I have seen so many articles on this subject........ pros and cons ....
I personally have hatched dozens of mail order chicken and quail eggs in the incubator
with good to mediocre results. Paying very close attention to temperature, humidity,
air flow, 3 day lockdown, yada yada yada .... all the scientific stuff we go through.
I just had a dozen hens grow to 7 months old escaping disease and predators ....
then, they started laying !!! LOL I was giving eggs away like crazy in the neighborhood.
one hen went broody and wouldn't get off the plastic eggs ... so I put a dozen of "assorted"
fertile eggs under her just to see how a "Natural Hatch" would go.
Then, another hen went broody too ... so at night, I parted the eggs ... 6 to one, 6 to the other.
They hatched 5 days ago ... out of 12 eggs, two were infertile and 10 hatched with no problems.
point I want to make is this .... the Natural Hatch went extremely well ....
the hens took many daily breaks to feed and scratch around, leaving the eggs alone
for hours at a time ..... one even roosted on the pole one night, leaving the eggs
in 75 degree temps all night ... with NO hatch failures due to this inattention.
only two did not hatch due to not being fertile. WOW - I AM IMPRESSED at Mother Nature.
at the time of conception, I had a RIR and a Golden Phoenix rooster in the mix.
The hens are a couple of RIR and Rhodebars.
I let the chicks on the ground on day two inside the coop - they act like natural birds would and
the mothers are VERY doting and protective.
now, at 5 days old, they are free ranging with the rest of the flock in the yard ......
I just hope the stupid Coopers Hawk will leave them alone !!!
ok - - - I know this is long - - - but with this being my first Natural Hatch ever ,,,,,,
I think I will be doing it more often.... especially with mail order eggs so the little ones
will have have a good mother to give them a head start in life.
now, IF - I can calculate when a hen goes broody then mail order the eggs I want.
There is nothing no more cuter than a bunch of baby chickies. POGO - 1960
I personally have hatched dozens of mail order chicken and quail eggs in the incubator
with good to mediocre results. Paying very close attention to temperature, humidity,
air flow, 3 day lockdown, yada yada yada .... all the scientific stuff we go through.
I just had a dozen hens grow to 7 months old escaping disease and predators ....
then, they started laying !!! LOL I was giving eggs away like crazy in the neighborhood.
one hen went broody and wouldn't get off the plastic eggs ... so I put a dozen of "assorted"
fertile eggs under her just to see how a "Natural Hatch" would go.
Then, another hen went broody too ... so at night, I parted the eggs ... 6 to one, 6 to the other.
They hatched 5 days ago ... out of 12 eggs, two were infertile and 10 hatched with no problems.
point I want to make is this .... the Natural Hatch went extremely well ....
the hens took many daily breaks to feed and scratch around, leaving the eggs alone
for hours at a time ..... one even roosted on the pole one night, leaving the eggs
in 75 degree temps all night ... with NO hatch failures due to this inattention.
only two did not hatch due to not being fertile. WOW - I AM IMPRESSED at Mother Nature.
at the time of conception, I had a RIR and a Golden Phoenix rooster in the mix.
The hens are a couple of RIR and Rhodebars.
I let the chicks on the ground on day two inside the coop - they act like natural birds would and
the mothers are VERY doting and protective.
now, at 5 days old, they are free ranging with the rest of the flock in the yard ......
I just hope the stupid Coopers Hawk will leave them alone !!!
ok - - - I know this is long - - - but with this being my first Natural Hatch ever ,,,,,,
I think I will be doing it more often.... especially with mail order eggs so the little ones
will have have a good mother to give them a head start in life.
now, IF - I can calculate when a hen goes broody then mail order the eggs I want.
There is nothing no more cuter than a bunch of baby chickies. POGO - 1960
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