They hatched in 5 weeks instead of 3?

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Sabz

Sabz

Songster
6 Years
Mar 27, 2013
487
35
111
Quebec, Canada
Hello!

I have a question on incubation time. I have leghorn layers and I had a cross-bred rooster (mixed layer and meat bird). I have incubated there eggs twice and both times they hatched on the 21st day.

This time, I made a big big mistake. I read that we weren't supposed to incubate the weirder eggs - too large, too round, too small.. but didn't quite know what would happen. So I decided to incubate a few double-yolk.

Well, that was a mistake because the incubator didn't close properly. The eggs were so large they kept it a little bit opened..

So on day 21st, no one hatched. A few days later I cracked a few eggs and they had not grown at all. Just yolks. I thought the temperature was so bad in the bator that they didn't even start to form a chick..

But, as I read here many times, I wasn't going to crack ALL the eggs and would give them a chance.

I left the bator plugged in and yesterday I got 3 little babies! BUT ITS 5 WEEKS TOTAL!

So.. what do you think happened? Did I maybe close the lid better on day 12th as example, and then some chickens started to form? Or did the lower temperature cause them to take longer to develop? I doubt this could be a possibility.

I know some breeds take longer or shorter incubation time, but since it was the third incubation with the same parents, I assumed it would be around 21 days.

That was a pleasant surprise anyhow ;)

 
Unless you had a temperature reading to go on, it would just be pure speculation.

It seems reasonable that the lower temperatures would cause delayed development.

Frankly, I am shocked that anything hatched at all under the circumstances you described.
 
For the most part it could be the dark colour and Large white dots on the head, but the coms/beaks are in a 'manly eagle' form as I call it, I noticed all the males I have raised had that face, not one female had that look. Waiting for another 2 weeks could confirm for colours though ^^
 
I feather sexed and thought I had one black female and one male!
I use the method where you look at the length and if the are all equal it's a male, if they varie it's a female.

The color doesn't have anything to do with the sex. Their moms are black :) So they could be female and black, with the kind of breed I have.

No, the rooster is not a barred - at least I think. My main language is french and when I google Barred it gived me the white / black color pattern and mine doesn't look like that at all.

Drewnkat, I was extremely surprised also. And even more that the chicks don't seem to have any development problems (well of course I can't speak for the internal organs but legs, wings, etc.. look fine).
 
Feather sexing only works if you cross a fast feathering hen with a slow feathering roo. It only works if you maintain the breeding populations for fast feathering and slow feathering strictly.
 
Hum, I don't know.. it worked perfectly on the two last hatches with same parents so.. anyway, I don't mind the sex at all.
 

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