Time and time again I hear chukar hunters say things like, “if the conditions are right this year maybe we will get a double hatch”. They are referring to the idea that a single female will successfully hatch two separate groups of chicks. I seldom have the heart to tell that person that in regards to chukar, the double hatch is a myth.

It is simple mathematics really. Here in Northern Nevada and around most chukar country out west, a hen generally won’t go to nest until around the first of June, which is a lot later than most people think. For arguments sake though, we will do the math based off of the first week of May, which is certainly possible, but generally still early in my opinion. But for arguments sake, based off the first week of May; A hen chukar will lay about 1 egg every 1.5 days and she will lay eggs for approximately 23 days - she then needs to incubate those egg for right around 21 days. So, between laying eggs and incubating that basically takes 6 weeks. Then that hen will stay with those chicks for at least the first 12 weeks, if she leaves them at all. Add that time up and you are looking at 4 ½ months. Four and a half months from May 1st is September 15th, and there is no way that a hen is going to go back to the nest on September 15th only to hatch those chicks November 1st. Even if my math is off by as much as a month, it doesnt really matter, as there would still not be a hatch that late.

I think that what commonly leads to this myth is that early in the year people see coveys of birds with two different age class of bird. This is not uncommon to see. The simple explanation for this is that two separate family groups of different age class have joined together, and it often happen while birds on water. Certainly not every hen goes to the nest on the same day, and not every hen lays the same amount of eggs, so it’s not like all the chicks hit the ground running at the same time. Also, chukar are dedicated nesters, so if a hen losses her nest before the hatch, there is a very good chance she will re-nest. She likely won’t lay as many eggs the second time, but she will usually make an effort to re-nest.

The only way that the double hatch could be possible is if the male chukar incubated, while the hen went back to laying eggs in a separate nest. All the research out there that I am aware of is consistent in the idea that male chukar do not incubate, and certainly not to the degree that they would maintain a nest for 3 weeks. Some quail species have been known to do this though, such as Mountain Quail. But again, chukar do not.

There are a lot of factors that weigh into providing the perfect conditions that will produce a high population of birds. For example; Lots of green grass leading into nesting season, warm dry weather during the hatch, lots of bugs available for the chicks, thick cheat grass and native grasses for protection from predation, ample water sources available throughout the dry months, etc…. All of these things are very important, and if all of these conditions are good there will be a lot of birds. It has nothing to do with the myth of a double hatch. It has everything to do with lots of hens going to nest, those hens laying lots of eggs, and a high survival rate after the hatch.

Best,

Jay