Should I buy more or hatch?

[5hens&aroo]

Thinking about buying some more chicks but I’m not sure if I should or if I should wait till a hen goes broody. I’ll give you a little background on my flock. I currently have 18 chickens. 13 laying hens, 2 roosters, one cockerel, one pullet and one I’m not so sure about! I’d really like to have about 6 more chickens(female if I can help it) I have a large coop and run. My chickens free range out of the run almost all day and go in about dark. With winter coming up should I buy and raise chicks indoors/barn or wait till a hen goes broody and let her hatch some eggs. My roosters are a Rhode Island Red & a leghorn Rhode Island Red mix. Hens are GLW’s, White Rocks, Easter Eggers, Coronation Sussex and a Rhode Island Red. So they will basically be a mix no matter what unless I buy some chicks. What would y’all do?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I would hatch chicks, but then again, I keep all my extra roosters in a rooster flock. Do you have a plan in place if most or all of the hatched chicks turn out to be roosters?

 

[5hens&aroo]

I would hatch chicks, but then again, I keep all my extra roosters in a rooster flock. Do you have a plan in place if most or all of the hatched chicks turn out to be roosters?

Yes I have a barn that has a couple different large rooms in it if I needed to separate until I got rid of them. Is it safe to keep them in a rooster flock?

 

[RWise]

I hatch my own, mine are EEs, if you hatch will the chicks be what you want? If not, then buy,,,
I also pick up a few birds from time to time to bring fresh DNA to the flock, maybe a new egg color. I also will let a broody set in the winter, at first I had issues with the chicks being out in the snow, but all went well. After all Momma is right there to warm them up!
I keep one rooster on the flock and extra roosters, each one in his own pad, see but not touch. I have had issues with roosters being together, I wont be doing that again.
Good luck!

 

[chickens really]

I only allow my Broody Hens to raise me Chicken Chicks. I raise them with Momma and the rest of the flock from day one. My Rooster loves his Chicks and tidbits for them. Zero issues on integrating them into the flock because they are already part of it..

 

[HuffleClaw]

I agree with all previous posters, especially @chickens really because you won’t have to worry about the bator all the time and plus then hen will naturally raise up the chicks into the pecking order just fine! Good luck!!

 

[HuffleClaw]

Beautiful birds by the way!

 

[Rysktal]

I would suggest buying hatching eggs of the breeds you would like to put under a broody

 

[HuffleClaw]

I would suggest buying hatching eggs of the breeds you would like to put under a broody

Yes, this is also a GREAT idea!

 

[Rysktal]

Yes, this is also a GREAT idea!

It is my plan for the future, lol! Hen raised chicks are awesome!