day 21..Eeeekk!!!

[Dianemargaret]

Hey all...The information provided by the countless numbers of Q and A's have brought me to day 21 without having a breakdown..So..thank you all for the questions and answers..I have a wee bit of an issue..My roo is a tan silkie breed with a comet, wonder what these chicks will look like..

..lol..One of my eggs is very small, I can't imagine a chick would actually fit, but is still going strong even in lock down. What are the chances of survival rate in a case like this..I'd hate to see the litle thing come so far to lose..Anyone out there ever had an undersized egg do okay?? Thank in advance everyone..Di

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’m not sure of the genetics of a tan Silkie. Comet either for that matter, other than a red or gold comet should be a red sex link. Genetically you can have a lot of differences in Comets from different hatcheries and Comets are mixes. I’d expect some shade of red, maybe different shades of red from that cross but I’m not sure. The Silkie gene is supposed to be recessive so they should not have the Silkie feathers. Some will show up in the next generation, especially if you breed the pullets back to that Silkie rooster.

Why is that egg small? Is it a pullet egg? I’ll guess that it is. The general recommendation is to not hatch pullet eggs, wait until the pullet has laid a while and the egg gets bigger. When a pullet first starts to lay the egg is normally very small and sometimes it takes her a while to get everything right in the egg. That’s why when pullets first start to lay you can get all those weird eggs. A lot of things have to be right for an egg to hatch, a lot of those things you cannot see.

I regularly hatch pullet eggs. My hatch rate is not as good with pullet eggs as it is with regular sized eggs. Once a chick hatches I seldom lose any. Occasionally a chick will die for some reason. Normally if one dies it is one from a pullet egg and it’s within a week of hatching. There is not enough nutrients in there for the chick to be as strong and healthy as one from a normal egg. But I don’t have many die.

Now that I’ve scared you, I’ve set 33 pullet eggs in the incubator this year in two different hatches. I had 19 hatch. That’s not a great hatch rate but it is 19 chicks. Most of the ones that did not hatch did not even start to develop. Out of those 19, none died. They all made it. If that egg is rocking and rolling it will probably do OK.

I know you will worry anyway but I think it will do OK. I has a real good chance.

 

[Dianemargaret]

Hey, thanks a great deal for all your info....Not knowing what to expect in chick is always actually fun..The tiny egg is the one that seems to be moving a great deal more than the other two... but still have 25 to hatch in a week...The hens are 8 months old, so the small egg was just a freak. Was too small to scramble and cook..lol..Just figured I place it in the incubator and never expected it go this far..Just crossing my fingers here. It's been hellish warm here on the Island, with a lot of humidity, but managed to keep the incubator under control. It's my first time even having chickens, a gift at that..I loved the Silie roo I found, and let him cover the hens..Yeah, next year I'll mate the chicks off the the Silkie..So day 22, no pip, movement..so, I'm calm..for now..lol..Thanks again for all the information, because although I am a nurse, it's got nothing to do with chickens..lol