Hey there all. Me and the wife are thinking of trying some hatching eggs. We've tried them before with some sebright eggs but it didn't turn out very well. We're asking for suggestions on a breed that yall would recommend and have had decent experiences with. Everyone has different experiences so we know ours could vastly differ. We're thinking of trying silkies but please any recommendations would be welcome!
Any suggestions on hatching eggs?
- Thread starter JRobbi
- Start date
- Jan 30, 2015
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It's not a case of breed, imo but more about getting used to controlling your incubator effectively. Personally, I'd get the cheapest available fertile eggs to begin with. With multiple hatches, your incubator management skills will improve and then maybe it's time to spend some decent money on specific breeds. Just my thoughts...
BuffOrps32
Free Ranging
I agree, however if you want to start with a breed and go on with it for the rest of your current flock then start now. I suggest Orpingtons for first timers. Excellent birds, from hatching to laying.
Hi, welcome to BYC! 
After breeding, hatching, and raising Silkie's for a few years... I sold off ALL my Silkie stock recently without regret.
It's been like 10 whole weeks since I had a broody to break.
Do you have a plan for your extra roosters if you hatch?
After dozens of breeds and hundreds of birds, my suggestion... Speckled Sussex or french black copper Marans... that is not knowing your end goal, two breeds I love. I also like real Ameraucana quite a bit. My Marans can brood circles around any Silkie but have much better overall personalities and smarts. Silkie roosters were my least favorite... the only ones in the stag pen who constantly try to mount each other.
Check out these links for comparison...
https://livestockconservancy.org/images/uploads/docs/pickachicken.pdf
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html
Good luck, so many to choose from!
After breeding, hatching, and raising Silkie's for a few years... I sold off ALL my Silkie stock recently without regret.
It's been like 10 whole weeks since I had a broody to break.
Do you have a plan for your extra roosters if you hatch?
After dozens of breeds and hundreds of birds, my suggestion... Speckled Sussex or french black copper Marans... that is not knowing your end goal, two breeds I love. I also like real Ameraucana quite a bit. My Marans can brood circles around any Silkie but have much better overall personalities and smarts. Silkie roosters were my least favorite... the only ones in the stag pen who constantly try to mount each other.
Check out these links for comparison...
https://livestockconservancy.org/images/uploads/docs/pickachicken.pdf
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html
Good luck, so many to choose from!
So I would suggest that you use non shipped eggs from a local or trusted source if hatching is important to you. Also make sure they are unwashed, stored properly, and set in a timely fashion.
If you are using an incubator... calibrated thermometer is a MUST... so do not rely on any built in equipment. Also don't rely on suggestions made by the manual, but rather research and decide what parameters you will go with. The darker the egg the lower the humidity... A good starting place is 45% days 1-18, and 65% through hatch. Make sure all your vent plugs are removed as oxygen is key to development.
Not knowing your previous experience makes it difficult to make great suggestions, but here is my very favorite hatching resource...
https://www.hubbardbreeders.com/media/incubation_guideen__053407700_1525_26062017.pdf
I tried Orpington, Swedish Flower, Cochin... and they weren't for me. Much better on paper. I do also love Rocks... I have one but I don't breed those as I have focused on other breeds. I may always have at least one Rock in my flock. White, barred, or partridge even.
Happy Hatching!
ETA: temperature is most important.. 100 in forced air, 102 in still air. I always move the eggs to a new spot daily to help ensure even development or account for any temp variance even in circulated air bators. This keeps my hatch frame tight.
If you are using an incubator... calibrated thermometer is a MUST... so do not rely on any built in equipment. Also don't rely on suggestions made by the manual, but rather research and decide what parameters you will go with. The darker the egg the lower the humidity... A good starting place is 45% days 1-18, and 65% through hatch. Make sure all your vent plugs are removed as oxygen is key to development.
Not knowing your previous experience makes it difficult to make great suggestions, but here is my very favorite hatching resource...
https://www.hubbardbreeders.com/media/incubation_guideen__053407700_1525_26062017.pdf
I tried Orpington, Swedish Flower, Cochin... and they weren't for me. Much better on paper. I do also love Rocks... I have one but I don't breed those as I have focused on other breeds. I may always have at least one Rock in my flock. White, barred, or partridge even.
Happy Hatching!
ETA: temperature is most important.. 100 in forced air, 102 in still air. I always move the eggs to a new spot daily to help ensure even development or account for any temp variance even in circulated air bators. This keeps my hatch frame tight.
Breed wise... what do you want the chickens for? Eggs, ornamental, pets...? Silkies can be difficult to hatch, as far as how they "chicken"... I'd call them ornamental broodies, as a rule. Haha
What equipment are you using? What happened last time?
Breed doesn't matter much towards hatchability unless there is a different skull shape to contend with, weak genetics in general or too closely bred. Diet of the breeder birds matters a lot more than the breed itself.
You'll definitely want a plan for the boys. Once, I set 12 eggs, 10 hatched, 8 were boys. Ugh! Another time, I set 8 duck eggs, 5 hatched, every single one was female. You can never know how it will go.
A good hatch rate from shipped eggs is 50%. The only time I've gotten 100% was when my flock was free range and I was hatching only from them. Since I did an equipment overhaul last fall I'm typically at 70%-90% now with my own eggs. Wish I could free range where we're at! Did another diet change to see what that does, will be setting eggs again here in another 2 weeks, 4 weeks after the change. It takes 2 weeks for changes in the egg yolks but I wanted to be sure.
I've seen the full spectrum from shipped eggs. From 80% to nothing at all, to 90% fertility out of 36 eggs, with only 1 hatching ok and the rest deformed/with issues when the equipment had operated flawlessly. I've had decent hatches after having battled incubator issues... close monitoring avoiding big changes. I've learned a lot!
If you have defined flock goals, it's best to buy what you're after.
Do you want a lot of eggs? Go with efficient layer breeds. Do you want meaty boys so that the plan is dinner? Go for dual purpose out of breeder stock, to get the size. Hatcheries tend towards leaner birds out of their dual purpose types. Do you want to know gender right off the bat? Go for Sexlinks or Auto Sexing breeds.
You can always do an assortment too, to find the breeds you like the best. I went about it with a "try them all" mentality. As a kid/teen I went through all of the Bantam types. Next go as an adult, I went with readily available, common breeds. Then I got into the rare and obscure. My favorites are Marans and Bresse, but I also REALLY like a colorful egg basket so I'm making my own blues/greens/olives now. Legbars are neat.
Breed wise, there is "typical" look/behavior, then there is bloodline specific look/behavior. Birds will vary in quality and type from one hatchery to the next, from one breeder to the next, based on the traits held within the breeding flock. They'll hatch as well as all of the variables allow.
I've had Orpingtons that were everything the internet says they are and I've had flighty ones that didn't lay that well. I've had EEs that laid on the eve of their 6 month birthday, others who didn't start laying until close to a year old. I've met calm Leghorns, small Brahma and nice Rhode Islands. From lap roosters to demon spawn.
I don't think there's anything about poultry that's black and white, it's all gray. Make a plan and then research a lot!
What equipment are you using? What happened last time?
Breed doesn't matter much towards hatchability unless there is a different skull shape to contend with, weak genetics in general or too closely bred. Diet of the breeder birds matters a lot more than the breed itself.
You'll definitely want a plan for the boys. Once, I set 12 eggs, 10 hatched, 8 were boys. Ugh! Another time, I set 8 duck eggs, 5 hatched, every single one was female. You can never know how it will go.
A good hatch rate from shipped eggs is 50%. The only time I've gotten 100% was when my flock was free range and I was hatching only from them. Since I did an equipment overhaul last fall I'm typically at 70%-90% now with my own eggs. Wish I could free range where we're at! Did another diet change to see what that does, will be setting eggs again here in another 2 weeks, 4 weeks after the change. It takes 2 weeks for changes in the egg yolks but I wanted to be sure.
I've seen the full spectrum from shipped eggs. From 80% to nothing at all, to 90% fertility out of 36 eggs, with only 1 hatching ok and the rest deformed/with issues when the equipment had operated flawlessly. I've had decent hatches after having battled incubator issues... close monitoring avoiding big changes. I've learned a lot!
If you have defined flock goals, it's best to buy what you're after.
Do you want a lot of eggs? Go with efficient layer breeds. Do you want meaty boys so that the plan is dinner? Go for dual purpose out of breeder stock, to get the size. Hatcheries tend towards leaner birds out of their dual purpose types. Do you want to know gender right off the bat? Go for Sexlinks or Auto Sexing breeds.
You can always do an assortment too, to find the breeds you like the best. I went about it with a "try them all" mentality. As a kid/teen I went through all of the Bantam types. Next go as an adult, I went with readily available, common breeds. Then I got into the rare and obscure. My favorites are Marans and Bresse, but I also REALLY like a colorful egg basket so I'm making my own blues/greens/olives now. Legbars are neat.
Breed wise, there is "typical" look/behavior, then there is bloodline specific look/behavior. Birds will vary in quality and type from one hatchery to the next, from one breeder to the next, based on the traits held within the breeding flock. They'll hatch as well as all of the variables allow.
I've had Orpingtons that were everything the internet says they are and I've had flighty ones that didn't lay that well. I've had EEs that laid on the eve of their 6 month birthday, others who didn't start laying until close to a year old. I've met calm Leghorns, small Brahma and nice Rhode Islands. From lap roosters to demon spawn.
I don't think there's anything about poultry that's black and white, it's all gray. Make a plan and then research a lot!
Hello JRobbi.
Welcome to BYC.
I just can't help myself..........
First I suggest you and your wife decide which one of you is going to sit on the eggs. Ime the shared sitting technique often leads to egg breakages. This is probably one of the reason things didn't go so well with your Sebright eggs.
With the hens, they will unusually get off the eggs once a day to eat drink and wash. While they are sitting they go into a kind of trance and their legs lock up. Of course, you'll just get cramp so it may be best for the lightest of you both to sit then the other can help you off the eggs at feeding time.
Don't forget the importance of bathing. Once again having some help who can run the bath before you leave the eggs will ensure the eggs won't cool down to much in your absence.
Don't forget to take a good thermometer to the nest. The eggs may feel warm wedged in the cleft of your rear end but temperature is important and needs constant monitoring.
Frankly the breed I would recommend for sitting on chicken eggs is a hen. However, as you will doubtless be told by the educators, we all do things differently and you must do what's right for you.
Don't forget to take adequate clothing to the nest. In the daytime you may feel comfortable but at night when the temperatures drop you don't want to find you're shivering; the vibrations may disturb the embryos.
Welcome to BYC.
I just can't help myself..........
First I suggest you and your wife decide which one of you is going to sit on the eggs. Ime the shared sitting technique often leads to egg breakages. This is probably one of the reason things didn't go so well with your Sebright eggs.
With the hens, they will unusually get off the eggs once a day to eat drink and wash. While they are sitting they go into a kind of trance and their legs lock up. Of course, you'll just get cramp so it may be best for the lightest of you both to sit then the other can help you off the eggs at feeding time.
Don't forget the importance of bathing. Once again having some help who can run the bath before you leave the eggs will ensure the eggs won't cool down to much in your absence.
Don't forget to take a good thermometer to the nest. The eggs may feel warm wedged in the cleft of your rear end but temperature is important and needs constant monitoring.
Frankly the breed I would recommend for sitting on chicken eggs is a hen. However, as you will doubtless be told by the educators, we all do things differently and you must do what's right for you.
Don't forget to take adequate clothing to the nest. In the daytime you may feel comfortable but at night when the temperatures drop you don't want to find you're shivering; the vibrations may disturb the embryos.
You're silly and I just can't help myself..
You said "butt temperature"!
I'm still young at heart.
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