Better to buy from hatchery or incubate my own?

[LA~Poulet]

It's only cheaper if they hatch (and not counting the cost of the incubator or supplies & time to build one).

My second batch started hatching yesterday, many more hatched last night & today.

I had Jersey Giants, Ameraucanas, Silkies, & Black Copper Marans eggs.

The BCM eggs were by far the most expensive, and out of 21 eggs purchased I only had 3 develop. Out of those three, it looks like only two may hatch (one did already, one has pipped). I would have been better off paying $12/Chick than buying eggs if I was doing it to save money! The other breeds are hatching much better, and were not as expensive as buying chicks (plus I think they may be better quality, coming from breeders). However, it is always a gamble.

Dealing with shipped eggs, you really have no idea what you may be working with, if the post office is rough or the temperature is wrong while your eggs are on their way.

 

[walkswithdog]

Hatching under a broody or in an incubator is hatching - not chickening. As fishing is NOT called Catching.

You don't get to count the chickens before they're hatched. Neither is a guarantee.

Unshipped, fresh eggs offer the highest degree of success.

After that it goes downhill.

Learning to incubate is a great skill to have. I rescued three broody hatches this year.

Buying chicks locally from good breeders is useful. Buying from Sandhill Preservation Center, if you pre-order for next year NOW, will get you some better quality stock but with the ease of ordering from a hatchery.

But most hatcheries only offer production quality stock, sometimes mixed, often exceedingly poor appearing birds of whatever breed they're supposed to be.

The more research you do before you buy chicks the happier you'll be in the end. SPC is actually worth the pre-order nonsense - they have small limited good quality stocks.

It can take a while to find who is selling what in your area, try to find bird swaps and poultry clubs, and read local advertisements. Learn how to identify a breeder of any two birds, from a breeder of quality/heritage birds, from a breeder of SHOW birds. Those are three different things.

If you look and learn before you leap - you'll be happier.

 

[pdsavage]

They dont inoculate the chicks unless you pay extra.....so the will come chemical free unless you ask and pay for it...