What do you do with all the hatchings?

[The ruler of the roost]

Okay, being a newbie to the owning of a bator....what do you do with all the (hopeful) hatchlings? I could go crazy with incubating, but fearful of having hundreds of lil' chickies!
Do you sell them, give them away? what??

 

[Dar]

i only hatch when i am prepared to keep them or if i know there is a poultry auction that i may be able to sell them but i dont have a bator either i only have a silkie so i am only talking 3 - 4 at a time most times i will have someone ask me for a chick and then i will set momma on them...lol

 

[thespinningcottage]

The knowledge that I have a responsibility to the living creatures I help bring into the world would keep me in check. I know what you mean though, it's such a rewarding experience that it's like chocolate - you're always craving more! I have a friend on 20 acres with a pond. She has ducks and chickens and has said she will take however many I give her, in return she will give me the fertile eggs to hatch with my students. I'm on my first round of her chicken eggs now, and we've been doing "chicken science" at school and having a ball. If I didn't have this option available to me I would probably do a small hatch in the spring, and plan on keeping them. But with her taking all the babies..............

 

[happi752]

We add to our flock, sell some of the chicks to people who want them, sell the fertile eggs, sell the yard eggs for food consumption, eat the yard eggs, and put chicken in the freezer for eating.

Just think about it, if you eat chicken 4 times a week (we do). And the average chicken is 10 dollars in the grocery store. That is 40 dollars a week just in chicken times that by 52 weeks and your grocery bill JUST for chicken $2,080.00.

You can hatch out your own chickens have a slaughter weekend and fill your freezer a couple times a year and you spend less than $100 bucks (even less if you dont have to buy the fertile eggs).

Grocery stores make a fortune on just chicken. And people think they get a good deal when chicken goes on sale for 59 cents a pound.

 

[The ruler of the roost]

Wow! I have to say THANK YOU to those who put in their comments! I'm on an acre and would love to have it filled with farm animals...

 

[HBuehler]

I hatched 41 over the weekend even with the power company doing their best to kill them all for me.We try and sell the "extras" to help pay the feed bill-I'm well over 150 now... but if not pullets go into the flock and roos go into the dinner pens unless I'm needing a new roo and am looking for a breeder.
Oh I have 2 bators full now as well..still waiting to candle again and see if yesterdays power outage damaged any(not home once again to turn on the generator) so more hatching next week is planned

 

[Akane]

Turn the roos into fresh pasture raised dog food. Decide which pullets to add to the flock. Sell the rest for $5-$10.