When Penny, our red hen, crossed the road to get her chicks to the other side on August 13, 2013, we asked, “how can the chicks all hatch at almost the same time?” We knew that a hen in her prime ovulates every 25 hours, and it takes 21 days for the egg to hatch. At the time the egg passes through the oviduct, a rooster can fertilize the egg.
So, if Penny birthed all 5 babies, why aren’t they born 5 days apart? Is she the mom of all 5 babies? Did other hens lay in her clutch on the same day? We called Karen at Cackle Hatchery (where we got our first chicks 3 years ago) to get some biological answers: “The fertilized eggs that are laid in the clutch (nest) can be laid one egg each day, but the fertilized egg will not start to develop until a hen starts to “set” on the clutch. Once the (one?) mom begins to “set”, then she must stay on this clutch, keeping the temperature 110 degrees for the full 21 days of setting (she may leave for a few minutes at a time to eat).
Question: “Is Penny the mom of all five chicks?”… Other hens could have laid eggs in the clutch… We could not locate the nest or hatched shells (did Penny or the chicks eat them for their calcium content?).
Answer: We are taking bets, and will wait and see who these chicks look like when they are older. Please don’t ask if the chicks’ dad(s?) is our rooster ‘Hazel’ or our rooster ‘Bib’ …