Has anyone noticed an attitude difference between incubator clutch and store bought day olds?

PoppasGrill

Songster
Sep 22, 2023
385
759
186
North Central Florida
We recently, earlier this week, hatched our first clutch in an incubator. 15/20 hatched with 2 passing after hatching.
We have a mixed flock so these chicks could be anything.
We also have 12 store bought ,( hard to get breeds) in a seperate brooder in the same room that are 8 days to 2 weeks old.
The new clutch, when we get close, will stop and look at us but not get excited. They just look at us and go about their business, unless we pick them up, then they will try to slip away from us.
The store bought chicks have been running around like the sky is falling from the minute we got em. As soon as we walk in the room they start running and stay as far away as the wall of the brooder box will allow.
Anybody else notice this? Or are we just imagining?
 
Well, think about it. Your chicks hatching in your incubator know nothing but you since they hatched.
Store bought chicks hatched were dumped into boxes... picked up again by strange people. Boxed and shipped to a store. Lots of strangers around looking at them. Then picked up and boxed again for you to be taken home. Of course they are more frightend.
But if you spend enough time with them they will calm down.
 
Cant say ive noticed that but I do noticed broody hatched chicks are ferel conpared to bator chicks...I hate broody raised chicks. Anything my broody hatches eventually gets culled because they are so skittish. I also noticed the more chicks there is the more skittish they are
I recall my brother catching one of our broody hens baby chicks when we was growing up.They were almost impossible to catch because they free ranged 24/7. It chirped to the top of its lungs and caused the rooster and hen to flog him. He still hates chickens today
 
Well, think about it. Your chicks hatching in your incubator know nothing but you since they hatched.
Store bought chicks hatched were dumped into boxes... picked up again by strange people. Boxed and shipped to a store. Lots of strangers around looking at them. Then picked up and boxed again for you to be taken home. Of course they are more frightend.
But if you spend enough time with them they will calm down.
Never thought about that, makes perfect sense.
Of the last batch of store bought we had, 3 months old, we set in the coop with them and hand feed. By we I mean my wife does, the Turkens are very friendly and will hop up on her lap, but the leghorns are typical leghorns, so will come running to her feet for food though don’t want touched.
 
Never thought about that, makes perfect sense.
Of the last batch of store bought we had, 3 months old, we set in the coop with them and hand feed. By we I mean my wife does, the Turkens are very friendly and will hop up on her lap, but the leghorns are typical leghorns, so will come running to her feet for food though don’t want touched.
My baby leghorns took flight every time I entered the run.I actually feared they'd hurt themselves so everytime I took a step or had to change their waterers I moved very slowly. Fortunately the welsummers shipped with them were calm so the birds around those were much calmer. Sometimes its just the breed of chicks you get or a particular strain.Not all leghorns are the same I'm sure
 
All the Leghorns we’ve had have been food aggressive and very hands off.
“You feed me.. take this egg.. NO, do not touch”
Our 3 yr olds and the new ones are the same with feed and contact, of course they aren’t offering eggs yet. Though the new ones are grey-ish instead of white, not sure what off breed they are.
 
We have raised both but have not experienced much difference. It is been a while since we incubated eggs. How much skiddish they are depends on the personality of each chick too. That is what we have observed.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom