Hatching eggs from hens that have just started laying?

[ekemily]

I am new at trying my hand at hatching eggs.
Some of my hens have just started laying. They have been exposed on a regular basis to a rooster.
Their eggs are smaller because they have just started to lay.
Is it OK to try and hatch these eggs, or should I wait until the girls start laying something bigger?
As always, thanks for the advice!

 

[tobin123]

You will hear yes and no.But i can tell you that i do it,and have did it for 12 years

 

[muddstopper]

Some do and some wont. I wont simply because I have in the past and didnt like the results. While I have had lots to make it just fine, i have also had dwarfs, bad legs, crooked necks and many die after hatching. I like healthy chicks so I prefer to hatch normal size eggs. That doesnt mean I am going to wait for months after start of laying to hatch eggs. Once the eggs start becoming uniform in size and shape, I'll start incubating. This is usually only 2 or 3 wks after they start laying.

 

[RioLindoAz]

I've never hatched eggs in an incubator, but I have read that you should wait at least a month before you set eggs from recently freshened hens. Just to make sure the eggs are properly fertilized and that the eggs aren't faults that are meant to break in the hen.



~RLAZ

 

[pgpoultry]

It is best to wait until the hen is mature and laying standard eggs. This having been said I had two Brahma hens who became broody shortly after they started to lay and both successfully hatched small clutches with normal healthy chicks,

Sandie

 

[ekemily]

since it is me doing the hatching, and not the momma hen, I think I'll wait until my girls get a little bit older. It's hard to wait, but I think it's best. I just didn't know if it was something that doesn't make a difference either way. But, after hearing that there could be a problem just because of the fact that I can't wait a little longer.... I would feel terrible if one my little chicks was deformed b/c of something I did.
Thanks for the help!