Im from Michigan and would really like to raise chicks and maybe keep and sell some. I dont have a big budget. Can I make my own incubator that works as good as the $60 $70 ones? What breed is a good first breed and has a good sucessful hatch rate? I like the snowy Americaunas. Thanks for the help Oh and I dont live on a farm so has anybody else raised chicks in more of a suburb area and not gotten into trouble with neighbors? Edited by staff
Hello and welcome to BYC Here's an incubator that I know works very well and I'm sure it won't cost you very much to build: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/incubator-incubator As for breeds, it's hard to tell. I know certain breeds, like the Scots Dumpy is hard to hatch, but most of them is pretty straight forward. I would go with the common breeds like RIR, Leghorns etc for starters. Here's an interesting incubation article that you can look at also: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101 Lots of people here do not live on farms and own chickens and other poultry. I think as long as your flock is not a nuisance and your local laws allow chickens in your area you should be o.k. Do ask around first, before you get started. Good luck!
Greetings from Kansas, BurnsFarm, and ! Great to have you aboard! Looks like Sumi has you all set so I'll just say best wishes and have fun!
Hello, I am also new to this site. I believe you can go online to your city's information and find the ordinances that concern chickens as well as all other livestock. Beyond that, if you want to keep a low profile and peace, do not keep roosters, (more than likely your neighbors will not even know you have chickens if you keep a few quiet hens I know roosters are part of the fun, but they are noisy. Certain hens are quieter than others; there are folks on this site that can tell you which they are, but to generalize, I think the heavier hens are usually more docile and quiet, and the lighter hens are usually more noisy and flighty. If you go to Henderson's Chicken Breed Chart, he lists the breed characteristics, as well as other information: http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html Good luck with your chicken project. Willum
