Hatching Eggs Vs. Day Old Chicks

[seminolewind]

I've done both. My first ones came 3 days old, and one 17 week pullet . They were great, but I think the hen was stressed.
Then, I wanted more, but the hatcheries weren't shipping just a few chicks at a time, so I got eggs. The nice thing about eggs is that I am not introducing any hatchery illness in here, and the quarantine time is built in, as chicks need warmth and protection. The down side is rehoming roosters. With the chicks I could get all females.
It's all about what you want to do, want to try, have fun at, learn something with. Both ways have a negative side, but alot of positives.

 

[BantyChickMom]

I've only done 3 hatches,
the first 2 were my own eggs, the last were from SassySilkies.
I hatched the first 2 simply for the fun of it,
I hatched the last because I saw I could do it and I wanted some silkies without waiting until spring to order.
I'm not really interested in Show Quality so hatchery chicks are fine for me.