Curious about incubating...

[MisfitMarie]

I live in the suburbs (for now) and probably won't have enough room for more than the EE's that I'm already raising. But I am terribly curious about the process of incubating eggs and would like to try it one day. Would it be silly to attempt incubation & hatching of chicks for the experience and then finding new homes for them? Would that be likely? We're talking six to ten eggs as an experiment. Is this silly and impractical and something that I should put on the back-burner, or worth trying? I don't own a rooster... I would be buying fertile eggs, likely locally. My biggest worry is not finding homes for the chickie-babies. If this is a significant concern, then I'm not interested in trying.

 

[DanEP]

While practice never hurts I would lean towards having a home for the chicks before i set any eggs. Remember that there is a real good chance that half the chicks are going to be roosters which are hard enough to find homes for but this is a tuff time of year to be starting off with new chicks. I have done it in the past and won't do it again if I can help it. It's just so much easier in the spring.
That being said if you decide to hold off for awhile there will always be someone on this forum who can help you with any questions you may have.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

While practice never hurts I would lean towards having a home for the chicks before i set any eggs. Remember that there is a real good chance that half the chicks are going to be roosters which are hard enough to find homes for but this is a tuff time of year to be starting off with new chicks. I have done it in the past and won't do it again if I can help it. It's just so much easier in the spring.
That being said if you decide to hold off for awhile there will always be someone on this forum who can help you with any questions you may have.

X2. There's nothing wrong with hatching if you'd like the experience, but you really need to make sure that you have a place for any hatchlings that you can't keep, including roo's. I'd find homes first before I'd set about to hatch.

 

[Aphrael]

X2. There's nothing wrong with hatching if you'd like the experience, but you really need to make sure that you have a place for any hatchlings that you can't keep, including roo's. I'd find homes first before I'd set about to hatch.

x3. I also would make sure I had a home for any resulting chicks BEFORE deciding to go ahead and hatch. You mentioned that you might get fertile eggs locally. Maybe you could find someone who wants chicks from their own eggs, but doesn't have the means and/or desire to hatch for themselves. Then you could hatch the eggs and give them back the chicks.

 

[MisfitMarie]

I appreciate everyone's awesome advice. I'll be looking around locally for anyone who would be willing to let me incubate eggs for them. If I find someone who will let me do it, that would be awesome... and that would certainly be the way to go. Otherwise, I just can't justify doing it. It just wouldn't be right.

This is a tough time of year to be raising chicks, and it just wouldn't be worth it to me if I couldn't find them homes. I'm holding off now, at least until Spring. Although, I have entertained the thought of trying to hatch some cornish X for my own meat supply. =/

 

[PD-Riverman]

I live in the suburbs (for now) and probably won't have enough room for more than the EE's that I'm already raising. But I am terribly curious about the process of incubating eggs and would like to try it one day. Would it be silly to attempt incubation & hatching of chicks for the experience and then finding new homes for them? Would that be likely? We're talking six to ten eggs as an experiment. Is this silly and impractical and something that I should put on the back-burner, or worth trying? I don't own a rooster... I would be buying fertile eggs, likely locally. My biggest worry is not finding homes for the chickie-babies. If this is a significant concern, then I'm not interested in trying.

So far having taken my Interest to hatch Some eggs to a high level---I have placed/sold probably 1000(one thousand) in the last few months. I am fixing to go take a load(app 50/60) out the hatcher this morning----Lots of eyes looking at me when I look into the hatcher.

 

[Aphrael]

So far having taken my Interest to hatch Some eggs to a high level---I have placed/sold probably 1000(one thousand) in the last few months. I am fixing to go take a load(app 50/60) out the hatcher this morning----Lots of eyes looking at me when I look into the hatcher.

I bet that is a pretty awesome sight to see.

I appreciate everyone's awesome advice. I'll be looking around locally for anyone who would be willing to let me incubate eggs for them. If I find someone who will let me do it, that would be awesome... and that would certainly be the way to go. Otherwise, I just can't justify doing it. It just wouldn't be right.

This is a tough time of year to be raising chicks, and it just wouldn't be worth it to me if I couldn't find them homes. I'm holding off now, at least until Spring. Although, I have entertained the thought of trying to hatch some cornish X for my own meat supply. =/

I hope you can find someone, so you can hatch some eggies. It is a wonderful experience.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Aphrael---yes it is a pretty sight. There were about 80 sets of eyes looking at me---LOL---40 of them were yellow buff orp. Some gold laced wyandotte's and barred rock. The rest were a few of this and that.

 

[MisfitMarie]

I have a couple interested local people who are down for the experiment. I am receiving eight Black Copper Maran eggs (I am able to keep one for myself, hopefully a hen-lol) and four random bantam eggs. My incubator fits twelve. I'll be picking them up as soon as my incubator arrives within the next couple of days, and I'm going to let the eggs sit pointy-side down for 12 - 24 hours before starting... I'm going to take this next day or so to do loads of research. =)

 

[Aphrael]

I have a couple interested local people who are down for the experiment. I am receiving eight Black Copper Maran eggs (I am able to keep one for myself, hopefully a hen-lol) and four random bantam eggs. My incubator fits twelve. I'll be picking them up as soon as my incubator arrives within the next couple of days, and I'm going to let the eggs sit pointy-side down for 12 - 24 hours before starting... I'm going to take this next day or so to do loads of research. =)

That is wonderful news! So glad you got something worked out so you can hatch!