Incubator vs Hen

[Winchester94]

Hey y'all, I am wanting to try my hand at hatching and have researched incubators extensively but I'm wondering if maybe I'll just let a broody hen do all the work. Does anyone know the pros and cons of using an incubator versus letting a hen hatch them? Also will a broody hen reject eggs that are not her own if I placed them under her? Any answers and tips would be much appreciated.

 

[Top Rooster]

How many chickens do you have that are prone to go broody? I'd rather let hens hatch the eggs because it's so much more fun than letting them hatch in a box. Broody hens accept all eggs they don't care who's they are. If you have two hens or more they should be able to hatch enough chicks for the year. One reason you may like an incubator is you can hatch chicks whenever you want but with a broody you have to wait till spring or summer for them to go broody, which is a bit annoying, but if you wait it's worth it.

 

[Mace Gill]

I have little experience with incubators, so I'll speak more of the hen!

Broody hens do most of the work, but still need help.
False starts: some broodies, especial younger ones, will sit for a day or two 'practicing', then give up on it.
'Helpful' flock members: Yes, broody hens will sit on others' eggs! But when a broody hen is sitting, other lazy hens will stop by, see her in her state and say "Oh, are you doing that thing? Well, since you're doing that thing ANYWAY ..." then they will climb in on top of her and drop off their responsibility with the mother-to-be. This can be disastrous for several reason: One, too many eggs. A hen can hatch up to maybe a dozen eggs ... your numbers may vary, size of the hen, conditions of the box, blah blah blah. More tragic still is the staggered hatch. Eggs dropped off by lazy flock members days after she's started sitting have little chance. There are many issues with a staggered hatch, so best to avoid it! Most tragic is clumsy hens climbing in and inadvertently breaking eggs she's sitting on!

Once a hen goes broody, and you want her to hatch, isolate her in a place where she is on her own, safe and dry, food and water available, and a little space for her to stretch her legs. She won't eat or drink much but she will need the food. Put up to a dozen fertile eggs laid on the same day under her, she'll hatch whomever's eggs.

As for the babies, good chicken mommies will dote on them and teach them right away how to scratch and forage. If your inclined to have your hen hatch babies, be prepared to keep the babies until fully feathered before selling or adopting them out.

I think the incubation and brooder process will give you better hatch rates and consistency and better controls over early diet, but if the chicks are for your own flock, I feel chicken momma's know better than human mommas and the babies will integrate faster and better than the ones born/raised in isolation

 

[Mace Gill]

Late hatch ... photo taken yesterday, 12 day old chicks, first time out of the chicken run and into the back yard:

 

[Top Rooster]

I have a hen who is just now thinking about going broody, and last year I had a leghorn go broody in October!

 

[Winchester94]

Thanks y'all! Very helpful. I have two buffs that have just started to lay so hopefully maybe I'll get a broody hen by spring?

 

[Top Rooster]

You should or at least by summer some are a bit late as you know.

 

[MaryZoe]

Ditto all of the above. Another incentive to allow mama hen to brood is that you do not need a brooder/heat lamp setup. But the hatch rate is not as high and a separate place for mama and babies is helpful. Then mama integrates the bitties with the rest of the flock, which is also easier for you.

I do both--I let my hens go broody when they want, and I keep a small incubator for when I want to set a few (or few more). I much prefer the broody hen method because it is so much easier. You just have to be willing to wait for someone to go broody. You also have to ge willing to forego that hen's eggs for several months. I also found that broodiness is a bit contagious. So you may end up with fewer eggs than you planned if several hens go broody at nce.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Mace Gill]

I have a hen who is just now thinking about going broody, and last year I had a leghorn go broody in October!

Recently heard a old wives tale ... from an Estonian grandmother with decades of experience raising all manner of poultry ... she relates that:
Spring babies are more likely to produce more roosters. Fall babies are more likely to produce more hens. Although I can't say science backs her up, I tend to listen to older folks with much experience! I am SOOO interested in hearing anecdotal accounts!

By the way, my mid July hatch of seven chicks ... thinking five are to be hens, two are roos.

 

[MaryZoe]

Interesting. My mid-June hatch of 8 chicks produced 5 hens, 3 roos. I have about 20 more about to hatch. Fingers crossed that I get fall rates!