Better hatch rate with mix breed eggs?

[GothChick]

Ok so this is just my experience and I would love others opinions. With shipped eggs I have found that whenever I hatch expensive purebred eggs I get a 60%-70% hatch rate and then many die a few days later. When I hatch cheap mixed breed eggs I get great hatch rates at about 95%. I use the same incubator, the same settings, and the same amount of time for the eggs to rest. I have even bought pure and mixed eggs from the same seller at the same time so they were shipped together. This way I could make sure the shipping experience was the exact same for all the eggs and once again the purebred eggs had a low hatch rate and the mixed eggs did great. I have shipped eggs that I bought off Ebay and just had a 100% hatch rate, and these were shipped eggs. They were all mixed with a BCM roo over different hens. I would really love others thoughts on what might cause this and if you have had similar results? I also noticed that mixed breed dogs seem to have less health problems then a lot of purebreds. I'm guessing this has to do with more genetic diversity. Any ideas?

 

[Judy]

My dogs have been mutts all my life and I've long felt that was the case with dogs. The last dog that died here was 20 and had to be put down then. Wouldn't surprise me if it held true with chickens too.

Not so sure we do them any favors with all this selective breeding.

 

[ICanSpeakChicken]

You are spot on, it is called Hybrid Vigour or Heterosis and is well documented in the scientific community

 

[KateBeauchemin]

I have found that true as well! I go a little farther with my reasoning... I send out eggs on ebay in the winter and have had great hatch rates all over the country and in January no less. It's 17 out right now. I rather my chickens lay heavily in the winter it keeps their bodies healthier and heartier, I think to 'push' them in the winter and it has made my hatches more productive and I hardly EVER loss any babies. All of mine are mutts, but my purebred dark cornish bantams and cochin bantams not so viable in the spring, as I have lost plenty within days of hatching from me or a broody hen.