How big is your coop? Your run? A recommended MINIMUM is 4 s.f./bird in the coop, and 10 s.f./bird in the run. That's without a roo, without adding any chicks, without having a broody hen. Add any of these issues and you need much more space IMO. While the idea of hatching your own eggs is nice, the reality, not so much: The roo drama. Roos crow a lot. Not just in the morning, but ALL. Day. Long. A typical crowing jag will have any where from 3 - 10 crows. You will never know when you get a roo if he's a noisy bugger, or a polite one. The crowing starts at 4 Am. That boy is going to be breeding hens, non stop, especially in the spring and summer. My roo is 2 years old, and in a typical morning, or afternoon, he'll be mounting a hen about every 10 minutes. He's a busy boy. I've had up to 24 girls for him to pick from, and he always has his favorites. Their feathers are worn. Depending on the feather quality of the hen, they will either look tattered, or be bare backed. If a hen does not want to be bred, that roo will chase her down until she submits. Plan on having a broody? Some hens go broody often. But, for the most part, the broodiness has been bred out of most hatchery stock. And, if you do get a broody, she'll do it on her time frame, not yours. You also might run into a broody who's enamored with the idea of sitting on eggs. Taking care of babies: not so much. Some broodies will incubate right up until the chicks start peeping inside the egg, then they get confused and abandon the nest. Plan on every hatch being about 60% cockrels. What is your plan for them?
Here's my suggestion: If you REALLY want the chick experience, and want to try it with a broody, wait. Patiently. If you have a hen go broody, you can get some fertile eggs and pop them under her. You'll need to have a place where she can brood those eggs without her flock mates sneaking into her nest and adding more eggs, or chasing her out of her nest and breaking her eggs. Also a good idea to give her space of her own with her chicks for the first few days, then supervise as she brings her brood into the flock. Have an incubator and brooder handy in case she is unsuccessful. Have an exit plan for the cockrels.
Here's my suggestion: If you REALLY want the chick experience, and want to try it with a broody, wait. Patiently. If you have a hen go broody, you can get some fertile eggs and pop them under her. You'll need to have a place where she can brood those eggs without her flock mates sneaking into her nest and adding more eggs, or chasing her out of her nest and breaking her eggs. Also a good idea to give her space of her own with her chicks for the first few days, then supervise as she brings her brood into the flock. Have an incubator and brooder handy in case she is unsuccessful. Have an exit plan for the cockrels.
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