I want to hatch an egg of my own!!

[cms1113]

Is it hard to hatch and take care of a new chick? I really want to but i don't know if i should wait until i've owned adult chickens for a while first.

 

[Fay at Frizzled Feathers]

I say if you want to hatch out some of your own chicks go for it , it is a kool experience .

Fay

 

[horsejody]

They are social animals. You will need to hatch more than one egg! If you have an incubator (commercial or homemade), a place to brood them and a coop for them to eventually move into, you should be fine. Just do your research about caring for them.

 

[Bec]

I started with chicks. It is better if you get more than one, though. I am sure someone on here can recommend a good incubator to use. I have a broody hen that is doing my hatching..lol.

They are very easy to raise and care for. Food, water and warmth.

 

[conny63malies]

Here is my rule, how i explain to my husband . I want 4 pullets.THe eggs are shipped so i only count on a 50% hatchrate and of chicks about 50% will be male. So if i want 4 pullets i need to set 16 eggs. And i can sell the rest anyways and make the money back that i paid for the eggs. See the eggs were free then. My logic lol
I think you should set atleast 8 eggs if you can any less and you might end up with a lone pullet after a few weeks. You need atleast 2-3 hens. If you are rather short on space and/or money just get some mixed breed bantams.

 

[cms1113]

Quote:
If i get a hen and eggs for her to sit on, i don't need an incubator right? Can they live in the coop with her if i put a heat lamp in there too or do they need to be in the house until they get all their feathers?

I don't know what happens when you report a post, but i accidentally did thinking i had hit reply. So sorry if somebody gets a warning e-mail or something,lol

 

[conny63malies]

Quote:
If i get a hen and eggs for her to sit on, i don't need an incubator right? Can they live in the coop with her if i put a heat lamp in there too or do they need to be in the house until they get all their feathers?

I don't know what happens when you report a post, but i accidentally did thinking i had hit reply. So sorry if somebody gets a warning e-mail or something,lol

First the hen needs to e broody or she wont sit. THe egg layers usually don sit. If you want a hen that goes broody you need a silky hen. They are more broody than anything. Sure they can stay in the coop when they are little as long as it is save and not super cold and freezing . They just cuddle up under mom hen.Id just give them a area thats cornered off if there are other hens.

 

[cms1113]

Quote:
If i get a hen and eggs for her to sit on, i don't need an incubator right? Can they live in the coop with her if i put a heat lamp in there too or do they need to be in the house until they get all their feathers?

I don't know what happens when you report a post, but i accidentally did thinking i had hit reply. So sorry if somebody gets a warning e-mail or something,lol

First the hen needs to e broody or she wont sit. THe egg layers usually don sit. If you want a hen that goes broody you need a silky hen. They are more broody than anything. Sure they can stay in the coop when they are little as long as it is save and not super cold and freezing . They just cuddle up under mom hen.Id just give them a area thats cornered off if there are other hens.

Well the guy that im getting a laying hen from also has silkies, which i was tempted to get just because i like the look of them. The guy said i couldn't house chicks with hens in the winter so thats why i had just dropped the egg idea but maybe he meant already hatched chicks, i donno. But if thats not true.......

 

[conny63malies]

Hens might not like chicks that are not theirs(i mean tha they didnt hatch, some do though)and could peck them to death. I would just wait until march/april until i would let them hatch some. I will set some eggs in the bator tonight and the chicks should hatch around the 28th. I will keep them in a large bin for the first 4-6 weeks in the house.