buy or hatch?

[TubbyChicken]

I'm suddenly struck with chick fever.

My issues:

*I'm impatient and impulsive
*I want a variety of breeds
*I can't have roos (I could possibly get away with one...maybe)
*I've never hatched before
*I NEED to spend as little money as possible

So, what should I do? I've been staring at MPC for a few days. I could order all the breeds I want and they would be here mid June...I want a variety of breeds, maybe one or two birds each. MPC is so expensive and my dh is ready to build an incubator, but then I have to go about finding all the eggs, hoping they hatch on the first try, etc...I also have a brooder full of mutts that I "accidentally" bought.

Hatch or buy? WWYD?

 

[Southernbelle]

Buy.

Hatching is fun, but nerve racking because you never get 100% hatch and it's hard crack open eggs with dead babies and wonder what happened.
Incubators are expensive and can be difficult to get temp/humidity right.
Half of the chicks hatched will be roos.
Most breeders won't have all the breeds you're looking for and trying to coordinate a hatch to involve all the eggs you want without staggering the hatch will be stressful
Buying and shipping hatching eggs is expensive.



With a hatchery, you get quality stock
their sexing is about 90% accurate, so if you order hens, you get hens
they often reimburse you for ones that die in transit
they often give you an extra bird or two
Great variety.

How did you accidently buy a brooder full of mutts?

 

[canada-goose]

Quote:
Not exactly. My first hatch was a 100% hatch.

I do agree that buying is a very good way to go, though.

 

[bock]

I agree with Belle; BUY.

 

[TGarcia]

Why not do BOTH. Buy a few chicks from a local hatchery or person in your area, and try your luck at hatching a few eggs.

I started off by buying me a few chicks and it was great watching them grow up and all. I FINALLY got brave and decided I wanted to attempt to hatch a few eggs. The whole incubation process has been soooooo exciting. Not only for me, but for my kids as well. Especially since there is development in the eggs and you can actually see the baby chick inside moving around when you candle the egg. We are actually due to hatch 9 silkie eggs on April 17. So excitement is building.

But there is no reason why you could not do both.....just make sure if you've never hatched eggs before to do alot of research on how to do it. I learned ALOT from this site. Best of luck to you!!!!

 

[Illia]

Quote:
Excuse me? Hatcheries sell "hatchery" or poor quality stock. They look for quantity, not quality. The reason breeders "don't have what you're looking for" is because they FOCUS on a breed. They look for the best qualities in it, and get rid of the worst. Hatcheries just plain have a LOT of breeds, and a LOT of birds to create those breeds, with no regards as to what genetics, problems, or even qualities go into the offspring. Incubators aren't always expensive, and yes, the cheap ones can be a pain - But it also has a lot to do with where you put the incubator.

Buying hatching eggs is just as expensive as getting chicks in a lot of cases.

The whole point and reason a lot of people go for hatching eggs is because they see the parent stock, they know what they're expecting, they look for the breeder who has what they want (don't go to a Wyandotte breeder for Orpingtons. . .

) and the number one this is: They don't lie about Ameraucanas! - No hatchery truly sells Araucanas or Ameraucanas. Also, no hatchery sells quality Marans, and very few sell Black Coppers or anything outside the muchly ruined Cuckoo Marans.

In your case, yes, buy chicks. Hatching eggs are more for people with the serious addiction and for people looking for specifics on things like quality of bird, quality of egg, rare breeds, etc. Buying chicks are for people with little time, people who live in cities, etc. If you just want eggs to eat, yes, buying chicks is the way to go.

When asking, the best to do is ask someone who's done both. I started out with buying chicks from feedstores and hatcheries for a year, then switched to breeders and never went back.

 

[wekiva bird]

do both

 

[chicmom]

I both hatch and buy. My answer to you would be BUY chicks! The reason is because you get the breed you want, pullets if you want them, and you can get the number you want. They can also be vaccinated if you want. I am an hour away from the hatchery I use, so I pick up small orders, and it's so much nicer than hatching.....you just never know with hatching...sometimes you get heartbreak.

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

[Karrie13]

It really depends on what you want to do with your chickens. I do both. I buy hatchery for the majority of my laying flock but I am working on a small flock that I am buying from breeders to get quality birds. My kids want to show some chickens so that is what we are currently working on. I have also hatched eggs too, to get some good quality birds and some Marans to lay the VERY dark eggs in my laying flock. I must say, I have spent more on hatching eggs than I would have if I just purchased birds from breeders. Hatching is not a guarantee, there are many things that can go wrong. Then again you could have 100% hatch rates and it could be cheaper for you. I guess it depends on if you like to gamble!

 

[beckymom3]

Ilia, I agree with you.

I bought a lot of chicks as well as started chickens last year. I bid on eggbid for most. I made one spontaneous purchase from someone locally who buys large quantities of day old chicks from Ideal Poultry, then sells them once they are started. He does no breeding. I noticed immediately that my breeder chickens were much more to type, more beautiful and actually seemed smarter and had more personality than the hatchery stock. Worst of all, the hatchery chicks had a respiratory illness that ended up causing a prolonged illness that spread slowly through my flock.

I had quarantined them for a couple of weeks, before I realized they were ill, not long enough obviously, but several chickens ended up ill anyway. My breeder birds all survived, several hatchery chicks died.

This year, I am hatching as well as buying. I would not have bought at all except my first attempt at hatching did not go well (I did not prepare for it and made ignorant mistakes) and my kids were so sad (we had only 2 out of 23 eggs finally make it) I went to the feed store (i.e. hatchery chicks, these from Privett in New Mexico) and bought chicks. Again, these birds are okay, seem to be basic examples of the breed, and are not sick, but I doubt I'll do that again despite the temptations! I also bought lovely Silkies from a BYCer locally--someone who LOVES the breed and I can tell you these are amazing babies, already very typey and gorgeous.

So, I would say, buying day old or started chicks has it's perks, but avoid hatcheries when you buy and instead research local breeders, BYC and/or eggbid and other auction sites. You can contact breeders privately and see what breeding stock they have. Most are more than happy to share their enthusiasm with you. Shipping is not too bad if you use reputable breeders. Research their feedback and ask questions about how they ship. Local pick up is best so you can see the facility and meet the breeder, but not always possible.

Hatching is miraculous, fun and seriously bonds you with your chickens. I'm now hatching for the second time ever, 2 incubators with chicks literally emerging slowly as I write this (I can hear them cheeping and rolling around) and I wish I'd been patient (it's only 3 weeks, for goodness sake!) and done this all along. What beauties! I think even a mutt chick would look good to me if I'd hatched it myself! My kids have learned so much, and they are devoted to these emerging babies. Also, the upfront cost is not that much. My nice incubator, Brinsea Eco 20, was $126 (from My Pet Chicken, cheaper if you look around more, check out the website for Brinsea). My cheap one was $50 (LG still air). The cost of eggs and shipping was about $20-$30 total for 15 eggs (Australorps) and 36 eggs (Brahmas) from a lucky bid on eBay. I got a doz Dorking eggs locally for $10!!!!! Or you can hatch fertile eggs from the health food store as your first try ($2.99-$4 or so per doz.)

Bottom line of this very wordy post (I'm tired from the excitement of hatching babies!) is DO BOTH and have fun!

I hope this helps! I'm a newbie, but I've become very, very chicken addicted! I bet you will, too! It's inevitable!