Hatching only 1 Egg? Advice needed

[Biscuities]

EDIT: Thank you all for your responses! I didn’t really know how controversial this would be, but I’m glad to hear your opinions. I understand all your concerns and I will not go ahead because I can see the overwhelming opinion is that they might not be happy. If anyone does have suggestions for birds that are more suitable for indoor free roam that I can hatch (I really want the experience of hatching and I don’t really want to debate that) please let me know.

Hi everyone!
I am looking to hatch my first chick, however this chicken or Roo will be kept inside with me and have the run of the house. The only issue is that I only want to hatch one, I know it’s very difficult to hatch eggs anyway as a first timer and not all eggs make it, but online I can only seem to buy eggs in batches. I wondered if I incubate 1 how long can I store the other eggs until they aren’t fertile anymore?
Also any advice for my first hatch would be appreciated even though I’ve been researching obviously.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If you mean shipped eggs, they would be okay for maybe 3 or 4 days before you started seeing poor results if you didn't incubate them immediately.

However chickens are flock animals and unfortunately a human is almost never a good enough replacement for other birds. You cannot guarantee that you will be around 24/7/365 with the bird, and I've noticed even a couple hours of being alone causes stress in my healthy birds, not to mention potentially most of the day if you have to leave to do something.

 

[Biscuities]

If you mean shipped eggs, they would be okay for maybe 3 or 4 days before you started seeing poor results if you didn't incubate them immediately.

However chickens are flock animals and unfortunately a human is almost never a good enough replacement for other birds. You cannot guarantee that you will be around 24/7/365 with the bird, and I've noticed even a couple hours of being alone causes stress in my healthy birds, not to mention potentially most of the day if you have to leave to do something.

Hi,
Thank you for your response, I will consider instead hatching two, I’m just concerned about issues gender may bring. I am around most of the time all day but I know what you mean. thanks for your info.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi there and welcome to BYC!

Chickens aren't meant to be a lone.. together they thrive, teach each other to look for and peck at food, and speak the same language. They ALL have different personalities and help balance each other out.. if one is scared-y and the other a bit more confident and curious They need at least one buddy who will be there when you're not. Having hatched a single chick due to poor hatching.. they're mad every time you walk away, overly attached, demanding, and sweet as possible. It's not a good long term PRIMARY relationship for either party.

Hatching can go either way.. I've had 100% hatch on my first go around and only 10% hatch on others. Breed matters, vigor and age of the donor flock matter, feed matters, temperature, turning, humidity, power outages, it all matters,

Consider finding someone to split the hatch with so you can incubate more eggs. Consider an auto sexing or sex linked breed so you can pick your gender(s).

Adding in your general location to your profile may help people make their best suggestions possible! Sorry for the added input if it isn't welcome. I will always try to help people achieve their goals, but animal welfare is important to me as well. Are you allowed to have chickens (or a rooster) at your location?

Depending on where your eggs are coming from they could already be several days old at arrival. Best fertility is in the first 7 days after laying and starts diminishing thereafter, heavily dependent on storage conditions. Shipped eggs *can* have much lower hatch rate than local sources, especially depending on how far.

I know it can be done.. and chickens ARE definitely cool pets. While I'm recommending highly against it.. I do hope it's a fantastic adventure that works out well if you choose to pursue it! Some breeds will be more suited to your situation than others.. Silky, maybe no problem.. Rhode Island Red, Easter Egger, leghorn.. may bot be great choices.. Following is comparison charts that shows if they GENERALLY tolerate confinement well or not..

https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/234/69325/Chicken_Breed_Chart_to_Help_Choose_Your_Chicken.pdf

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

Consider ordering (and splitting or selling off extras) or buying from a local feed store.. TWO already hatched and sexed (not straight run).. same sex chicks. Same sex is easiest. Hatching is a fun adventure.. but with so many variables at play, maybe not the best place to "start".. Chickens are addictive, you can't have just one and there will be more time for hatching adventures!

Roosters crow at all hours of the day and night and for all types of reasons, not just at dawn. 2 am, you bet. 4 am oh yeah! Hens can be quite loud as well but that's usually daytime stuff. It's one of the ways they communicate. They're fantastic creatures but I would NOT want to live with one (or two) in my house, (people on here actually do though in case you want to look up those threads)...

Hope this helps some.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Bad, bad idea. Chickens are meant to be outside FLOCK animals. You may think you're doing it a "favor" by keeping it inside, alone.....you're not.
Chickens are meant to eat bugs and grass and be happy with their flockmates in the sunlight, not wearing diapers and stinking up a house. They're not indoor pets. They belong outside.
DO not hatch a single chick, and do not keep it inside. If you want to keep chickens, please do it the way that makes them happy and healthy.

 

[Silkie Princess]

I agree with all of the above


Even a potty trained indoor chicken will make a BIG mess. They make so much mess around them it's not possible to have a clean (and I mean really clean) home and be hygienic. I love my chickens but they would not like being inside and I would not live in conditions like that. It’s just gross


Hatching one chick is an even worse idea. They will scream their lungs out and never be happy unless with you. It’s annoying..


I suggest you get a cat or something that isn't a flock/herd animal... Maybe indoor quail? @Vampiric_Conure


But PLEASE don't just get one. That's cruel


PS: Sorry If I sounded mean. That’s not my intention

 

[Battlepants]

I personally follow the philosophy of "at least 3 chickens" - Where someone can get away with two dogs or two cats (for socialization purposes), chickens are somewhat fragile, and considerations should be made for "what if I lose one?"

And as for a house chicken, believe me when I say that you will change your mind within days of establishing this. I brought one of my hens inside for a few hours for monitoring and treatment (was an incident resulting in injury) and my word did she poop a bunch! And it was RANK too! They are adorable but gross creatures, enjoy them outside and only briefly inside.

On a side note, what pushed you toward raising a chicken rather than a more traditional pet like a dog or cat? Perhaps a better fit could be found if we explore what you are looking to get out of this pet?

 

[K0k0shka]

I agree with the others, an indoor chicken is a bad idea. Even two indoor chickens are a bad idea.

Aside from the other problems already brought up, I'll add that chickens have an innate urge to scratch to look for food. Satisfying that urge is primal and makes them happy and content, even if they don't actually find food. House floor surfaces deny this to the house chicken. A smooth house floor, be it wood or carpet, is unnatural and frustrating to a chicken (not to mention slipping on hardwood can cause leg/foot problems). They will try to scratch regardless, and will cause damage to surfaces.

Chickens also need to dust bathe. For health reasons as well as for happiness and satisfaction. And when they do, they kick the medium all over the place! You're looking at mess either way - mess from poop, mess from dust-bathing or scratching if you provide a pan of material for them to do that. Even with chicken diapers, there's mess - there's poop caked into their feathers. Are you going to bathe this chicken every day? Are you going to wash poopy diapers? With babies, at least eventually they grow up and your diaper days end. With a house chicken, this will be forever, until the chicken dies. Times 2 if you get two chickens. Are you aware of the extent of the commitment?

There's no way to have 1 egg or 1 chicken, because a certain percentage may not hatch, or may not make it to adulthood, or may die once they grow up. That's why you have a flock, so if you lose 1 or 2 here and there, you still have some left. Your one egg may not hatch. Your one chick will scream its lungs out whenever you go to the bathroom and leave it alone. You are human, you can't be next to the chick 24/7. This will be one sad, sad chicken. If you get 2, it's better for them, but twice the mess and more drama. Genders, like you said. There's no guarantee even with sexed chicks. Absolutely none with eggs.

So, bad idea all around. If you go through with it regardless, and at some point you find you went in over your head, what then? Do you have outdoor chickens that you can put your indoor chicken(s) with? Do you have friends nearby who can adopt them? I sure hope you won't dump them on a shelter - they are already always overwhelmed with other animals as it is.

Please think long and hard about why you want this. And think about the chicken's needs, not just about your wants.

 

[ColtHandorf]

If you're looking at only one I will say it's not the best idea. You might consider two smaller birds like Seramas for indoors?

Take a look at Lipstick and Chickens on her social media pages for ideas and tips. Jenny is also very helpful and can provide some assistance if you have questions about her set up.

https://www.facebook.com/lipstickandchickens

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYeJyMPrOp5/

 

[TheOddOneOut]

We all love chickens. We all understand the desire. And sure, it'd be cute for a day to have a chicken running around your house in a little floral-print diaper. But it's not that simple. The chicken might grow up not missing the fowl flock it never got to have, but it WILL instinctively miss whatever human flock it has if they go missing. And you can't be there night and day.
And it will exhibit natural behaviors. It'll pick at your furniture, pull at your carpet, eat your houseplants, and dustbathe on your floor. Every time it molts, it'll shed dust and feathers and feather sheathes, EVERYWHERE. It'll be a pain to trim its claws and beak, which would normally be worn down naturally, but since the chicken is confined in your house, will become overgrown. Not so fun sounding anymore, huh? Yeah, it's surprisingly difficult to deal with chickens inside.
I get what you're going for, but it's a bad idea. Chickens are outdoor pets. And ones who need a flock.
If you want a solitary house pet, look into a cat, maybe?