MARCH Hatch-A-Long 2015: Please Read the First Post to JOIN the H-A-L

[313759]

What's the point in hatching tiny eggs that may have a small chance of hatching?

 

[uzisuzuki]

So, I have to say, I was pretty disappointed that the eggs I bought were pullet eggs! Has anyone had good luck hatching pullet eggs?

Do they normally have less viability than 1+ year old hens?

 

[Studio Chick]

I just received my BR eggs from Georgia, three of them are very small, I would also like to know this. The eggs that are coming from MI are missing in action, They were scanned departing on Tues. and nothing since. How far did your eggs travel Uziszuki?

 

[313759]

Do they normally have less viability than 1+ year old hens?

No I mean the very first few eggs usually have a lesser chance of being fertile I'm not sure why but it happens, eggs that are small in a bit of an older hen will be fertile depending

 

[rainbowchick]

What's the point in hatching tiny eggs that may have a small chance of hatching?

My point exactly! Why would a breeder send less viable eggs??

Do they normally have less viability than 1+ year old hens?

From what I've read, they are 1) less likely to be fertile, 2) likely to have structural/cellular issues, and 3) likely to have problems at hatch and higher mortality rates.
Not to say *every* pullet egg has these problems, I'm sure (as with everything in life) there are exceptions.

I just received my BR eggs from Georgia, three of them are very small, I would also like to know this.  The eggs that are coming from MI are missing in action, They were scanned departing on Tues. and nothing since.  How far did your eggs travel Uziszuki?

They are actually my eggs. Also came from Georgia (I'm thinking yours are the same breeder)... So only one state between us.

 

[jbkirk]

Do they normally have less viability than 1+ year old hens?

The pullet eggs that I hatched from my chickens had nearly 100% fertility and candled fine.

 

[313759]

Maybe it's with some eggs

 

[KittyKat3756]

Eggs from young hens are sometimes less fertile if the cockerels have not mated as often with them. This is usually the case at the start of a season when using young birds. Eggs from young hens can be all fertile if the breeder has made sure that the cockerels are mating with the hens sufficiently before selling those eggs. 12 of the eggs in my incubator right now are from hens which have only just come into lay. Based on what the seller said, I am probably the first person to be incubating them. 11 of the 12 of these "pullet" eggs are developing well compared to 8/11 and 10/11 eggs from older hens.

In fact, eggs from older hens are more likely to have problems because egg shells tend to get thinner as a hen gets older. This is especially visible with older egg-laying hybrids as their shells deteriorate to pretty much useless by 3-5 years old (it's generally later for pure bred hens). It is not caused through lack of calcium as such, but because they are worse at producing vitamin D (which is needed to absorb calcium).

As you can see, there are benefits to using younger or older hens for breeding. I would personally prefer to set a hen's first viable egg rather than one form a 3 year old.

 

[Studio Chick]

Oops, sorry Rainbowchick! I ordered 10 and received 12...all but three are nice sized. I haven't tried to looked at the air cells yet, I am not too sure what to look for. This is my first time, I am going to go back and look at some pictures again before I do. I have them setting pointy end down in an egg carton, some of them were hard to tell for sure which was the pointy end! Good luck with yours!

 

[313759]

My ducks eggs had extremely strong shells. Me and a friend had old duck eggs that were no longer edible so we went outside and threw them across the yard. Turns how on 3 out of 8 eggs broke, each egg we visited hadn't broken open but three of them had cracks and were leaking. Me and my friend were surprised