can i hatch eggs from a hen that is 22 weeks old???

[Iancurrannacearca]

can i hatch eggs from a hen that is 22 weeks old???
she has gone broody and sitting on 7 eggs, any chance they will hatch?
the cockeral with them is also 22 weeks old.
Thanks for any help.

 

[jthayerkatz]

You have too verify that the eggs are fertile too answer that question.
Chickens reach sexual maturity at 20 weeks but like all creatures each one is an individual you may have a slow maturing hen or roo and that would mean no baby yet, but their is a possibility that the young gun got the job done in which case you may be looking at a larger flock in three weeks.

if you can spare the loss of one of the eggs she is setting on, open it and check. or you could just sit back and wait too see what happens

 

[muddstopper]

Generally, I think you shouldnt set such young pullet eggs, but thats just my opinion. Since your mama to be is setting, (and doing all the work) I would just set back and let nature take its course.

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, you can, if they are large enough for a chick to get out of. I have hatched many pullet eggs in my time.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! Some people have good luck with pullet eggs but that is not my experience.
My experience has been that pullet eggs can grow and hatch, then be non-thrifty chicks and die soon after hatching.
Example: I moved 2 cuckoo Cochin pullets in my Frizz pen so they could be mated with the roo there. Both were new layers, one had been laying a week and the other just had laid a couple of eggs. I wanted to get cuckoo / blue cuckoo Cochin chicks, NOW.
I set all their eggs after they were with the roo and they were all fertile and hatched. Sadly, the chicks from those cuckoo pullets lived a few days and all died. Nothing wrong with them I could see, just not thrifty.
I had the same thing happen when I got my first Silkies and got over-anxious when they started laying.

Sometimes 'pullet eggs' are do-able, and sometimes they aren't.
I should have learned my lesson when that happened the first time.
This time, these pullet girls had been dosed w/ vitamins & electrolytes and had been getting extra protein (boiled eggs) and it didn't make a bit of difference in the outcome of the hatchlings.

The best that can happen is you get new chicks from pullet eggs. The worst that can happen is they hatch and die.
My overall experience has been that it is better to wait at least a few weeks / month before setting a particular pullets eggs.
Good luck!

Lisa

 

[lisalou]

Ive been wondering the same thing I have Lavender Pekins and the hen is only 18 weeks and started laying but the eggs are rather small and I was told to take them away but really keen for more as I bought these for breeding so after reading advise I will wait till we get a good size egg, let me know how you get on if you decide to hatch x

 

[Theirishchickensoup]

I have the same story as Iancurrannaceaca and my cochin is sitting on the 8 eggs for 4 days now and she is only 20 weeks old!!!
she leaves her eggs for about half an hour every morning and the eggs go cold, does this mean that the eggs will not hatch???

 

[DixieDame67]

I have been going thru the threads looking for this same situation, I have not one but TWO 20 week old pullets that got out of the pen I thought a prediator got them, nope found one nest under the tiller with 10 eggs and last week found the other nest under a kennel with 12 eggs *sigh* well last night the first of 22 eggs hatched, ( I brought them both in and put in a spare bathroom) I'm still in shock, like someone said the eggs are so tiny !!! tonight i candled them as I really have no idea of a date, they are ALL fertile and close to hatching....that lovely little fluffy golden chic is so tiny, all my chics from April 23rd and March 28th hatches are laying eggs , another frizzle is desperately trying to snag some eggs to sit on, broodys everywhere !!!!! Whats up with that? ....Good luck on your babys having babys lol

 

[beckychick]

Hey,

I am in the same situation as well. My hen is 23 weeks old or older (got her from a feed store 23 weeks ago). I opened her first egg and it looked or appeared to be a fertilized egg. I took the next two eggs and put them in the incubator.

My husband and I wanted more chicks so we're really hoping these will hatch because we have gotten rid of the roo, so this is our only chance.

 

[beckychick]

Just to add, my hen started laying five days after the rooster was gone. So hoping this works out.