How many chicks will you hatch in 2026?

[Tex452]

I

I'm going to hatch 3 batches in my 22 egg incubator. I usually get a horrible hatch rate, though, so I'm hoping for ...35?? I will only keep the pullets with muffs/beards and good combs for cold weather which means I'm probably going to end up with about 5 keepers.

Actually scratch that I'm hatching a shipped batch in April too lol. So... 40? hehhehehehhehehehe I'm going to be so excited when they hatch!!!!

have two NR 360 incubators, that hold 22 eggs each, I have great hatches when I have fertile eggs.
I do the 100% dry hatch method,
And I have had great harvest.

 

[2ndTink]

Yes! I would love to buy some hatching eggs but there wouldn't really be a point in doing that since I will be getting rid of them anyway, sadly.

Good point, definitely sadly. But, it is fun to hatch and have chicks for a few days, and not necessarily a bad thing if someone else does all the dirty raising bit

 

[GodLovesU]

I’ll say… 100 chicks of various birds, since I’m trying to get a small incubation business off the ground.

 

[Nomadicus]

I've been seeing Bielefelder's pop up more and more, they are really gorgeous chickens. Plus the auto-sexing at hatch is a huge plus, and they are big birds and it looks like they lay well also!

What is your opinion of them?

We absolutely love ours. They are just now coming into production. Hope to start hatching in March to April. Big Gentle Kids.

 

[alliBlee]

Wishing you the best of luck with the chicken math dance and the new baby!

Thank you! I feel a little silly shuffling so many chickens in and out of my flock, but I am hoping that after all is said and done I will have steady enough egg production from my 6 hens without hatching again for the next year or two. Also, cleaning the coop with only 6 hens should be noticeably easier than when there are 8 or more!

 

[2ndTink]

Thank you! I feel a little silly shuffling so many chickens in and out of my flock, but I am hoping that after all is said and done I will have steady enough egg production from my 6 hens without hatching again for the next year or two. Also, cleaning the coop with only 6 hens should be noticeably easier than when there are 8 or more!

It will all be worth it

 

[Nomadicus]

I guess this is the best place to really spill the beans about what we are working on. We will soon be setting a 41 egg incubator with Crested Cream Legbar eggs, maybe 2 of those. The plan is to cross all of the pullets to Bielefelder males. Light brown x Blue should give us a shade of green. Those eggs should be larger than the Medium Blue eggs. 10 pullets will be crossed to Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner males out of morbid curiosity. Our Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiners are the most gentle easy going of any breed we have ever raised. We will buy more of them as soon as possible as out of the original 10 that we purchased only 2 are pullets.

 

[2ndTink]

I guess this is the best place to really spill the beans about what we are working on. We will soon be setting a 41 egg incubator with Crested Cream Legbar eggs, maybe 2 of those. The plan is to cross all of the pullets to Bielefelder males. Light brown x Blue should give us a shade of green. Those eggs should be larger than the Medium Blue eggs. 10 pullets will be crossed to Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner males out of morbid curiosity. Our Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiners are the most gentle easy going of any breed we have ever raised. We will buy more of them as soon as possible as out of the original 10 that we purchased only 2 are pullets.

Oh wow! What a fun cross.

Since both Cream Legbars and Bielfelders are autosexing, do you think the chicks will be sexable at hatch with this cross? If you do a hatch-a-long or anything of the sort please share on this thread so we can follow along!!!

 

[Nomadicus]

Oh wow! What a fun cross.

Since both Cream Legbars and Bielfelders are autosexing, do you think the chicks will be sexable at hatch withtt this cross? If you do a hatch-a-long or anything of the sort please share on this thread so we can follow along!!!

Planning on it. Hoping for auto sexing with green eggs. Will do a hatch-a-long. May needs Ma's help with that. Depends on if and when I get a double hip replacement about the same time as we get fertile eggs. Later another one with the Niederrheiner roo on Legbar hens. Niederrheiners are also borderline autosexing.... Might get some interesting mutts that lay nice large to extra large eggs.

 

[redinator]

Track your hatching plan adherence here!

If you will be hatching in 2026, write how many chicks you will be hatching (add more details on breeds etc if you want!) then check back and provide progress updates and an end of the year Hatch Plan Adherence post

If you are not hatching but are purchasing chicks, feel free to jump in as well and we will check your chicken math for the year

If you are hatching and buying chicks, best of luck and please please join this thread so we can enjoy the thrill ride with you

Winners: multiple winners in each category allowed

Category 1 - Who had the best hatch plan adherence
- Prize: Bragging rights for you and your flock's planning skills and discipline

Category 2 - Who had the worst (in a good way) hatch adherence ie: you planned for 8 chicks and hatched 256
- Prize: We will all be so proud of your amazing hatching skills and free spirited reckless abandon

Category 3 - Who got their Doctorate in Chicken Math in 2026
- Prize: Our admiration, plus the best prize - being surrounded by so many fluffy butts and filled egg cartons!

Winners will be peer and self-selected, we may tell you that you won, or you may proudly claim the prize you know you earned yourself.

Come join the fun!

*Editing to add* If you have a hatch-a-long thread, chick growth journey thread, random chick photos thread or anything 2026 hatching / chick / cuteness related there is an open invitation to add links to the adorableness here!

Umm, you asked for it, so here goes . . . https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...nus-broody-and-everything-thereafter.1672919/

My current hatch starts on page 131... I ordered hatching eggs from 3 different sellers on Ebay. Two orders have arrived and are going in the incubator(s) tomorrow, the 3rd will take at least another 2 weeks to get here since they were back ordered.

ETA: These are the only eggs I plan to hatch this year. I went a little chick crazy last year and didn't really get to enjoy the chicks because I had to deal with integration issues since they were all different ages. If anyone goes broody that doesn't count, right?