Forgive me if this has been covered before...I tried to search it, but couldn't quite figure out the right search terms...
I don't have a huge number of clutches in my informal research, so this is strictly anecdotal, but I notice a definite difference in the calmness/skittishness between chicks I've hatched in an incubator and those hatched by a hen, but removed within 24 hours of hatching and raised in the same conditions.
My numbers are roughly equal, I've hatched 5 clutches of eggs in an incubator, and 6 clutches under a broody, but this is over 5 years, and i wasn't taking notes!
And maybe I should put it under the Hatching forum, i dunno, I'm guessing most folks read both ;~)
My opinion is that broody hatched chicks, removed within 24 hrs, are much calmer, quieter and easier to handle...my incubator hatched chicks have been noisier, flightier and harder to tame. Though I should say, I don't handle any of my chicks alot, once a day to clean, and maybe again cuz they're cute...and then my grandgirl comes over, or any of my friends with kids, and it's chickfest, but that's sporadic, not really a factor overall.
This may also be a breed-related thing, my broody-hatched chicks have all been from my own stock. Still, i take them away, and brood and raise them separately. I free-range my chickens, and any small chook is a hawk-target.
All but one of my incubated broods were shipped eggs, i bought the incubator because a fox wiped out my breeding stock, I had 7 eggs left with my flock's genes, and I was determined to hatch them. The first thing I noticed was how fidgety and loud those chicks were compared to the last few batches.
Recently, I had a buff Orp go seriously broody, so I thought I'd try her out...i asked around for someone who wanted chicks, cause i didn't have room just then, and immediately got a taker, so i let her go for it. She eventually hatched out 9 chicks, which i took inside...I can't tell you how many times I went in my extra bathroom to check on them because they were so quiet...and they barely fussed about being handled.
I ended up keeping them 2 1/2 weeks cuz the first taker didn't take, so I had quite a while to watch these somewhat overcrowded chicks...they spent a LOT of time just resting, really mellow, and like i said, quiet...but growin like weeds, clean, bright-eyed and perky, nice formed droppings.
Just curious...anyone else notice this??
Lynn
I don't have a huge number of clutches in my informal research, so this is strictly anecdotal, but I notice a definite difference in the calmness/skittishness between chicks I've hatched in an incubator and those hatched by a hen, but removed within 24 hours of hatching and raised in the same conditions.
My numbers are roughly equal, I've hatched 5 clutches of eggs in an incubator, and 6 clutches under a broody, but this is over 5 years, and i wasn't taking notes!
And maybe I should put it under the Hatching forum, i dunno, I'm guessing most folks read both ;~)
My opinion is that broody hatched chicks, removed within 24 hrs, are much calmer, quieter and easier to handle...my incubator hatched chicks have been noisier, flightier and harder to tame. Though I should say, I don't handle any of my chicks alot, once a day to clean, and maybe again cuz they're cute...and then my grandgirl comes over, or any of my friends with kids, and it's chickfest, but that's sporadic, not really a factor overall.
This may also be a breed-related thing, my broody-hatched chicks have all been from my own stock. Still, i take them away, and brood and raise them separately. I free-range my chickens, and any small chook is a hawk-target.
All but one of my incubated broods were shipped eggs, i bought the incubator because a fox wiped out my breeding stock, I had 7 eggs left with my flock's genes, and I was determined to hatch them. The first thing I noticed was how fidgety and loud those chicks were compared to the last few batches.
Recently, I had a buff Orp go seriously broody, so I thought I'd try her out...i asked around for someone who wanted chicks, cause i didn't have room just then, and immediately got a taker, so i let her go for it. She eventually hatched out 9 chicks, which i took inside...I can't tell you how many times I went in my extra bathroom to check on them because they were so quiet...and they barely fussed about being handled.
I ended up keeping them 2 1/2 weeks cuz the first taker didn't take, so I had quite a while to watch these somewhat overcrowded chicks...they spent a LOT of time just resting, really mellow, and like i said, quiet...but growin like weeds, clean, bright-eyed and perky, nice formed droppings.
Just curious...anyone else notice this??
Lynn
