Your little one will lay a "clutch" over the next month, even up to 3 months or more., not every day, but a lot of beautiful little eggs. The number of eggs in their first clutch varies --each Dutch pullet is an individual. However, you should enjoy eating those tiny pearls for the next weeks. Eggs toward the end of the "clutch" may be a little larger, but regular size Dutch eggs are small, even with 5-6 year old hens. I do not hatch pullet eggs, chicks are just too small and it is good to wait a while to hatch any until they are larger. Meantime, you can look up more info about Dutch--and be really ready for your first Dutch chicks! They are a unique little bantam.
When will she set? When hormones change and "Mother Nature" says "SET". She will then stay on the nest overnight--eggs or not, fluff up and maybe squeel at you when you lift her to check for eggs. and then maybe for days until you give her eggs to hatch--her own fertile eggs that you have saved for a week or so, labeled and DATED day of lay, in pencil, on the shells. Be sure there are no other hens laying in the nest, so you know her eggs! Save those few eggs in an egg carton, not in fridge, for up to 2 weeks, then eat the oldest ones (PERFECTLY FRESH and good) and add each newly dated egg.. She can only cover about 5 eggs for her first hatch, she will still be a pullet and not fully grown. AND all Dutch pullets are not setters". I only keep daughters of :"setters" as they are most likely also to be "setters" I like the small hatches and the Mum to raise them--incubators give too many at a time and not able to label them as to parents and l want to know the parents of every chick I raise!!
Meantime, if you are on Facebook, you can go to
www.FacebookdutchBantamsUS and see lots of pictures of Dutch, including chicks. To join the Dutch Bantam Society and receive their Newslettesr, go to
www.Dutchbantamsociety.org and see lots of pictures and info about Dutch Bantams. They are precious and a wonderful project!
