CAN YOU HATCH THE SMALL EGGS WHEN A HEN STARTS LAYING

[Alexxxdimmm]

When a hen begins laying its first eggs they are noticeably small.
The roosters are around so the eggs are fertilized.
If I incubate these smaller eggs as normal, will chicks hatch, will there be anything different with the babies or as they grow?
Does anyone have any experience or info on this?
PLEASE DO NOT ANSWER IF YOU DO NOT HAVE EXPERIENCE OR DO NOT KNOW.
I have to put this because people respond with speculations about what they think or their guesses and I am looking for actual information from people with more experience than myself.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE HATCHED THESE SMALLER FIRST EGGS.

 

[nuthatched]

It's not advisable. Pullet eggs are often too small and cause malposition and are often wierd. Wait until the hens have been laying for a few months.
Have you check the yolks for the bullseye?
Can you? Yes. Should you? No, not really.

 

[Alexxxdimmm]

It's not advisable. Pullet eggs are often too small and cause malposition and are often wierd. Wait until the hens have been laying for a few months.
Have you check the yolks for the bullseye?
Can you? Yes. Should you? No, not really.

I appreciate your response, and it was a "should I" not a "could I" question despite not forming it as such. So if you would give a follow up, have you attempted this and did it result in any of them hatching? And are you saying they would not develop to where they hatch, or they are weak and small and unhealthy if and when they do hatch, or they won't even develop to that point? I don't doubt anything you said, I suspected it would be best to wait. My birds have been pretty decimated by a coyote problem I had so I was hot to get started on incubating and this hen just started laying about 2 weeks ago and I have so few other layers that i can incubate rn. Also I have a small incubator that only does 6 or 7 eggs. So I was curious what the "chicken community" knew about this. That said, could/would aside, have you tried it, and had any success or is whole thing afools errand? meaning, any hatching, any success? what do you think? I really appreciate your feedback. thanks.

 

[TOR]

Im curious how small are they? I have had new hens lay some pretty small eggs. No I have never hatched small eggs. Like 1 or 1.25 inch long. I would not bother.

 

[nuthatched]

I appreciate your response, and it was a "should I" not a "could I" question despite not forming it as such. So if you would give a follow up, have you attempted this and did it result in any of them hatching? And are you saying they would not develop to where they hatch, or they are weak and small and unhealthy if and when they do hatch, or they won't even develop to that point?

Both, either they don't quit make it to hatch or they don't do well afterwards.
There's always exceptions but that's typically what happens.
Not quite sickly but runty, runty hens can have problems laying. The organs generally make normal sized eggs eventually but the small pelvic area can mean a slow and painful death.
Sorry about your flock, that's always rough.

 

[Alexxxdimmm]

Both, either they don't quit make it to hatch or they don't do well afterwards.
There's always exceptions but that's typically what happens.
Not quite sickly but runty, runty hens can have problems laying. The organs generally make normal sized eggs eventually but the small pelvic area can mean a slow and painful death.
Sorry about your flock, that's always rough.

yeah, the baby chick even if perfect, would be approx 60% of the size of a healthy one that hatched which is why I was doubtful it would hatch. I guess ill just make an egg sandwich and wait a couple months. thanks.

 

[Companihen]

I'm in this same situation as you and am pleased to see your thread. I've got 3 small bantams who have just started laying. The eggs vary between 21g and 38g s so really quite dinky! One has been laying for over a week now, she lays the lightest eggs. The other 2 pullets have laid about 3 eggs each, they are heavier. I would love to incubate some for a surprise birthday gift for my niece... bur I would need to start asap. But didn't really know if these little first eggs would be viable. Oh and yes we do have a very busy little cockerel, but he is only 6 months old too, same as the pullets.

 

[farmer90]

I can answer from my experience with quails. I have a hen who lays small eggs (like a new layer.) Her eggs never caught up with others. So when I incubated them, the thing I noticed was that all of the chicks from her eggs were malpositioned and one had developed a wry neck because of it (The neck was in the shape of V because the head was turned against the pointy end of the egg and had no room). Meanwhile other eggs hatched themselves, I had to help out all from the smaller eggs as they were stuck. The chicks were about the same size of the others, so not much difference there. Except the wry neck one, they were also as healthy.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Since this is an old post I will wax philosophical here! I’ve wondered about this too, in mammals you get a variety of issues depending on species. Horses can actually control foal fetal size (and intentionally go a month over due) but do very poor if a week or more premature. Cattle can’t control fetal size but can be born a month early and survive and if they over gestate the calf keeps growing (c-section!). Larger fetuses or smaller dams or induced labor mean a higher chance of malposition. A chick can’t expand beyond the shell and it has a fixed amount of nutrients which isn’t an issue in mammals ((though fetal and maternal pelvic size are!). Maternal diet is also important, at least with quail on a high protein diet sexual maturity sets in at 5 weeks vs 7 weeks on a lower protein diet, but 30 percent of the eggs from those early layers are weird (soft shell, fairy, double yolk) vs less than 5 percent on the other set. I’m sure some of those pullet eggs can hatch but what percent and will it cause more issues in viable chicks? You can breed a certain percentage of beef heifers at 4-6 months (15 months is normal first breeding age) but do you really want to (the answer is a big no!). If you are willing to have lower hatch rates, increased hatching issues, and smaller. And possibly weaker chicks, then you certainly can hatch pullet eggs but outside of certain mitigating circumstances (flock wiped out) it probably isn’t a great idea.

 

[RcoM]

Ok. I know I'm a weirdo but I set puller eggs and 10/11 hatched and are healthy adults. What I would say is, weigh them first and don't set anything too small. Pullet eggs vary a lot. I feed mine a lot of protein too so they grow well and faster before laying.