Regarding hatching eggs of younger birds

[garfieldGeorgia]

Hey!
If I have young birds just starting to lay, what's the bare minimum time to let them lay and mature before I can start safely incubating and hatching their eggs? How soon after have y'all started doing so, and how did things turn out?

 

[nuthatched]

It's best not to incubate eggs until the birds are laying full size eggs, at about 8-10 months, usually

 

[garfieldGeorgia]

It's best not to incubate eggs until the birds are laying full size eggs, at about 8-10 months, usually

8-10 months old, or til theyve been laying for 8-10 months?

 

[nuthatched]

8-10 months old, or til theyve been laying for 8-10 months?

8-10 months old, sorry. Laying for atleast three months

 

[HeritageFan]

I personally haven’t had problems starting w eggs from younger birds, as long as they are fertile and an average size.

Most of my double yolk eggs have come from my younger birds- don’t try to hatch a monster egg.

But. If you crack a few to eat, and see the “bullseye” on the yolk, they are fertile.

Once you notice that your girls’ fertility rates are high, personally, I’d put some in the incubator.

JMO

 

[garfieldGeorgia]

So mine are set to start laying about the middle of September. I'm hoping to start incubating some of their eggs just after Thanksgiving. Is it safe to say the hens will be mature enough and the roosters doing their fertilizing job at that point?

 

[HeritageFan]

@garfieldGeorgia
Personally, I always crack a few eggs for breakfast and check for the circles on the yolks as shown in the pix above.

If you don’t see the circles, the eggs are not fertile. Wait a week or two and check again.

And. If your girls are not laying as fall rolls into winter, you can encourage both the laying behavior for the hens, as well as the breeding behavior for the Roos - by adding some supplemental lighting in the coop to artificially increase daylight hours -
A reptile light that has UV-A and UV-B spectrums is the best.
I use a “T5” (small) 48” fluorescent version in my spice coop, and will be adding a few more for my turkeys this winter.
An incandescent bulb has worked for people around the forums if that is all you can get...

Hook your light to a timer. Mine comes on around 6am. Off around 9 am.
Comes back on around 3.30-4 pm. Off around 8 pm.
That gives them about 10 hrs to “sleep”, adds some heat in the winter, and they are loving it

 

[garfieldGeorgia]

@garfieldGeorgia
Personally, I always crack a few eggs for breakfast and check for the circles on the yolks as shown in the pix above.

If you don’t see the circles, the eggs are not fertile. Wait a week or two and check again.

And. If your girls are not laying as fall rolls into winter, you can encourage both the laying behavior for the hens, as well as the breeding behavior for the Roos - by adding some supplemental lighting in the coop to artificially increase daylight hours -
A reptile light that has UV-A and UV-B spectrums is the best.
I use a “T5” (small) 48” fluorescent version in my spice coop, and will be adding a few more for my turkeys this winter.
An incandescent bulb has worked for people around the forums if that is all you can get...

Hook your light to a timer. Mine comes on around 6am. Off around 9 am.
Comes back on around 3.30-4 pm. Off around 8 pm.
That gives them about 10 hrs to “sleep”, adds some heat in the winter, and they are loving it

Indeed, I've gotten used to using a light to increase their daylight at that time of year. Thanks!