird egg, and then determining the gender of the bird within the egg from the presence of an elevated level of a sex-related hormone therein. Preferably, the sex-related hormone is an estrogen. Further preferred are methods in which the extra-embryonic fluid is allantoic fluid. The method is preferably carried out on chicken eggs prior to or during transfer of the eggs from incubator to hatcher.

Independent Claims | See all claims (36)

1. 1. A method of determining the gender of a bird in ovo, comprising the steps of: detecting the presence or absence of an elevated level of a sex-related hormone in the extra-embryonic fluid of a bird egg; and determining the gender of the bird within the egg from the presence of an elevated level of said sex-related hormone in said extra-embryonic fluid.
2. 8. A method of sorting a plurality of bird eggs by the gender of the birds in ovo therein, comprising the steps of: detecting the presence or absence of an elevated level of a sex-related hormone in the extra-embryonic fluid of each of said eggs; and then separating said plurality of eggs into a first subset of eggs having elevated levels of said sex-related hormone and a second subset of eggs not having elevated levels of said sex-related hormone, so that said first subset of eggs contains birds of one sex and said second subset of eggs contains birds of the other sex.
3. 19. A method of determining the gender of a bird in ovo, comprising the steps of: detecting the presence or absence of an elevated level of estrogen in the extra-embryonic fluid of a bird egg; and determining that the gender of the bird within the egg is a female from the presence of an elevated estrogen level in said extra-embryonic fluid.
4. 26. A method of sorting a plurality of bird eggs by the gender of the birds in ovo therein, comprising the steps of: detecting the presence or absence of an elevated estrogen level in the extra-embryonic fluid of each of said eggs; and then separating said plurality of eggs into a first subset of eggs having elevated estrogen levels and a second subset of eggs not having elevated estrogen levels, so that said first subset of eggs contains female birds and said second subset of eggs contains male birds.