When are they old enough?

[E.M. Silkies]

If a chicken starts laying at 6 months(give or take) when is it ok to start taking their eggs for hatching? With some chickens their eggs are smaller when they first start laying... So when are they big enough to hatch off?

 

[Silkie-Feet]

To check the fertility of an chicken egg, simply break an egg or egg(s) in a smooth bowl. You should see a white mark on the yolk. If you do not, use a spoon to flip the yolk over until you locate it.
5

Fertile and Infertile Eggs
If the egg is fertile, the white mark will be nearly perfectly round. If it is infertile, the white mark will not be very round, and in most cases, smaller than that of the fertile mark. If the egg is not fertile, the 'white mark' is called a "blastodisc". If the egg is fertile, the 'white mark' it is called a "blastoderm", and this means that cell division,because of fertilization, occurred.


Read more: How to tell if your Chicken Eggs are Fertile | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4715979_tell-chicken-eggs-fertile.html#ixzz0yscADqsz


hope it helps i didnt know so i looked it up to help both of us! PS: you cant see the dot on the infertil egg so its a oval.

 

[bantyhen'sfriend]

I know some breeders won't hatch pullet eggs because the chicks can get too big for the eggshell and find it hard to hatch. But, I would start hatching as long as you are getting consistant sizes from all the girls.

 

[Armageddon]

My chickens were hatched on 2/8/2010. I set some of their eggs under a broody on 8/16. They hatched 3 so far, on 9/6.

 

[Mahonri]

I like to let them lay for at least another 3 months so the size of egg will be large enough for the chick.