Babies Having Babies

[bmcshan101]

Our chickens just started laying last week at approx. 4 1/2 months old. Right now the eggs are all very small, but I was wondering if they could hatch already? We cant wait to be great grand parents!

 

[junebuggena]

Wait a few more weeks for them to get a bit bigger and for laying cycles to all normalize. Do not try to hatch double yolkers. It can have some pretty gruesome results. I just successfully hatched 6 eggs from 6-7 month old pullets.

 

[dekel18042]

Our chickens just started laying last week at approx. 4 1/2 months old. Right now the eggs are all very small, but I was wondering if they could hatch already? We cant wait to be great grand parents!


It would be better to wait a few weeks until the eggs got larger and could better contain a growing chick, but hatching pullet eggs can have a successful outcome although perhaps not ideal. Normally I like my hens to be laying for at least a month but five and a half weeks ago I accidently lost my little bantam rooster and he and the hens hadn't quite reached five months yet.
My initial plan was to wait to next year and get another rooster, but this little guy had a super personality. After thinking about it for a week, I decided to collect eggs. I wasn't sure if the eggs were fertile or would even hatch, but decided to try. We also had been having a heat wave when the eggs were collected.
On day 18 when I put six eggs into lockdown (Some hadn't developed and were discarded.) I was concerned that the small eggs were filled with black. Air cells were barely visible. By then I certainly wasn't confident, but five tiny babies hatched and are in the brooder, so I'm glad I did it. Hopefully at least one will be a little rooster like his daddy. So while it's possible to hatch from pullet eggs, I wouldn't do it unless there was a pressing need. A few weeks wait would probably insure a better outcome.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Along with the others I would NOT incubate small eggs or eggs from a hen that had just started laying if I could help it. I set my pullet eggs around 6 weeks after they started laying and I was confident that the eggs were a decent size. I had the best hatch yet with 21 going in and 20 coming out. All healthy happy babies now 10/11 weeks old.

 

[darkbluespace]

You could try a batch while you are waiting those weeks for the eggs to get bigger... I guess you technically wouldn't be waiting though. I have hatched a lot of pullet eggs and had them do quite well.

 

[bmcshan101]

Thanks! We have however decided to wait until spring.

 

[bmcshan101]

WOW, that's awesome results! Congrats, and thanks for your input.

 

[dekel18042]

Thanks! We have however decided to wait until spring.

Not a bad Idea. I usually try for EARLY spring. The chicks can be moved outside earlier and seem to start laying at a younger age. Had I not lost my little roo that is what I had planned to do.