have a hatching question

[wyandottekid1109]

i have a question. What is the best way to hatch chicks under a hen or in an incubator?

 

[Katy]

Well, ideally under a broody hen is best....if you have one that will keep setting and not quit somewhere before day 21. You don't have to worry about temps and humidity if you let her do it.

With an incubator I think my chicks are tamer and friendlier when I hatch them out. But you have the hassle of keeping temps and humidity correct.

There are pros and cons both ways

I pretty much use an incubator tho except for my call duck eggs which I let a broody call hen set.

 

[wyandottekid1109]

ya i have 2 hens sitting now and i have an incubator going as well and i dont know what to do i want to see if the hatch rate is better under the hens or in the incubator.

 

[Dawn419]

I think it is more of a personal choice, than anything.

When we ordered our day-old chicks last year, we got Silkies and Cochins (bantams) because of their broody tendencies. I really wanted to hatch chicks the "old fashioned" way. No incubator hatching for me, nope, no way!

Then the girls began laying in October, when the weather turned cold...and both the Silkies and Cochin girls decided to go broody, big time! We weren't set up to raise chicks in the winter so we broke them of their broody. We'd get one broke and another one would go broody and it went on like that for months.

That's when I decided to get an incubator, so that I could hatch out eggs when I wanted to!

Decided to let atleast one of the Silky girls go ahead and set some eggs this spring, since it's warming up...so none of them have gone broody since!

There are good and bad things about both ways of hatching, it really depends on what you want!

Hope this is some help!

Dawn

 

[wyandottekid1109]

thanks