Can chickens hatch their first laid egg?

[Barred4Life]

I ask this question: Can chickens hatch their first laid egg (assuming it's fertile of course)? I can't seem to find an answer.
I ask because I have some pullets that are becoming hens - that are just starting to lay their first eggs- and at the same time a mature hen that decided she wanted to hatch some babies out. She's broody and there's nothing I can do to stop her. Given my pullets are starting to lay eggs I thought I'd throw some of their eggs under her (make it count)...but given it's their first or second egg laid (they are still small and some are funny shaped), will they hatch? Has anyone ever tried?
Part of me thinks the eggs should have everything it needs to develop...but at the same time they are so small, or weirdly shaped I can't imagine a chick hatching from that.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I personally do not want chicks hatching from beginner pullet eggs. It is difficult enough to hatch strong, vigorous chicks and that isn't something very likely to happen when they must develop in a space half the normal size.

A pullet is pullet until her first birthday. Just sayin'

 

[gimmie birdies]

I am hatching out large blue splash maran eggs, she is one year old. and I had some newbe- hens lay some fertile
eggs that were the size of banties, I am hatching out bantam eggs too so I thought , what the heck, if they hatch or not I will throw'm in the bator, also I want to see if the chicks grow to full size or stay small. I have alot of chickens as it is, so if they don't make it I am okay with that too.

 

[Barred4Life]

I personally do not want chicks hatching from beginner pullet eggs. It is difficult enough to hatch strong, vigorous chicks and that isn't something very likely to happen when they must develop in a space half the normal size.

A pullet is pullet until her first birthday. Just sayin'

Ha, well I learned something new...I thought a female chicken was a pullet until she was mature (and in my mind that means laying eggs), then was called a hen. I'm guessing it's the same idea for cockerel and rooster? Under a year is cockerel? Anyway good to know, so I don't confuse people!
Yeah that's what I was thinking too...how can a chick hatch from a space half the normal size?!
I think I shall however put a couple of eggs just to know...we'll see what happens.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Yup. Same with a cockerel. He doesn't get to be a rooster, technically, until he also blows out the first candle!! LOL

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

This Silkie hatched from a pullet egg. I set the first 7 eggs my girls laid as a little experiment (I'd even put them in the refrigerator for a week and didn't turn them). Anyway, I didn't have a great hatch rate (2/7) but they're very healthy. I kept the splash and gave its hatch mate to a friend. This bird is actually a little bigger than my other Silkies, and it was normalish size when it hatched. However, the pullet eggs I set weren't oddly shaped or small. Good luck!

 

[Roxannemc]

Nobody asked b/c we assumed ......you have a Roo?
Maybe seems dumb to mention it here but some ppl do ask if you can get chicks from eggs and not have a rooster so im adding it for any beginners that don't know.

And YES you DO need a roo. None will be fertile without

I agree wait a week or 2 if you can.(Its hard I know!) just starting to lay their eggs may get bigger in a bit. and their could be some afflictions on the first chicks just because its the first time an embryo developed from that newly laying henHer system has to get going well.
That's what worried me the most about setting a first egg .....getting crippled chick. .
However small eggs better not to but I have had some chicks hatch from eggs that werent as big as others. and none hatch from some really big eggs. Just had a little Lav Am hatch from an egg I had set then thought better of it but left it in.REALLY didnt count on a hatch
Sure enough it did hatch fine

I have read on here some ppl hatching from first eggs. Can happen

 

[Barred4Life]

Haha! Yes I have roosters, well cockerels...my pullets are no virgin Mary's

Normally I would not even consider hatching pullet's first eggs, but it just so happen that one of my mature hen went broody. She is sitting on a golf ball (had put that to train my pullet to lay in the nest box, hehe), and a couple of eggs of my mature hens that I don't believe are fertile as their rooster that was killed about 6 weeks ago (the best roo ever...he died defending his girls

) and they want nothing to do with the cockerels.
Soooo all that to say, I decided to throw a couple of the pullets eggs (they just started laying this week) in case they would hatch. Poor girl will sit on duds for 3 weeks for nothing...how discouraging!
I guess we'll see what happens...I'll update in 3 weeks!

 

[Barred4Life]

This Silkie hatched from a pullet egg. I set the first 7 eggs my girls laid as a little experiment (I'd even put them in the refrigerator for a week and didn't turn them). Anyway, I didn't have a great hatch rate (2/7) but they're very healthy. I kept the splash and gave its hatch mate to a friend. This bird is actually a little bigger than my other Silkies, and it was normalish size when it hatched. However, the pullet eggs I set weren't oddly shaped or small. Good luck!

You put the eggs in the refrigerator and they still hatched after? I didn't think that would work. All the pullets and cockerels I have now are from eggs I hatch this spring and when I was doing my research on here about collecting the eggs and washing or not washing, etc. the guidelines seemed so strict - less then a week old eggs, keep at room temperature, turn twice a day at least, etc. Given it was my first time I follow those guidelines and got a good success rate (17/20), but I had my suspicions that I was overdoing it when I spoke to my old farmer neighbour who had a careless attitude and was still hatching more chicks then he could keep. I think someone we can create the 'perfect' hatching environment, but the fact of the matter is in nature the hens don't wash their feet before they step in the box...in nature conditions are not perfect.
Anyway, yeah interesting to know your experience. That bird looks some fluffy, hehe, like a plush toy!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

There's a whole thread in the incubating section about members hatching eggs they bought from Trader Joe's. I thought if they can hatch shipped refrigerated eggs I'd try my hand at hatching some of my own It was dead of winter, I was bored, out came the incubator
Those little chicks are alot stronger than we give the credit for. The last time I incubated, I dropped one of the eggs a week in. Then I threw it in the trash...twice. I ended up duct taping the broken spot on the egg and putting it back in the bator. After all that, it hatched just fine. Amazing, tough little things they are!