Size of the egg = better chicks?

[Mrs. K]

So I have a 2 year old BA, coming into lay now and is producing giant eggs. They are very good eggs with thick whites, and large yolks. I also have first year layers, that are producing eggs too, but much smaller (bigger than a pullet egg)

Is size of the egg important when you go to hatch?

 

[Perris]

The old handbooks recommend medium sized eggs for the hen in question; I think modern practice is the same; exclude the unusually large or small.

 

[SamLockwood]

As long as the sizing isn't seriously out of whack for that particular hen it should be fine. Even with hens of the same breed I've got some lay larger eggs and others are medium sized. The chicks that come out of either are pretty much indistinguishable.

I've tried hatching some of the unusually large ones from my guineas and none of them developed.

You should also filter out other irregularities as well: if the shape is odd or there's some sort of shell anomaly it can affect the chick development or make it more difficult for them to hatch.