alot of newbie questions.. need alot of answers

[wildorchid053]

we have 3 roos and 5 hens.. only 12 weeks old.. but already i am thinking of mating and adding to the flock next yr..they are in a coop and large run. why do you take your eggs and incubate them.. and why do you keep everyone seperate.. babies from chickens.. i was planning on letting the hens raise the babies.. do they get hurt by other hens and roos? my nesting box is comunal sp. wont all the hens hatch the eggs?

 

[Raz'sRoost]

Very good question....I am interested in the answers since I too would like to raise babies next year and was thinking of just letting the mama's do it...what are the pros and cons of naturally hatched to hatching in an incubator?

 

[BirdBrained]

Quote:
Alot of folks incubate because certain breeds of chickens are slow to go broody,some do not make good mothers, and its easier to keep up with the chicks you are hatching if you pull the eggs from the hens and place them in the bator.

IMHO I wouldnt have my chicks in with the adults,if the chick is not their own they tend to be mean to them I would seperate the momma and her babies from the rest of the flock.

I've had more than one hen set on the same nest,when the clutch hatched I took the best momma and let her raise the babies away from the rest of the flock.

I hope this helps.

 

[KinderKorner]

Hens don't go broody whenever you want. Sometimes not at all. Also if it is a shared nest box the other hens will get in there and lay new eggs every day and mess up the hatch.

So no. The other hens to not help hatch them. I let my broody hens raise as many broods as they want every year. But I have to fence of their nest box until the other hens get the idea not to lay in there. You also have to be careful. The other chickens can hurt the chicks.

When I buy or raise chicks they stay seperate until they are 3+months old. Then they can go into the flock. Before then they are jsut too small and don't get enough food, and can just hurt.

 

[wildorchid053]

ty for the advice.. i hated to buy more chicks but since you have to move them away anyways maybe i will just buy pullets next yr