To Incubate or not!

[chickengirl1193]

This is my first year with chickens, i have four hens that still havent started laying but they are extremely close! Everything is going extremely well and im finding the hole chicken keeping extremely enjoyable I want a few more chickens and im not sure if i want to incubate and hatch some myself or get some chicks in the spring. So i have a few questions to help with my decision
It is advisable for a newbie to incubate eggs? ( my aunt just successfully hatched 17 guinea keets who all survived so she is always there if i need help in a pinch)
If i were to buy shipped eggs and only want to incubate 6 of them, how can i tell which eggs are the best candidates for incubation?
is incubation more trouble than its worth for only a few chicks?
Lastly, if i decide to incubate a few eggs should i wait until the spring?
Thanks guys, im a total newbie and i really want to try incubating eggs myself but i also dont want to do anything stupid! All advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Rocky Rhodes]

First of all, I believe that incubating eggs is something that every poultry lover should try. But, if you only want a few more and plan on ordering eggs through the mail, I would suggest just buying a few chicks. If you want to experience the miracle of life firsthand and are prepared for the possibility of failure, then I would suggest incubating. I would also suggest that you find eggs locally for hatching. I have tried to hatch shipped eggs and the results were a very low hatch rate.(about 1 out of 5) If you decide to incubate, you should read a lot about it first. There are a lot of informative threads on this site. Good Luck!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Good advice there.
If you are a total newbie and depending on where you live, it may be best to wait till spring. I hatch year round and it gets below zero here but I have a dedicated brooding house. It's unheated but I have power for hover brooders and heat lamps.

 

[chickengirl1193]

okay thanks for the advice! I really want to experience the miracle of life and I've already experienced loss when my cockateil rejected it's chick and we had to hand feed it, but we didn't save it from the parents in time. the pair laid two more clutches of eggs and we were prepared the next time and had no losses. also I have a shed and a garage that can both be used as a place to brood the chicks until they are ready for the coop. and I have 3 books on raising chickens that I have read cover to cover!

 

[Rocky Rhodes]

I would say... GO FOR IT!! You only learn by doing. The worst that could happen is a 0% hatch rate. I like to incubate in the winter here in Ga. It doesn't get extremely cold and once the baby chicks arrive they are going to be under a brooder lamp anyway. One thing that may cause problems in the winter is fluctuating temps in your incubator. I don't know what kind of incubator you will be using but you need to keep it in a room with constant,even temps. Any fluctuations in room temps will cause fluctuations in the incubator. Avoid shipped eggs, especially in the winter. GOOD LUCK!!

 

[chickengirl1193]

okay thanks guys! Im going to do a bit more research and see if i can find local eggs