Quick Question Hatch or Buy

[gckiddhouse]

If you hatch, you have to be prepared to deal with all the little cockerels! At least 50%.

Broodies are fun and less stressful!

 

[Serrin]

For the last 3 years we have bought day olds. Now I'm ready to give this incubating thing a try.

A very nice neighbor lady is giving me a good quantity of mixed eggs to make my first attempt. More than anything, I'm hoping for a nice roo or two...or five

out of this first hatch. Hopefully he'll provide me with plenty of fertile eggs from my girls so that we won't have to do the annual "get 'em while ya can folks, these babies are selling fast" free for all that happens at our local feed store. Only to end up with birds that are feeble, stressed and chances are good that I'll lose a few before the week is out.

We've been extremely lucky so far with the chicks from the local feed store. We haven't lost any of them due to chick mortality issues yet. We usually lose our girls to that dang neighborhood stray or the hawk after they are mature!

But, we did get a brain damaged one in the set that we bought last year. And the feed store KNEW it was brain damaged. They never should have sold it to us or anyone. But, that's a story for another time, another place....I do think that's where I first started to get the notion of hatching our own though.....

I guess the main reason, more than anything else. as to why I want to incubate is because I want to know that I can do it successfully. It will be one more step towards complete independence from society for us. Not that we're anti social mind you!! We just don't want to be at the mercy of it!

We want to be self sustaining!!

 

[jlapham]

Thank you friends for your input. Here at the homestead I prefer to buy also. My losses are a lot less. Plus like other have mentioned the time and stress factor.
I have several birds that steal a nest and hatch chicks. It's always a joy to see momma leading her chicks around.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I've done both and found that I like ordering when it comes to my egg layers (I sell those eggs for eating) becasue people really love the variety of the colors. And I can't get one of each breed in eggs...If I could I were FOR sure hatch

For breeding of course I hatch because I can't get good quality chicks from a hatchery.

 

[Egg_newton]

So far I've done both. First time I bought. I just hatched my first batch yesterday/today. I'm going to hatch at least two more batches this year. I also plan on buying some cornishes and white rocks. Not sure if I'm going to get eggs or day olds tho. I love the excitement and stress of hatching. When I see them running around in the bator freshly hatched I think, "I helped do that". .

 

[Southernbelle]

Both.

I bought my first batch of chickens from the local farm store and some from a hatchery. I had a wonderful experience with them!

I love to hatch, too, because there's some breeds that just aren't available any other way. I plan to hatch mostly my own eggs this year and maybe do some swaps.