When to start incubating pullet eggs ?

[MissChicken81]

I have barred rock Pullets. They started laying a few weeks ago. When can I start incubating their eggs?

 

[MGG]

I have barred rock Pullets. They started laying a few weeks ago. When can I start incubating their eggs?

How long have you had a rooster in with them? You can start now. I even incubated my pullet's first egg, and didn't have a problem. It hatched out a healthy beautiful chick.

 

[MissChicken81]

The Rooster was Raised with them and has always been there. I guess I just worry about it because their first eggs the last couple weeks are small, And sporadic. So I didn’t know if I was supposed to wait until the eggs got to be a bigger size.And honestly I’ve had production layer so they lay large eggs and extra large eggs so the barred rock eggs might just seem small to me because I’m used to such big eggs. If that makes any sense LOL

 

[MGG]

The Rooster was Raised with them and has always been there. I guess I just worry about it because their first eggs the last couple weeks are small, And sporadic. So I didn’t know if I was supposed to wait until the eggs got to be a bigger size.And honestly I’ve had production layer so they lay large eggs and extra large eggs so the barred rock eggs might just seem small to me because I’m used to such big eggs. If that makes any sense LOL

Ok. How many weeks old are the birds? Have you seen the rooster actively breed them? Have you checked their eggs for fertility? Are you hatching these eggs just for fun or for showing?

 

[MissChicken81]

Ok. How many weeks old are the birds? Have you seen the rooster actively breed them? Have you checked their eggs for fertility? Are you hatching these eggs just for fun or for showing?

 

[MissChicken81]

I would say every six out of eight eggs are fertile. I would say every six out of eight eggs are fertile. Like I said they just seem kind of small to me they are about 24 weeks old

 

[Ridgerunner]

This thread talks about how to tell if an egg is fertile, even has photos. The spot may be on the bottom of the egg so I gently turn the egg with a spoon if I don't see it. You can't hatch an egg that you crack but if one is fertile the others probably are too.

Fertile Egg Photos

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures

The general recommendation is to not try to hatch a pullet's first eggs. The chicken's internal egg making factory is pretty complicated. For an egg to hatch everything has to be pretty close to perfect. Sometimes pullets need a while to get the glitches out of that process. That's why you often get no shell or thin-shelled eggs, really thick-shelled eggs, double yolkers, no yolks, the wrong proportion of white to yolk, or just weird looking eggs from a pullet. There is also stuff you can't see that has to be right for an egg to hatch. What is surprising to me is how many seem to get it all correct from the start.

Also a pullet's first eggs are typically very small compared to what she will soon be laying. That's nature's way of protecting a pullet that may not be fully grown when she starts to lay from damaging herself by laying too many too large eggs. Since the egg is small the chick that hatches from it will be small. There are not enough room or nutrients for a larger chick. The longer she lays the larger they get. When she just starts the increase in size can be pretty noticeable.

I hatch pullet eggs. They often hatch. I find my hatch rates aren't that good compared to eggs from older hens but sometimes they aren't bad. Sometimes they are pretty bad. If a chick hatches it typically lives and does OK. Occasionally one does not live. Most of the time if I have a chick die before it is two weeks old it hatched from a small pullet egg. That's not that many chicks that die but they seem to not start out as strong as chicks from larger eggs.

I've found that thee problems are less if you wait at least a month after she has started laying before you incubate any eggs. It's less frustrating and you will get better results. Maybe not great results but better. They are good enough for me.

 

[MissChicken81]

This thread talks about how to tell if an egg is fertile, even has photos. The spot may be on the bottom of the egg so I gently turn the egg with a spoon if I don't see it. You can't hatch an egg that you crack but if one is fertile the others probably are too.

Fertile Egg Photos

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures

The general recommendation is to not try to hatch a pullet's first eggs. The chicken's internal egg making factory is pretty complicated. For an egg to hatch everything has to be pretty close to perfect. Sometimes pullets need a while to get the glitches out of that process. That's why you often get no shell or thin-shelled eggs, really thick-shelled eggs, double yolkers, no yolks, the wrong proportion of white to yolk, or just weird looking eggs from a pullet. There is also stuff you can't see that has to be right for an egg to hatch. What is surprising to me is how many seem to get it all correct from the start.

Also a pullet's first eggs are typically very small compared to what she will soon be laying. That's nature's way of protecting a pullet that may not be fully grown when she starts to lay from damaging herself by laying too many too large eggs. Since the egg is small the chick that hatches from it will be small. There are not enough room or nutrients for a larger chick. The longer she lays the larger they get. When she just starts the increase in size can be pretty noticeable.

I hatch pullet eggs. They often hatch. I find my hatch rates aren't that good compared to eggs from older hens but sometimes they aren't bad. Sometimes they are pretty bad. If a chick hatches it typically lives and does OK. Occasionally one does not live. Most of the time if I have a chick die before it is two weeks old it hatched from a small pullet egg. That's not that many chicks that die but they seem to not start out as strong as chicks from larger eggs.

I've found that thee problems are less if you wait at least a month after she has started laying before you incubate any eggs. It's less frustrating and you will get better results. Maybe not great results but better. They are good enough for me.

Awesome Thank You that is exactly the info I was looking for !!!! I really appreciate it !

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I never hatch pullet eggs till they reach a reasonable size for their breed.
Most of my adult hens lay eggs in the 55 to 70 gram range. Some of the peewee new pullet eggs can be even under 40 grams.
I never set eggs less than 50 grams no matter how dark. It isn't worth it to me.
I lost all the birds in 5 flocks to mink in one week and half in another building.
Desperate to rebuild my numbers, I started hatching every egg I got. The birds from the 40-50 gram eggs I hatched never laid large eggs throughout their life.

 

[MissChicken81]

YES THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR !!! Now how do I measure them or weigh them