Incubator or Broody hen?

[poultry person]

Hello crazy chicken people! I have 13 hens and two roos, and my sister and I are going two hatch for the first time this spring, we don't have an incubator yet but two of our hens are starting to go broody. My neighbor is moving and she is going to sell us her little chicken coop, I'm wondering if we could put broody hens in the small coop and let them sit on the eggs there. But should I just get an incubator?

 

[rosemarysugar]

I think it would be cool to do the broody but i've never done it so i don't know.
Heres a good incubator
G.Q.F. Manufacturing 1602N Hova-Bator Incubator

GOOD LUCK!!

 

[trista85]

Not speaking from experience, but I've read a lot that if you have a broody hen that makes it easier to integrate chicks into your flock. I'd try that first, but mostly because I'm cheap and curious haha.

 

[bruceha2000]

Have the girls been broody before?
Do they stick to it like white on rice?

You can certainly give it a try but if they aren't serious about incubating eggs they may quit part way through. A hen incubating eggs will get off the nest for a time every day to eat and poop, don't let that worry you as long as they go back. Incubation is 21 days, they probably won't leave the nest the last 2-3 days.

 

[Mylied]

Broodies are easier and more successful at hatching in my experience. Downside are the chicks are flightier if you don't make an effort to spend time with them.

 

[Mckennas poultry]

Natural incubation is always the best
Use a broody hen

 

[Mckennas poultry]

Don’t waste money on an incubator when you already have two little ones at home (the chickens)
Get the neighbors coop and put them in straight away

 

[bruceha2000]

Downside are the chicks are flightier if you don't make an effort to spend time with them.

True but in my experience you can win over pretty much any chicken with daily doses of BOSS and scratch (my girls' morning and evening treats). They may not be lap sitters (which is JUST FINE by me) but they won't run every time you look at them once you have them hooked on "chicken crack".

 

[NNYchick]

I have done it both ways. I have had 4 hatches, 2 with my small incubator and 2 with my broody. I love watching the chicks with my broody and I love that they are accepted by my flock from day one I do not have to worry about integrating them. BUT I have hatched 13 and my broody hens have hatched 13. I have lost zero chicks but my broody hatches I have lost 5. 4 because one broody only wants to sit so as they hatch she pushed them out and they got cold (no more eggs for her) and 2 when they got tangled underneath in hens feathers and were strangled (freak accident nothing really can be done to prevent that. So pros and cons to both.

 

[Mckennas poultry]

True but in my experience you can win over pretty much any chicken with daily doses of BOSS and scratch (my girls' morning and evening treats). They may not be lap sitters (which is JUST FINE by me) but they won't run every time you look at them once you have them hooked on "chicken crack".

I agree with this, chickens are easy to tame all you need is food and the next day they’ll be following you everywhere
People will be thinking you’re a mad man