Breeding, incubating, hatching.....where to start?

[moetrout]

I wasn't sure where to post this so I picked one of the most used forums. Mods move it if appropriate.

I've been looking around the site for some "getting started" kind of info for breeding chickens, but really haven't found what I am looking for. Here is the situation. I want to hatch some eggs next spring, but have never done it before. I have a mixed breed flock. My roo is a TSC "americauna", which I think most likely means an EE. My hens are 2 americauna (EE? Green eggs.), 2 black sex links, 2 black copper marans, 1 rhode island red, 2 production reds (I dunno what they are, I just call 'em red hens!). So it's easy to say I want to hatch some of the eggs from my 2 EE hens. But what about the other potiental crosses I could make? What might I get? I thought a cross of the EE roo and the BCMs might have a good result. Any suggestions? I've got plenty of time to research this and I plan to have some fun with it. I hope to gain some new experience doing something I have never tried before and have some fun too! I have room in my main coup for 2 more birds so I could keep a couple of what I hatch, but plan to sell and or give away many of them. I also have a secondary smaller coup for any young birds that don't get sold. I plan to give away or eat and roos. I don't have an incubator yet, but do have a brooder from the last 2 years of raising store bought chicks. anything else I need to be thinking about?

 

[KDailey]

I'm tryin to get started in this myself. My main thing is I prefer that my breeds be seperate so we've built 4 new covered runs up against the horse barn. Each breed will have their own pen. I'll also have a big brooder box outside to put the chicks in as well as a specific grow out pen for them when they outgrow the brooder. We'll have a pen specifically set aside for the ones we are selling and the ones we plan to keep will go in their designated breed pen.

I doubt this is what you're askin for but just thought I'd throw it in there. lol. bump it up a bit

 

[KirstenJL]

I've had my hatchery hens (Buff Orpington and Jersy Giant) take turns going broody all summer, so for the first batch I just bought hatching eggs of fashionable breeds and let the hens do all the work, including integrating the chicks with the rest of the flock. You just need a place to put the hens while they're brooding. I used a dog crate for the first one and since then I bought a small A-frame extra coop and now I'm using that. The first batch of chicks are now 9 weeks old and all that hatched survived. I put them on Craig's List and sold the first two today. So far, so good. The second batch, which are speckled Sussex and Sussex crosses from here hatches next week.

 

[moetrout]

Is there anyway to "induce" a hen to be broody?

 

[saladin]

Quote:
No and yes; lol.

A hen is going to go broody whenever she wants. You can put 5 or 6 golf balls in a nest and, if you have a broody breed AND it is the right time of year, then usually within a week or two somebody is sitting...............Unless, you need them too or you have a Silkie (which will brood just about anything at anytime.

 

[saladin]

It is always best to have the broody and then start saving fertilized eggs; not the other-way around.

 

[MEchickenfarmer33]

i think you can but the method ive heard is not very nice to do. the thing is to put fertilized eggs in a bucket and put her in the bucket so she cant move and she has to sit on them. i would never do it to my hens but apparently some people do??????

 

[bobbi-j]

The most important thing is to have a plan for what to do with the ones you can't sell or give away, and it appears that you do. You can either wait for a hen to go broody, or get an incubator. I didn't have either a broody or an incubator this year, so no chicks for me until next year. (I was really hoping for a broody since they do so much better than me) Have fun!

 

[saladin]

Quote:
This will NOT WORK! The hen will defile the eggs and you'll just lose good fertilized eggs.

 

[Kountreefok]

Quote:
This probably won't help starting out but may later.
Mamas' love babies and my girls tend to go broody en masse when new babies are integrated into the main flock. Even before that just hearing them sent some into broody mode. When a few of those same hens went broody again on integration I let them set. (Wrong time of year I know...but those heart-broken lil eyes made "wait till spring" even sound weak to me--and they'll have good shelter and heat.) It's about a week later and I have about 8 more hens wanting to set

(NO!)
So, letting some set will sometimes inspire others to, too.