Gestation Period

[cantona 310]

13 days is the gestation period or there abouts for siskins but is it 13 days after first or last egg, I left eggs in and didn't replace with dummy eggs until last was laid, my hen had 5 altogether so will they hatch at same time on the 13th day after the 1st one laid

[jacka 32]

it'll be 13 daysof incubation mate so could be hatching atdifferent times if she sat fromthe first egg or all together if thehen waited for a full clutch

Edited May 12, 2016 by jacka

[Meroman 105]

I find with siskins they generally start sitting tight after they lay the third egg so any subsequent eggs will hatch a day or two later than the rest. When this happens sometimes the last chicks to hatch struggle to get fed properly because their nest mates are bigger and stronger. Having said that I believe natives know when to start incubating their eggs so that in a lot of cases most if not all the eggs hatch the same day otherwise how do we see photos & videos of native bird nests in the wild with four or five chicks all the same size, the tit family are a good example.

Different hens start incubation at different times and how tight they sit can determine the incubation period, for example a hen that is being fed on the nest by the cock bird will hatch eggs quicker than a hen that has to leave the nest to feed herself or a hen that is being pestered by the cock or disturbed by other birds in the flight. In my experience with siskins they can hatch from 12 to 14 days depending on the hen.

Hope this helps....