So have you compared successful hatches/chick raising between your hens and incubator hatching?
We had several go broody on us the past couple of months. Let one finish some eggs that had been in the incubator - one out of 3 eggs that I gave her hatched but several days later I found the chick squished flat underneath her.
I'd really like to go more natural - wanting to get back to old fashioned homestead birds including having them hatch and raise the chicks. Just a little leery of letting any more broody hens go ahead and hatch when the breeding flock is still small and losing just one is frustrating. Hardly anyone these days seems to do the natural hatch thing to give information on their experiences, so I don't know if it is even worth it to have "natural" hatching/raising as a goal.
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Well, I am becoming a real convert with letting the hens do the hatching. March is doing a wonderful of raising her 3 chicks. The tail tells the tale, 2 pullets and a cockerel.
March sat 6 eggs, accompanied by her 1/2 sister, May, who sat in the nest next to her. March kicked one egg out of the nest. One egg failed to hatch and I took it out of the nest after the other 4 chicks hatched.
I made one mistake. The sire of the chicks, their 1/2 brother, Junior, was gallant with his ladies and didn't bother the (viable or non-viable) eggs or the chicks.
So, after asking around, I decided to leave him in the coop with March, May and the chicks. Mistake. I forgot that even tho he was no threat, the hens might not recognize that. The next day, I found March had dug a deep nest in the shavings where she was "hiding" the chicks from Junior. I the process, she sat on and killed, one of the 4 newly hatched chicks.
So, I moved May and Junior to the empty bachelor quarters and left March and the chicks in the big 4x6 coop. No more problems. May has started laying again and I am
setting her eggs in the
Brinsea Mini Advances.
Hubby Bob and I have been discussing hatching. By next year, we should have 6 hens. We are considering getting 6 Silkies and making 6 brooding coops. Then each day for 6 days, taking the eggs from the Sussex girls (presuming we get 5 eggs a day from 6 Sussex hens) and putting them under each Silkie in turn. (this would be flock mating).
***or*** taking and setting eggs from each Sussex hen ( marked with paint on hen vent) on turners and them putting eggs from each Sussex hen under a different Silkie hen. (pedigree mating) The Silkies can hatch out 5 Sussex eggs each and raise them to 6 weeks in separate coops. Either way all the chicks would only be a week apart and could all be raised in one grow-out pen.
Pros: no messing with man-made brooders, dust in the house, special brooder rooms, brooder temp hassles; hens teach chicks.
Cons: extra to build coops and run electricity to them; obtain and feed Silkies (cost off-set by avoiding extra cost of incubators).
Best,
Karen
P.S. Regardless of breeding system used, all my chicks get Poultry Nutri-Drench in their water from hatch , on.
I mention this because this particular product is very forgiving of novice management mistakes. I've used
Bovidr "Nutri" products for years on my collie puppies and poultry of all ages. Proven by breeders who raise
100's K of poultry a year.
http://www.bovidr.com/poultry.html It is way more than just vitamins and electrolytes.
Goes straight into the bloodstream, does not need to be digested. Great for chilled neonates.1 drop per chick
by mouth for travel stress. 4cc per gallon in water for stressed chicks. 2cc per gallon in water for chick maintenance.
