Topic of the Week - Broody vs Incubator

[casportpony]

This week I would like to hear your thoughts on incubation and using broody hens or incubators. Which do you prefer and what did you find works best for you?

I prefer broodies by far, but breeding peafowl & call ducks, having a good incubator & separate hatcher works best for me. Having this setup means that I can place eggs in the incubator as they are laid and not have to worry about a broody.

 

[DukesDucks]

I prefer broodies by far, but breeding peafowl & call ducks, having a good incubator & separate hatcher works best for me. Having this setup means that I can place eggs in the incubator as they are laid and not have to worry about a broody.

I too have peafowl and runner eggs in incubators. Also have a rhea egg and pheasant eggs that I am trying to incubate for local rescue place.
So now I have 3 incubators on my kitchen counter. Starting to think it is time to get a cabinet style incubator. I would appreciate any recommendations of brands and styles. I was thinking if I kept adding eggs in groups, keeping track of what kind and when, would it work to move eggs out of a cabinet incubator into a smaller one for lockdown?

 

[The Birb King]

I use incubators more often, but prefer using the hens. It is so much better for the chicks and just makes me so happy to see them running around with the mother

 

[Mr Spot]

I would take a broody hen any day over an incubator and my last hatch with my Brinsea was a 100% hatch.

 

[Ashllen]

This is my 1st time hatching. All accidental too! I had just noticed my hen getting broody on some fake eggs when I then spent 2 wks sick with covid. But turns out a couple hens decided to donate their offspring to the cause! When I finally felt well enough to do more then feed and water them I went to check her (and break her of her broodiness) only to find 6 live ones in with the false ones. Luckily for me two were pretty fresh so I got them out but the other four were pretty far along. She did all the work and even tho 2 didn't make it she now has 2 little guys following her around.

 

[Maty]

Hello My BYC friends, sorry I haven't been around lately but I have a story that I would like to share with you all. I have a small flock 2 Serama hens one Serama rooster one Cochin and one a mixed Serama and a Kelso rooster. At the end of March the coching became broody I tried everything to get her out of it to no avail, then the other three became broody as well they were sitting on the empty nest because I always take the eggs, I keep trying to get them out but they were very stubborn so the first week of April I decided that if they wanted to become mommies I was going to help them, I got the eggs from the refrigerator and lower the temperature with my body when they were at room temperature I placed them under them I think most of the eggs belong to one small Serama (Lady Ping) so I gave her 3 of her own eggs, and placed one under each of the other 3 hens (Lady Nubia, Sombra and Conchita.
Talking about changing nest they drove me nuts every time one went out to eat another came and took her place, some times two of them were sharing one nest and the other egg was left unattended I just kept showing them who was where until one day they did not change places. Finally the morning of April 25 Lady Ping had two baby chicks under her and one unhatched egg, the same day Conchita hatched her egg Lady Nubia's came on the 27th.
Sombra was still waiting then a few days later Ping and her babies started to go out into the world and she left the egg unattended do I put it under Sombra she was still sitting on her egg, finally on

 

[Maty]

Pictures of my babies

 

[SB907]

I picked up 12 eggs a few weeks ago and gave 3 to my broody silkie and put the other 9 in an incubator. Broody has sat religiously for the full three weeks and has tended to the eggs constantly, and at a week all three of the broody eggs were developing, but by 14 days it looked like all three had stopped. My incubator babies hatched yesterday so I swapped them under her and another broody I have, and took the three rotten eggs, and lo and behold, one of them chirped at me! I candled and it has internally pipped and is moving around, so it is now in the incubator to finish hatching, but my success rate was definitely better with the incubator eggs (100%) vs the broody (33%). She has adopted all the incubator babies so that is a huge relief to not have to deal with the mess of a brooder in the house! Honestly, I've had great hatch rates with the NR360 so will probably stick with that for hatching so it's easier to monitor egg development, and then hope I have a broody to put them under after hatching.

 

[Theorrin]

I prefer incubator only cause my hens start being broody but then a week later decide they are tired of doing it.

 

[gimmie birdies]

As far as raising chicks, I have used the smallest chick from one hatch, to help raise new hatched chicks. I currently have a rooster who is 2 months old who raised many batches of chicks younger than himself. Below he is spreading his wings while an older chick is under, from one hatch, and 3 new chicks in front, all enjoying a stuffy.

Below is new hatched chicks were eating in food bin, he hopped in to show them how.