Question About A Hen's First Eggs..... New To The Chicken World

[luvmychix]

My 2 hens just started laying eggs yesterday! I would like to try to hatch them but was told that the fertility my not be all that great because of the roosters and hens being young still…… is this true? Should I try to hatch them? Sorry if this questions sounds dumb to some of you but I am new to the chicken world! Thanks in advance!

 

[ChooksChick]

I don't have a rooster, but am curious about the answer.

I'm bumping the post!

 

[FarmerDenise]

I would wait a while, befor trying to hatch. Let the girls work the kinks out of the system. Why not wait til spring and let mother nature take it's course.

 

[Southernbelle]

I second the waiting...

First eggs are usually small and I can't imagine a standard-sized chick will survive in a banty-size egg. Even if it's fertile, I don't think it would hatch. Some of my pullets have laid double-yokers, no-yokers, soft-shelled eggs...all of which would die if I tried to incubate them. I would give your girls a few months to mature and hatch out some cute spring chicks.

 

[klf73]

I agree, I would wait a while. I have tried hatching pullet eggs (not by choice, it was what was sent to me) and had a lot of chicks die because they couldn't move to get themselves out

. They took up most of the air cell with their bodies and ended up suffocating. Good luck!

 

[luvmychix]

Quote:
I forgot to say that they are bantam's....

 

[hinkjc]

The issue with first eggs is not typically fertility, but the size of the egg. I am getting some fresh eggs from young girls - the eggs are very small, but upon cracking them open they are fertile. I will wait a couple weeks to start incubating them to allow the egg size to improve and give the chicks the best chance at hatchability.

Jody