boys vs. girls in the litter

[Jelena Kreitmayer]

this discussion was brought up on another list and I can't remember what result was. Thought it would be fun to see more international viewpoint/experience around this subject.
I know from the recent forum that Red Tails had 5 girls and 2 boys, Hanna said that her bitch had 1 boy and 8 girls, etc....
So, according to your own experience, has anything influenced the proportion/ number of boys vs. girls in a litter? Variables like:
-if mating occurred before or after ovulation
-if it was natural or frozen or chilled semen
-if the bitch was at home or at sire's
also if anyone can think of any other variables
thank you !!

[Kristina Brannlund Westin]

Hi Jelena!
What I have heard, and this is "only" what heard is that the "female" sperms are stronger and lives longer than the "male" sperms, so in that case an early mating gives more bitches,(correct me if I´m wrong). In my own two litters I had a lot of bitches and Alma was not mated particular early or late, and I went to the sires with her and in my opinion on the right time. Can also say that Alma (the mum) was born in a litter with 70% bitches.

[Anna & Saturnii Cartoon's]

Well...I had two times a litter of 12 pups (6+6) one from Anna and the other from her daughter,also 6+6.This was few years ago,now the same bitches have litters almost in the same time and it's 10 pups (5+5) and 6pups(3+3) heheh...Reason? I have no idea,my bitches are always stud by natural way around 10/12 day of they seasons.
There was also other litters in my kennel like 3 gilrs + 4 boys and 3 girls+5 boys.I never do test for my bitches to check when they are ready for stud,always Mother Nature decide!

[Camilla Ostman]

Not that it matter but just have to correct you, Alma was born in a litter with 7 boys 3 girls not the other way around.
During all years I cannot say I can see any way of having litters with more girls or boys.Heard many ways of explaining this but just think Mother nature does her own thing.Only thing I experienced is never any pups from AI.This is Sweden and we are not free to AI at all by rules and regulations so this just happens if importing semen really and very, very few are lucky with frozen semen.

[Kristina Brannlund Westin]

Oh shit, you are right. My mistake! She was born in a litter with 70% boys;-).

[Teresa]

In fact, female sperms last longer but are slower (the X cromossome is "heavier") and male sperm does not last as long but is faster. so in theory if the ovulation has just occured you'd have more males, if it hasn't occured then you'd have more females, but this is not a linear science.
But there's one funny thing....It seems most of you have 50/50 litters or a majority of females, and where I live, apart from setters being rare, litters with "many" females are very rare.

[Agnieszka Dufrat 'Neiven']

7 boys & 3 girls
- after ovulation
- natural + insemination
- at sire's home

[Lauwers Willem & Aleksandra]

your right Camilla, can't false the nature, wouldn't say mating before or after has something to do with it as well, as for ex one of my studs mates only when 'good days' are and still many not equal litters have been born from such a matings.
The same with my own experiences with 'people babys' didn't work on me and some friends of me either, anyway very happy with boy, don't take me wrong:)
Chineesse horoscopes etc. not working either in both cases;)

[ursula wilby]

I have not noticed that there is any difference either way.
Nowadays I take bloodsamples from my bitches just to make certain that I will arrive on the optimal day. When studdogs are far away, and time is limited...

But it is said that female fetuses in humans are "stronger" than male ones...less abortions as far as I have heard. But I have no idea if this is 100% correct or if so - if it can be translated to dogs.
I would not count on it :-)

[Gennadi]

Woodo Magic!
Learn genetics.

[Jelena Kreitmayer]

maybe you can enlighten some of us that are apparently still in dark with well substantiated scientific info?

[Carmel Murphy]

I always believed that the bitch determined how many eggs(size of litter) and dog determined sex of litter(boys v girls) Rua has had three litters all similar size( 7, 7, 6 ) with two different stud dogs! The two litters with same stud dog had almost same sex ratio(with one slight exception of 1 male in first llitter and 0 males in second) but both litters had 6 bitches!!!!!

[Gennadi]

That's very easy from one side and allmost impossible from the other one. Dog genome consist of 39 pairs of chromosome (at front of 23 pair of humans) and only male last chromosome will determ the gender of future litter. Now we know that gender depends on male.
And second is Woodo Magic again. Some people say male X-chromosome is more lasting, than Y-chromosome and number of boys and girls will depend on date of mating and relatevely time of ovule maturing.
Some people say it depends on heredity and personally I believe in it first of all.
And many more guesses.