Zodiac Hatch-A-Long - Waxing Moon in Fruitful Signs HAL

[ChickenCanoe]

I set 5 on 4/30. I candled them last week and I had one clear the other 4 look good so far.

Are those your tutors from the first round?

 

[hereorthere]

Here's all I know about the subject.
It is true that many people hatch from pullet eggs all the time with no problems.
It's also true that the smaller chicks from small pullet eggs will usually catch up in size by a year or so.
So what are reasons not to do it?

A chicken deposits about 2 grams of calcium in an egg - regardless of age. So a pullet egg shell will be thicker than one from a mature hen and possibly more difficult to escape from.

There is clearly less albumen and a smaller yolk. That means less nutrition. Mammal babies can get all the nutrition they need from the mother and the abdomen can grow to accommodate. Once that egg is laid, that's all the nutrition and space there will ever be.

I've had old timers tell me that continuing to hatch from pullet eggs will decrease egg sizes in subsequent generations.

On the other hand, albumen quality is better with young birds than older hens.

IMHO it depends upon how big the egg is supposed to be based on the breed. Eggs from the breed I raise are supposed to be 65 grams or larger. I've always tried to set eggs that were 55 grams or larger.
Then I had a predator massacre and only 3 mature hens survived. The pullets had just started laying eggs so I decided to set every egg I could get reducing my low weight limit to 45 grams. Now that those birds have matured (they're almost a year old), I see the results. Unlike past generations that started laying larger eggs by about 8 or 9 months of age, the eggs are still in the small/medium/large range rather than the XL and jumbo they should be by now.
That probably wouldn't matter to most backyard chicken people or even noticeable to those with multiple breeds. But since I've eliminated all other breeds, it's very noticeable to me. And since I'm breeding to a standard, egg and bird size is an important part of that standard.
I'm now paying much closer attention to egg size when I set and track results through adulthood and generations to follow.
I group eggs by sire, egg color and egg size. I'm tracking eggs in the 50-55 gram, 55-60 gram, 60-70 gram and 70+ ranges. In those ranges I'm checking hatch rates, chick survivability and weights. I'm weighing every 10 days for a month then monthly. In adulthood these hens are supposed to be 4.4-5.3 lbs. and cocks 5-6.6 lbs. I had been shooting to be at the high end of that range so we'll see what the future holds.

ETA
Hoping to have hens laying in trap nests in the next month so my data keeping will get kicked up another notch or two.
I'll then know which hens are laying the darkest eggs, best production, largest eggs and then track their progeny.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15869849

Very interesting! I did have a broody sit on some pullet eggs last year, and yes that hen lays very small eggs. She's a Welsummer and should be giving me XL eggs. After reading

, it now all makes sense. Have been thinking of getting her into freezer camp, only problem is .... figuring out who she is in my big flock.

Am gonna hop in here and join!

My broody decided to sit on eggs on April 30, marked them all and even added more- 12 total and yes, they were all XL eggs. I candled at Day 10, threw out 2 clears, but the other 10 were looking great! I'm so excited to have

again!!

So the problem is when I came home last night & went to collect eggs, I noticed my broody sitting in the wrong nest box. This would be Day 14 or Day 15. I'm guessing, at most, 10 hours she was off the eggs, between hubby feeding in AM and me coming to collect. Quickly put her back on them- she was just looking dazed and confused! Eggs were pretty cold- temps were in 50's yesterday. So, are the eggs still viable?



*edited for clarity

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Maybe. The following is a good read. Check out #2 in the conclusions.
http://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/PowerOff.aspx

I wasn't implying that one couldn't or shouldn't hatch pullet eggs. I've done it a couple times. Once when I had to get numbers up and once when 8 pullets in a flock of 10 went broody at once on a community nest. They only managed to hatch one confused chick - 8 moms?

I just was giving the reasons it isn't a good idea for me to do it with my purposes. If I was a fan of small eggs, I'd have bantams. Well probably not. I don't think a bantam could take a hawk down.

 

[chickadoodles]

Quote: Yes they are. And I cannot hatch any more of anything till spring. I have been cleaning out and selling off making room for the new breeds. The only ones I kept are my Bourbon Reds and my project birds.

 

[hereorthere]

Maybe. The following is a good read. Check out #2 in the conclusions.
http://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/PowerOff.aspx

I wasn't implying that one couldn't or shouldn't hatch pullet eggs. I've done it a couple times. Once when I had to get numbers up and once when 8 pullets in a flock of 10 went broody at once on a community nest. They only managed to hatch one confused chick - 8 moms?

I just was giving the reasons it isn't a good idea for me to do it with my purposes. If I was a fan of small eggs, I'd have bantams. Well probably not. I don't think a bantam could take a hawk down.

Hmmm- link didn't work. I'm gonna

for the best for these eggs, but the worry!!

No I understood what you were stating.....I was also giving another true life experience out there as well. I sell my extra eggs at work, so it makes NO sense for me to keep & feed a hen who lays miniature eggs. I'm fairly new to chicken keeping and every year has been a learning experience! So I do appreciate the info and links.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You can just go to the brinsea site and the learning tab or google brinsea and what if the power goes out.

edited for spelling

 

[ronott1]

You can just go to the brinsea site and the leaning tab or google brinsea and what if the power goes out.

 

[Chrysolinsbirds]

Hadn't even thought of this but I set goose eggs this morning =)

 

[chickadoodles]

One of my hens decided I needed more poults.

Plus a Buff Orp is sitting on about 15 eggs that are about to hatch.

 

[Mama Bay]

I can't believe its day 18 already tomorrow!!! Getting ready for lockdown