Buy eggs or buy chicks?

[ChickieBooBoo]

I've done both, and letting them hatch their own eggs works SOO much better. Often times when I give a hen chicks, they don't know that they have to follow her around and end up getting left behind. The hen hatched chicks know who their mommy is and will follow her around.

I've also had problems with hens killing the chicks because they know that the chicks aren't theres, trust me, they know.

I would give her eggs and let them hatch them, I've had too many chicks die from either the mother killing them or them not knowing what to do.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

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Your bantam chicks will likely fall behind as the standards will push them around a bit. The mother doesn't wait up for smaller or weak chicks. I wouldn't let a standard hen hatch bantam chicks either.

 

[Tanichca]

The hen is a bantam silkie that I have hand-raised since she was just an egg.I do need some standard size layers as well as bantam show silkies. Could I possibly nix on the bantams, and hope that Sonoran Silkies will have a pullet available, and get Jumbo (the silkie) some standard, layer breed eggs from a BYCer?

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

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Yeah, as long as the chicks are the same size when they hatch it should be ok.

 

[Tanichca]

OK. Now to figure out which breed I want. I'm debating between EE, Marans, or Turkens. Hmmm...

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

I like EEs, they come in all different colors and lay many different colors of eggs.

 

[Tanichca]

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And I now have an EE roo.

 

[dwegg]

EE are awesome for the above reasons but my marrans are super sweet and also great layers...actually my EE and the two marrans are my best layers...

 

[mrslb333]

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Turkens get my vote just because I want some. Marans lay the lovely dark eggs but the one I have is evil she chases me round the garden lol

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

If you get Marans from a good breeder, you might get chocolate brown eggs from them.