Natural chick reproduction

[Kyoung1994]

I plan on having chicks in the future, but I'm not sure on incubation and heat lamps and all of the things that come with hatching them on my own.. Are there breeds that simply do it all themselves? Where the chicks can just survive in the coop and grow? I know there's such a thing as "broody" hens, but I'm not 100% solid on the definition of that.. Any help would be MUCH appreciated.

 

[Sonya9]

I plan on having chicks in the future, but I'm not sure on incubation and heat lamps and all of the things that come with hatching them on my own.. Are there breeds that simply do it all themselves? Where the chicks can just survive in the coop and grow? I know there's such a thing as "broody" hens, but I'm not 100% solid on the definition of that.. Any help would be MUCH appreciated.

If you want a broody hen it helps to choose certain breeds. Broodiness has been bred out of most chicken breeds because broody hens do not lay eggs (well not when they are broody and sitting on eggs to hatch). Certain breeds are known to be good broodies often because they are not bred to be big egg layers.

Best to do a lot of research and start off with sexed chicks bought from a hatchery or at a farm supply store. Thing about hatching your own eggs is that at least half will likely be male, and the male to female ratio of most chicken flocks needs to be 6-10 hens per rooster (or hens end up in bad shape and multiple roosters will fight). If you don't know what to do with the extra males you should think twice about hatching eggs.

Even if you decide to breed naturally a chicken coop is NOT a natural environment for sitting on eggs or raising chicks. Broodys need to have their own space if you want the eggs to hatch and the chicks to survive.

 

[3riverschick]

I plan on having chicks in the future, but I'm not sure on incubation and heat lamps and all of the things that come with hatching them on my own.. Are there breeds that simply do it all themselves? Where the chicks can just survive in the coop and grow? I know there's such a thing as "broody" hens, but I'm not 100% solid on the definition of that.. Any help would be MUCH appreciated.

Hi Kyoung,
What breed of chickens interest you. That's a good place to start and then we can figure out the broody part of it. Do you want large fowl or bantam chickens? Egg layers or chickens to eat? Have a color preference? It may be that the breed you want is truly a "broody" breed and that will solve your questions? Which breeds do you like the most?
Chicks are very easy to raise. Just a few simple things you need.
Best,
Karen