Hatching days apart?

[johnsonfarm]

Every time I've hatched chicks in the incubator or let mama hen take care of it this year... I have babies hatching days, even a week apart! What is going on? I've been told they should all hatch within a day or two of each other. I've had eggs that I waited a few extra days on, got ready to throw out, and then they pipped. Chicks and turkey poults.

First batch that a hen was sitting on, she killed the first two that hatched a day apart, on the 3rd day another pipped so I took it and the rest of the eggs to finish in the incubator. Two more days after that a second one hatched and survived.

Second batch was turkey eggs in the incubator. Two hatched, 24 hours later 2 more hatched, then 3 days later another one hatched. I let the eggs stay in another 4-5 days and when I went to toss the eggs, there were 3 more that hadn't absorbed the yolk sack yet. Maybe they died before that?

Third batch mama hen sat on, Sunday one hatched, Monday one hatched, Wednesday one hatched and didn't make it. Now it's Saturday and two more are hatching that I've taken and put in the incubator. The very first two are thriving with mama hen, so I'm hoping I can sneak these new ones under her at night and she'll adopt her own babies back.

 

[sourland]

Generally staggered hatches are the results of other birds adding eggs to the setting hen's nest, and generally they are disastrous.

 

[johnsonfarm]

That was probably the case with the chickens then.

Do you think the hen will accept back her chick a few days younger than the others?

But the turkeys... we only had one hen, it was her first dozen eggs, was told it was unlikely they'd be fertile, but a predator got her and we decided to try hatching them. All 5 poults are doing great at 6 weeks so far.