Incubating....Hard or easy?

[folgerrd]

I am looking into how to care for chickens before actually getting them and I want to know a bit about incubating.

Is it incredibly difficult? I know no matter what none of this will be a breeze, but is it more difficult than most of the tasks?

How dangerous would it be for the eggs if little hands tried to get involved without permission? I'm not naming names but I have a few little siblings with a love for babies.

A change in temperature, even if it isn't extreme, is it dangerous?

Is it really expensive?

Egg hatching versus getting them as chicks, which wins in your opinion?

 

[Corg33]

If you want to hatch eggs you need to think about the roosters you will get.

1. Can you keep them all? They are not easy to give away.

2. Can you handle having to cull them or a sick deformed chick?

Its fun to hatch eggs but with it comes responsibilities. Ordering day old chicks lets you choose to get all pullets.

 

[folgerrd]

There are a few farms near by and we have plenty of family and friends with at least one contact with a farm, I would call around before buying the eggs to be sure there is a home for any we can`t keep. I would never take that risk.

I have looked into illnesses chicks can get, I have not checked to see if there are any only one species or gender can get, but that`s okay because we are in the research stage, so I can look into it. we have discussed setting up areas for sick chicks.

 

[Corg33]

my first hatch we had some black star eggs (they are sex link chicks the boys are born with a yellow dot on their heads). we had 16 roosters and 15 hens. Just to give you an idea. We will be rehoming a few but most will become dinner for us. Its good you are looking into things before deciding whats right for you. BYC has a lot of information and someone will always be able to answer any questions you have.

 

[gryeyes]

A good incubator which will help make it easier is expensive. WELL worth it, though. I use "stupid proof" incubators which utilize auto-turners and automatic humidity control. Also, three weeks can be hard to wait if you have to mess with turning eggs, adjusting humidity, obsessing over the eggs, etc. I really like the "set eggs and forget them" method, although I don't really FORGET them, of course. I just don't have to constantly worry about the eggs.

Small hands should be prevented from "assisting" your incubation efforts. "Look but don't touch" should be their involvement.

There is NOTHING like having a small life emerge from an egg one might just as easily have eaten for breakfast three weeks earlier.... NOTHING. Each chick which hatches is a miracle.

Lots of times some, many, or all eggs do not hatch (even with "stupid proof" incubators). If you approach this endeavor with the "each one is a miracle" attitude, the disappointment can be much easier to handle.

It's addictive. You can get really invested in finding eggs to buy from the egg auctions on BYC alone.

Expensive depends entirely upon your budget.

 

[folgerrd]

We don't so much have a budget as a fund, setting aside money for this thing specifically, we've only just started the fund with $50.
What brand of incubator did you use? I found one online that is inexpensive(for an incubator), but I have no Idea if the brand has a good rep, a bad rep, or is a really new company who might still be working out the kinks. The one I'm talking about is called GQF model 1602N Hovabator Genesis Egg Incubator. Anyone heard of Hovabators?

 

[OldChurchEggery1]

If you want to hatch eggs you need to think about the roosters you will get.

1. Can you keep them all? They are not easy to give away.

2. Can you handle having to cull them or a sick deformed chick?

Its fun to hatch eggs but with it comes responsibilities. Ordering day old chicks lets you choose to get all pullets.

Yes, but if you order them from a hatchery, there's still the same distribution of males and females in each hatch. You just push off the "what to do with males" problem on someone else. Even if you choose all pullets in an order, you could still get cockerels as sexing isn't 100% accurate. If you don't mind eating them, the males aren't a problem. The cost of an incubator is the main prohibiting factor in hatching your own eggs. A good one can be steep. It is a fun and unique experience, though!

Re: Incubator types to the Original Poster- there are a number of threads here that talk about all different kinds of incubators. I have 2 Brinsea Eco 20s with the autoturn cradle and they work GREAT for me.

 

[folgerrd]

Would that be their mini eco or octagon eco?

 

[debs_flock]

I found it hard to answer your poll, but I chose day-old chicks.

Incubating turned out to be easy for me (never can say what the next hatch will bring) and it was incredibly fun. But I chose day-old since you are just getting started. It would be easier to start out with chicks and "get your feet wet" raising them. Once you've had a little experience, you can expand to hatching your own.

Good luck in your choice,
Deb

 

[hallerlake]

Hatching is not hard, and sometimes shipped eggs is the only way to get the breeds one wants. Eggs shipped from a breeder are generally better quality than day old chicks from a hatchery.