Differences In Bator vs. Mommy Raised

[Picky Chicky]

I've never hatched any chicks bator or by chicken momma. So, I'm curious... what does the hen do when her babies hatch? Does she seem to care? Does she coddle them or anything?

When I see the pictures of the chicks in the bators hatching without their momma's it seems kind of lonely. Then again, maybe it's nicer to come into this world not having someone sitting on their heads from the get go??

Just curious...

 

[Southerngirl]

Broody is best if you have one because they loooove their babies and will go to any lengths to protect them. I love to hear them cluck and call the chicks to eat or when she finds a bug and gets all excited and all the babies take off running to see what mama has caught for them. Here is a Jap bantam who went broody last year in one of my flower pots.

The bators are fine but mother nature is best ! After they hatch (which can take up to three days) she then leaves the nest to go find food and water. She knows what to do !

 

[Marlinchaser]

there are pros and cons with each,
you can loose power/or hen can decide 15 days was all she wants to sit, either way you lose that batch of chicks

you dont have to worry about temps, turning, humidity/ what are you gonna do while mom takes care of the vitals

no brooder is needed, mom takes care of heat, teaching them to eat and drink...... / you have no fun of careing for chicks, just provide food and water

mom raised chicks are taught to be leary of humans(you)/ if you raise them, they seem to depend on you

easiest way is to have hen do it. most satisfying is to raise them by hand watch them hatch etc.... but the second choice of course requires more of your time...... then again what did you have planned that was more important than raising(playing) with new chicks.

 

[Picky Chicky]

Along with my 3 EEs, I have two buff Japanese bantams. Being that this is the first time that I've ever had chickens, I'm only guessing, but I'm thinking one of my girls went broody. She stopped laying and everytime I opened to gather eggs, I found her sitting on them. She'd give me a quick stink eye and then hop off without making too much of a fuss. After I'd collect the eggs, she go out into the run with the rest of the girls. Now then after about a two month egg-laying hiatus, she's started laying again and everyone seems hunky dory.. but do you think she'd be my girl to hatch any future babies, or does her lack of determination to sit despite my moving the eggs sound like she would have commitment issues?

Another thought... can banty girls hatch and raise standard chicks?


Just caught the post above this one... so I edited to include... I work full time... if I tried to hatch/raise them myself, would I have enough time to commit to them? 9/10 hours away from home at a pop seems like a big gap of time for anything to go wrong. Unfortunately I live 30 minutes away from work so sneaking home for lunch wouldn't work out. Hmmmmm

Thanks all for your thoughts!

 

[speckledhen]

I love broody raised chicks, but they will be more skittish with people unless you make a point of handling them, I think. Then, with the broody raised chicks, you have to know what you'll do with them when Mama quits wanting to care for them at about 4-6 weeks old (though some go longer). Overall, I love to have a broody hatch eggs.