Hello everyone! Because I am ultra excited about hatching my own chicks, the question makes me wonder. Why do you Hatch? Is it because you want your own special breed? Your cloned chickens? Because its just fun and exciting? Go ahead tell me I am curious!!!
1. Because then I don't have to get 25 chicks at a time. 2. Also, you can order from breeders. 3. My kids get to see the hatching process. 4. I get to have new chicks all the time- cute little fuzzy fluffballs of joy!
Why wouldn't we? I don't get it. Are you asking, why do we not buy more chicks at the hatcheries and feedstores? Because I'll give you paragraphs, heck, an essay on why I don't do that. As for elsewise, I hatch my own, because, well, I breed good quality birds and I don't want to see the breeds and/or colors I produce go down in population because I'm not doing my part of support by also breeding and hatching them. I love chickens, so why would I ask someone else to hatch out my birds' offspring? That's crazy talk! Also, it is because I love it. You get to see what you get out of who and who, you get attached to those chicks from the moment they're a couple of cells all the way through even their hard moments in hatching - Then, you get to be the first person to truly welcome them into life! Course I also hatch under broody hens too, which is often even healthier for the chick, depending on the mom.
AWESOME!! thats exactly WHY i bought an incubator today!!! With these answers i can show hubby Why its was so important i spent $200.00 lol really tho, its easy to spend 30.00 but to have my own cloned hen/rooster.....(priceless)
I am picking up an incubator tomorrow that I found, it's a hovabator with an auto turner..i am paying $40 for whole set-up. Does anyone have experience with these? Obviously, I have not hatched before but am so excited and have been thinking about it for a long time. My reasons are: to have some of the rarer breeds that are easier to find in fertile eggs. The miracle of watching these beautiful fuzzy butts being born and for my children to witness it too. I love having chicks around!! And I simply can't be buying 25 chicks at a time!! With the hovabator I can just hatch a few right? Hope so.. Good question though...in fact, I just had this talk with my DH last night. And one more-because I'll know that they are well cared for from the very 1st second and they will have the Marek's Vaccination!
May I ask, for all of you hatching your own, what do most of you do with all of your excess? Roosters, chicks, etc. Do most of you cull the excess or try to sell it or give it away? You can't keep building more and more housing for everything...
