Quick Question Hatch or Buy

[jlapham]

I was just wondering what the number of hatchers we have here, compared to Buying chicks. Personally I purchase all my chicks. Years ago I hatched when the kids we're small. The only hatching I do now is quail.

 

[gryeyes]

Buy. I didn't survive cancer to die of stress during hatching!

(Smilie added to soften how that may be interpreted by other readers.)

 

[Cats Critters]

I've done both and also let broodies hatch babies.
But for first timers I'd buy not hatch it's stressful and sometimes hard to hatch, and you get what ever you get you don't get to chose.

 

[lowdollar434]

Hatching is fun and adictive, but expensive. Check out the price of the hatching eggs + shipping = $30.00. That is about 5.00 per egg. If only 50% hatch (3) that is 10.00 per chick. Pretty expensive in my book. I am inches from selling my GQFincubator.

 

[Hennyhandler]

Oohh, ooh!!!

If you are going to sell your incubator let me know! I am sooo thinking about hatching. It sounds like fun but I have a feeling it's going to be a lot of work but it would be worth it when those little balls of fuzz appeared.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! I purchased ducklings in '04 from MMcM and chicks from Ideal in '05 and all my ducklings and chicks since then have been hatched here.

Lisa

 

[ISSOLA]

Quote:
Congratulations, survivor !

 

[math ace]

I buy.

I might try to hatch in the future,

but there is something to be said about ordering two of this, three of that and four of the other breed. There is, also, something to be said about picking out the ones you want and no more. There is something to be said about professionals sexing the chicks. Lastly, I really enjoy picking mine up - locally- when they are a couple of weeks old and out of the woods as far as "danger" from sudden death goes.


I have 2 wyandottes, 3 leghorns, 4 marans, and 4 EE's right now. Only 1 is a Roo. I would of had a hard time hatching that variety and maintaining pure breed status.

 

[ToxawayTiger]

I let my broodies give me a new batch every year.

 

[duckluck]

I've bought some nice mature ducks with the intent of hatching their eggs...there's a lot of satisfaction to be had from producing something nice from your own stock, this I know from my horses. That said, it is also satisfying to track something down you like and just buy it, but I'm not about to go importing them from the UK just yet!