Karin wanted some Sussexes, so we threw a sixpack into the 'bator, and two of them hatched. One was Emma the pullet, who lays our best tasting eggs, and the other was Eemeli. We had three roos to begin with, but Topi and Taneli (OE mutts, same genes as Töyhtis, one of my favorite pullets) started acting aggressively towards Karin, and also the neighbor's kids. As roosters I liked them better, they were more protective of the flock, and more agile than Eemeli. Both our Sussexes were very slow to mature, they're very clumsy, and they're skittish. They stay close to the coop mostly, and especially the pullet bullies the other birds. I like birds that are flightier and more game-like in behavior, I'm not too keen to keep these too. Eemeli has been loving his sister a bit too much lately though, so I don't want to try rehoming these before she feathers out again. I'll try to get rid of them first, but if no one wants them, they're headed for freezer camp.
Comparing incubating and hatching with a broody, I'll have to say that there's no way I'd want to use the incubator again. The incubation period isn't that bad even though we hand turned all the eggs individually, but the chick phase is a lot nicer when the mommies take care of them. I hated having the chicks inside, they put out so much dust. It's a lot better this way. Plus, the integration is a lot easier. Sure, Flappy got hurt a bit, but otherwise we've had no issues. He was a bit slower then the other ones anyway. Without Emma the Sussex he wouldn't have been hurt either. (I don't really know who pecked him, but she's my strongest suspect).
