Broody w mixed breeds

[LaurenRitz]

I have four breeds in my flock, all large dual purpose. I intend to let them hatch eggs, but I understand that eggs from different breeds might hatch at different rates.

Is there a possibility that the hen might abandon the nest with good eggs still in it? When one of them goes broody (counting my chickens before they're hatched, the girls just started laying) should I stagger the times I put the eggs under her so the larger go in first?

 

[maceleneo]

Are we talking about chickens, right? As far as I know different hatching times could only be a problem with different species (hatching ducks and chickens together, for example). My broody hens always hatch different breeds eggs and all eggs usually hatch between 19 and 21 days (fresher eggs usually hatch before, but I never noticed other differences in times).

 

[Yardmom]

I've heard of bantaums hatching at day 18, but that is not all bantaums. With dual purpose breeds you will most likely have all eggs hatch at 21 days.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Different breeds of chickens all have the same incubation length. People claim bantams hatch earlier, but I have yet to see that with any of mine. But hens will lay eggs under a broody, which will result in a staggered hatch if you don't get rid of the extras

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have four breeds in my flock, all large dual purpose. I intend to let them hatch eggs, but I understand that eggs from different breeds might hatch at different rates.

Short answer - Don't worry about this with full-sized dual-purpose chickens.

Long answer - For years I've been reading that smaller eggs could, might possibly, occasionally hatch early. Not that they always do but they can. Within the last month or two this forum has exploded with posts that bantam eggs always hatch early by several days. I haven't quite figured out why this has just become an issue. Why haven't people been talking about it before? I went to a couple of breeders club websites for some smaller bantam breeds to see what they had to say about it. Nothing. Nada, Zilch. You'd think of it were that consistent they would at least mention it at the breeder's club website. I believe it is possible a smaller egg can hatch a bit early, but I would need a lot of people that regularly hatch the same breed of bantam to believe you need to worry about it to the point of starting incubation at different times. And that is for bantam eggs with full sized eggs. I trust JacinLarkwell to accurately report personal experience.

I don't do bantams but I have hatched the small pullet eggs alongside some regular sized dual purpose eggs. I marked the eggs so I could tell which egg was which and kept track of when it hatched. I saw no difference in when they hatched based on size. I have also noticed no difference in breeds as far as how long it takes the eggs to hatch. I started out with breeds but mine are now mixed breed chickens.

Different eggs can hatch at different times even if incubated side by side. There are many different reasons such as heredity, humidity, how and how long they have been stored, and just basic differences in eggs. My dual purpose eggs tend to hatch one to two full days early, whether incubated in a calibrated incubator or under a broody hen. I think the main reason is heredity, that is all that makes sense to me as it is pretty consistent. Some people have eggs that consistently hatch late, even under a broody hen. So just because one person has bantam eggs that typically hatch early doesn't mean that all bantam or snaller eggs will hatch early.

Is there a possibility that the hen might abandon the nest with good eggs still in it?

With living animals practically anything can happen so yes, there is always that possibility. Since the chicks absorb the yolk they can live for over 72 hours after they hatch without eating or drinking. That's so the broody hen does not have to take the first to hatch off of the nest so soon and can wait on later chicks to hatch. When they internal pip the chicks start talking to the mother hen to let her know they are on the way so she doesn't abandon them too early. Not all hens are good listeners and some may get frightened off of the nest early. That's one of the reasons I leave a broody hen alone when she starts to hatch. With my hens that hardly ever happens but it can.

You want to collect all the eggs you want a hen to hatch and start them at the same time. You also want to remove any eggs that don't belong during the incubation. I mark mine and check under the hen daily to remove any that don't belong. Otherwise you can get a staggered hatch. That's where the hatch dates are so spread out the hen has to decide between taking care of the already hatched or wait on the rest of the eggs to hatch. Practically every hen will choose the already hatched chicks. You do not want a staggered hatch. Those are stressful on you and sometimes the hen and are often not wildly successful.

When one of them goes broody (counting my chickens before they're hatched, the girls just started laying) should I stagger the times I put the eggs under her so the larger go in first?

Absolutely not! You do not want a staggered hatch. By starting all the full sized fowl eggs at the same time they should all hatch in a window that the broody hen can handle it.

I warned you it was a long answer.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Long answers are good. TLDR is not in my vocabulary (unless you're talking peer reviewed studies, then my eyes start to glaze after about page 5).