Late hatching hereditary? veteran hatchers please chime in!

[donrae]

I've hatched a fair amount with broody hens in the past, but am new to the whole incubator world. I've been researching older threads and came across a post by Speckledhen way back in 2007 about late hatching chicks. She stated she's read late hatching is hereditary and culls the eggs at 22 days as this is not trait she wants to continue. I'm wondering if this has borne out for anyone here? I know a lot of you folks do massive hatching and would be interested in your input. Do you let eggs go late as a rule or cull for this? With my broody hens I've never really worried about it. They hatch when they hatch, and when she leaves the nest any that haven't hatched get tossed.....so I guess that's kind of the same thing, isn't it? Maybe I've been culling for this all along and just never really put it into words

 

[Ridgerunner]

Rachel I read that on an extension site several years ago. It was in the recommendations to commercial hatchers since they need to get the chicks to all hatch by a certain time so they can start the next cycle of hatching. If you get the hatch time too spread out, you get inefficient in your use of the hatcher. So do not allow your late hatchers to breed.

I’ve noticed that mine under a broody are almost always a little early, never late, and only rarely on time. No two incubations, incubator or broody, are ever identical but I do think early hatching is in my flock. I can’t prove it though. I do open the unhatched eggs and have never had a broody leave a live chick behind in an egg.

 

[donrae]

Thanks as always for your input, RR. I've always been pretty hands-off with my broody hens, but I'm finding having the eggs front and center in the house makes it harder to let nature take it's course

. I just have to keep reminding myself I have no inclination whatsoever to care for special needs chickens and have always been of the survival of the fittest mindset with my birds.