Bator or Broody?

[Wildsky]

For those who have used a bator and had a broody hatch for you - which do you think is better and why?

 

[ksacres]

Broodies! They make all their own adjustments/calibrations, and no electricity required!

I have had much better luck with broodies than with incubators, though incubators can hatch many more at a time and aren't subject to the whims of the chicken mind.

 

[Fancy Feather Poultry]

Quote:
Dido!

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

Bator. I dont have any who have gone broody

 

[Wildsky]

Is there anything I need to do in my coop to get ready - should I section off an area or is that not nessesary...?

I'm wanting to pop some eggs under a broody then in spring or around there - when ever one of my girls gets the urge!

 

[opihiman911]

I waited for almost 3 years for one of my hens to go broody. Never happened. I went searching for what I was doing wrong and that is how I found this board. Turns out my hens, RIR & production reds, don't go broody often, its been bred out of them. Not all breeds are good mothers.

So I got a mutt hen and sure enough when I let her have a half dozen eggs in her nest she went broody, only problem is I didn't have a rooster at that time so the eggs are infertile. So I ordered a dozen eggs from ebay, had them come in and slipped them under my broody mutt. Only problem is it was a week behind the her maternal clock and she got off the eggs on her day 22. I candled the ebay eggs and they were growing, but I couldn't do anything about it. I put them under a heater lamp and tried to continue, but they all died.

SO next adventure was to order an hovabator and turner. I have turned out 2 batches from the bator, not spectacular results in the 30% rate, but it worked and I'm learning and hopefully getting better. I have a couple pure breed egg layers that hatched so I'm planning on keeping one rooster and seeing if I can get one to go broody and start a hatch in the bator at the same time to see what happens.

I would personally get a bator, if for anything as a backup. Let a hen go broody and raise the babies. IMHO there is nothing better that the way nature wanted thing to happen. But if the hen gives up or you want an unusual breed from ebay you can use the bator.

Hope this helps.

Aloha,
Cory

 

[Wildsky]

Thanks Cory... I'm hoping to buy eggs from one of the ladies here on BYC.
I know timing is going to be tight, and possibly an issue, I'm worried about that.
I have two BO's - I hear they do go broody so I'm hoping! I have a few other breeds but I think my BO girls are my best bet.

Another thing I'm worried about is integrating the new babies to the flock - I'm hoping that with a broody, things will go smoother than trying to introduce some new ones that are strangers....

I don't know that I'd be very good with a bator, and all the temps and humidity levels and such - unless I got some fancy bator - and those are VERY spendy!

 

[KingsCalls]

Broody's don't have power outages and they make all the nessasary adjustments they need to make. Bators are fun to be able to watch but, for higher hatch rate and less worry I'd use a broody. Section her off a spot and supply her with fresh water and feed , she'll do the rest.