Will chicks hatch too early in this heat?

[azygous]

I just stumbled onto an article about global warming and the early hatching of eggs in wild bird clutches. It appears it is possible for extreme ambient temperatures to trigger embryo development. There are consequences for this. As we know, our broody hens start sitting their eggs once they've laid the final egg in the clutch so all the chicks will hatch around the same time. If the hatch is staggered over several days, the chicks will be of a different size and some may be smaller and less able to compete for food. This is especially critical in the case of wild birds.

So I was wrong to dismiss the possibility too quickly. Here's the article and a quote from it. www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2016/02/18/the-heat-is-on-climate-change-causes-birds-to-hatch-early/#3519a63f0cbe


“If all chicks hatch at the same time, the competition is much more equal,” said Professor Griffith. However, if eggs are exposed to temperatures that are warm enough to trigger embryonic development before incubation begins, they will hatch over a period of several days. The first chick to hatch will be able to monopolize the food provided by its parents, potentially reducing the survival of its younger and smaller brothers and sisters."

 

[jlovepj1027]

I just stumbled onto an article about global warming and the early hatching of eggs in wild bird clutches. It appears it is possible for extreme ambient temperatures to trigger embryo development. There are consequences for this. As we know, our broody hens start sitting their eggs once they've laid the final egg in the clutch so all the chicks will hatch around the same time. If the hatch is staggered over several days, the chicks will be of a different size and some may be smaller and less able to compete for food. This is especially critical in the case of wild birds.

So I was wrong to dismiss the possibility too quickly. Here's the article and a quote from it. www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2016/02/18/the-heat-is-on-climate-change-causes-birds-to-hatch-early/#3519a63f0cbe


“If all chicks hatch at the same time, the competition is much more equal,” said Professor Griffith. However, if eggs are exposed to temperatures that are warm enough to trigger embryonic development before incubation begins, they will hatch over a period of several days. The first chick to hatch will be able to monopolize the food provided by its parents, potentially reducing the survival of its younger and smaller brothers and sisters."

 

Yes! I read that also! And all of mine hatched on day 19 and day 20! Two shells did not make it, seems as if they stopped developing at some point, and one made a pretty big pip but dried out before it could make its way out. I'm not positive but by the time she was off the nest, half way through day twenty, she left the egg and two that were no good.

 

[MeepBeep]

Let's look at this question logically. The purpose of a broody hen is to sit on eggs and keep them at a nearly constant temperature around 100F. Just as her body insulates the eggs against cold air, so will her body insulate the eggs against hot air and the eggs getting too warm.

Except the logic fails when you consider that a hens body temp is 105° - 107° thus the hen actually depends on the cooler ambient surroundings to actually maintain the 99.5° needed for proper incubation... If the air is 105° and the entire nest location is 105° and the hen's body temp is 105° there is no way she is going to be able to insulate the eggs at anything less using her 105° body, there simply needs to be a lower ambient temp to lower the eggs temp...

In high temps yes you risk the egg being killed unless there is something cooler sinking the heat off them, generally in the wild this would be the ground and/or simply the shaded area of the nest... So you have to consider the temperature around the immediate nesting area on hot days... I'm not saying hot days will kill the eggs but the risk is most certainly there if the heat is sustained above that give or take 103° point...

Also remember fans don't cool the air temp they just move air there has to air movement combined with evaporation for fans to drop temps and chickens and eggs don't sweat so fans off little effect...

 

[Dmeredith12]

Temps have been 103 to 105 the past week. On day 20 we had 1 egg hatch. Today is day 21 with 2 eggs left to hatch and no pips. I'm holding on to hope that they are late hatches and still have a few days to go. Temps are expected to be 100 for the rest if the week but it is hotter than that in the coop. Will keep you posted on what happens.


Hi

 

[centrarchid]

Let's look at this question logically. The purpose of a broody hen is to sit on eggs and keep them at a nearly constant temperature around 100F. Just as her body insulates the eggs against cold air, so will her body insulate the eggs against hot air and the eggs getting too warm.

I see no possibility of eggs hatching any sooner than the 21 days that chicken eggs historically require for hatching.

Early hatches I have observed dependent upon high temperatures before clutch set / hen incubation begins. Incubation thus commences before hen becomes broody. Still about 21 days required for hatch. Extreme conditions during heat wave of 2012 resulted in one of my hens hatching a chick 8 days into incubation with an additional each day after. Most would have died if I did not intervene.

 

[centrarchid]

Except the logic fails when you consider that a hens body temp is 105° - 107° thus the hen actually depends on the cooler ambient surroundings to actually maintain the 99.5° needed for proper incubation... If the air is 105° and the entire nest location is 105° and the hen's body temp is 105° there is no way she is going to be able to insulate the eggs at anything less using her 105° body, there simply needs to be a lower ambient temp to lower the eggs temp...

In high temps yes you risk the egg being killed unless there is something cooler sinking the heat off them, generally in the wild this would be the ground and/or simply the shaded area of the nest... So you have to consider the temperature around the immediate nesting area on hot days... I'm not saying hot days will kill the eggs but the risk is most certainly there if the heat is sustained above that give or take 103° point...

Also remember fans don't cool the air temp they just move air there has to air movement combined with evaporation for fans to drop temps and chickens and eggs don't sweat so fans off little effect...

I got better hatch with eggs in contact with ground.

 

[jlovepj1027]

I did place a fan in my broody's coop however facing outward to suck OUT air that was just getting even more hot, as a nice breeze entered the vent on the opposite side. As the frozen grapes, watermelons & cucumbers were not helping her any (she was not looking good in 108° ) I wrapped a cloth ice pack with a scarf and laid it next to her against the box she is in that I placed inside of the coop. That she very much enjoyed! Still I placed my fertile eggs under her on the 8th at around 7pm, they all began hatching the 26th, all hatched that Wednesday and one straggler on the 27th. The 28th would have been day 21. As for this being genetics I have to say I do not agree because one of the breeders I obtained most of the eggs from said it has always been on day 21 for her. However she uses an incubator. I will say, three eggs did not make it. Three seemed to have stop developing, perhaps around day 16 or 17, the membrane of one was all black

and one seemed to have dried up too quickly never making it completely out of the shell. that or she turned the egg while it was trying to make its way out of the egg. :/ My opinion is that, at least here in California, with inconsistencies (example) one day 101° DRY heat and the next 108° With humidity at 84%, must have played a part in the eggs hatching as early as they did. Out of 12 eggs only 8 Fully hatched and one in a last minute homemade incubator I had to throw together at a moments notice after noticing that she threw that egg out of the nest early day 18 because she had defecated badly on it. Glad I grabbed that egg after 5 having not made it. I had kept checking on her thinking perhaps she had rid the egg out of fear that it was moving so much, me thinking perhaps it was a rotten egg, almost threw it out until I noticed it jumping all around! At that moment I realized maybe she was scared of the hatching taking place.. But she did wonderful for a first time broody!

 

[azygous]

Making science on BYC! Gotta love it!