Where Do You Stand With Incubation?

[Gail Laubenthal]

Hello Everybody,

I have been thinking (uh oh, hide! I am thinking!)...
Me, myself prefers broody hens to hatch eggs. Incubation has two types, natural (broody) or electric. I have nothing *nothing at all* against electric incubators. In fact, I have electric incubated!

But here are some simple reasons why I have supported broody hens...

*If the power runs out, you will have warm eggs...Unless the hen runs out...
Ha ha. The pullets born under a hen...In my mind... Have more broody instincts.

(Yes, I have had incubated broody hens... But I notice a differences.)
It is purely amazing to watch a mother hen and her chicks.

A broody hen will protect the baby more than a light bulb.*

So, etc. like I said, I have nothing against electric incubation,
I just prefer broody hens.

I do not know if this is even God knows possible, but in twenty years if hatcheries and egg factories all incubate eggs, hens might no longer have a broody mother instinct.

I am creating this topic to see what you all think.
What do you prefer and why? What do you support or like?

Do you agree with me? Thank you for viewing,
if you visit, please vote on the poll.

Thank you,
The Angry Hen

I am on the fence with this topic. I have several great broody hens, but have only allowed them to sit one time several years ago. The chicks were precious, but I found that I was worried about their safety. I finally moved the hen and her chicks into a brooder my husband built. It was a good experience and I am thinking about trying it again soon.

On the other hand, I have a small incubator (7/8 eggs) and I use it each spring, choosing the best eggs and hope for females. This year I have 19 chicks that were hatched by me and 2 teacher friends. They were all born between April 1 and April 21. They are still in my 12' x 4' brooder. I am building a new coop for the increasing flock numbers. Of the 19, it appears that 6 are roosters. I incubate eggs so my young grandchildren can experience the life cycle of the chicken. I also like to be able to choose the eggs...love my green, blue and chocolate eggs and would love to have more of those hens.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

As there are 5 pages in this thread already, I haven't taken the time to read all the posts (sorry), but this topic is near and dear to my heart...so I will offer what I do and why.

I too have no objection to the idea of artificial brooding, it has its place and purpose, especially if you are into quantity and must incubate year round or at a time you desire. My grandmother owned a chicken ranch (egg production), and she did not waste time with brooding hens....she was in it for the business...however, I am seeking sustainable eggs for family use...a small holder....so I can work around the schedule of brooding hens.

Understanding that, I solely use brooding hens now. Why? Well, that is a bit of a story.

The story:
After my first batch of feed store chicks, which I heat lamp brooded in the garage (very messy, hubby hated the mess in his garage), then transitioned into a coop, then put a flood lamp inside the coop during a particularly bad cold snap for these transitioning young pullets, I manged to BURN DOWN the entire coop....to the ground...nothing but ash heap. (see photos below).

Though we thought things were snug enough, all electrical gear was new and outdoor rated, one of the pullets knocked the flood lamp into straw and poof. It happened fast. No one had heard or seen anything during the night between my last check at midnight and my husband's breakfast at 7am. No neighbor had called 911. It burned like a roman candle when it went up searing two trees (killing one of them), and melting the heavy extension cord a third way back to the house, kicking the circuit breaker.

There was nothing left the next morning (when we saw the results in morning light) but an ash heap, gently warm (as it had already cooled), with metal nails sticking in the pile of ash. I sat down and cried on the wet (Oregon) ground thankful that we had not lost the house, nor the neighbor's house, especially since our wood pile and the neighbors was close to that back fence. (Good Lord, I could have been another Mrs. O'Leary's cow!!!! for the entire neighborhood!!!!)

I was also crushed for the loss of our entire first flock. What a horrible way to go. Talking with friends, it turns out a number of my chicken friends had burned a coop down with heat lamps.

The following spring (February), I bought more feed store chicks to start over again (with a gift certificate from close friends and a hand me down coop from another...what sweet hearts.) With great trepidation I heat lamp brooded in the garage again (now cranky and nervous husband). I was extremely fearful to sleep at night for fear somebody might knock something down, although we had secured things very tightly. That year, one of my Buff Orpingtons went broody. I had no clue what that was all about, but it got me to thinking, and researching.

While my commercial hatchery quality BO quit the job mid-way, I decided that is the way I wanted to go. Brood with hens. So after researching for the best brooding hens, in a summer swap, I purchased an experienced and proven Silkie mother from a breeder, my first broody, Oma San.

She taught me what brooding was about, being dutiful to go broody about every 3 to 4 months. I didn't use her that first year until spring, though her first brood was in November, as I didn't think hens could hatch and brood in winter (they do, and do fine). Over time, watching her and the growth of those chicks, her tender care, I discovered that a GOOD brooding hen is a thing of beauty and worth her weight in gold. Her hatch rate of fertile eggs excellent. Her survival rate of hatched chicks superb.

My broody reared chicks grew faster, feathered in quicker, (good grief, they are up scratching by day 3 or 4...even in sub-freezing weather!!!! with just their little down jackets), to mature faster, to lay earlier. In all, they simply were sturdier and better integrated into the flock than my artificially brooded chicks...and I know...as that first spring I had a set of feed store chicks in the house (my last) and the set of chicks under a hen...in case the hen didn't work out.

I also noticed it was a whole lot less messy (no grumpy husband), a whole lot less work on my part, and no electrical hazards....all for happier, healthier, chicks. Hmmmm.

I was sold on the idea of brooding hens and that summer had hubby build a "stable" for broody hens...bantam types...that will brood for me regularly (which he was happy to do as it got chickens permanently out of the garage).

I consistently use Silkies and bantam Cochins, then use whatever large fowl volunteers happen along. I have an Isbar-Marans hen right now that has been an excellent mother for me for the last 2 years...her last hatch rate was 9 out of 8 (little stinker snuck one under her wing

I have learned that to brood with a hen properly for the best results, you do need to set things up well. That means clean nests with deep soft bedding that can't be kicked out (low lipped box), isolated so that other hens can't stomp on eggs or chicks or push broody banties around, and a netted and reinforced grow out pen attached to the broody hutch so that hawks don't fly by for the little chicken nuggets.

It also means getting a hen that has the proper genetics for brooding. Yes, you are correct that the commercial industry has tinkered with poultry genetics (looking for production) such that commercial hatchery hens won't brood well or at all. They have been genetically selected against brooding.

If you use the heritage type birds or game fowl from quality breeders, you can get some excellent broodies. Silkie and bantam Cochins are known for being good, but you have to view the line and know the bird to make sure you've got a proper gal.

The science is even behind the faster growth for the chicks. Most of my broodies especially like to brood in early February which means babes are hatching and growing in the lengthening daylight. That means the pituitary gland is getting enough daylight to produce the hormones necessary for laying. It has not been unusual for my broody chicks hatched in January or February even early March to be laying by 16 to 18 weeks, or if slower developing breed, a good 2 to 4 weeks earlier than the "average" start for the breed.

It does have its drawbacks. If you have a finicky hen, with poor genetics, she will quit on you. If you interfere too much or have her in a stressful situation, she can abandon the chicks or even harm them. (But don't distrust her instincts. Hens will often drive away poor, weak genetic chicks. Those that fall out of the nest and don't get back in have something wrong with them, in my experience).

I also have to watch for more predators as I am placing in the outdoors chirping little tasty nuggets.

You also have to work on the broody hen's schedule, so setting expensive, purchased, breeder eggs can be tricky. For those, sometimes you simply have to use artificial incubators and brooders or buy at the feed store.

Feed store chicks often don't foster well, so when you see a chick you want at the store, it has been conditioned to seek warmth from the heat lamp. Feed store chicks will often fear the hen, and don't see her as comfort. (The brooding hen actually will talk and cluck to her chicks while they are in the shell. The bonding begins before hatch.)

So if you need to hatch/brood chicks on your time frame or need large quantities, artificial incubation and hatching are essential. A whole industry is built around that.

But if you are a small holder who simply enjoys chickens as a hobby or wish to have a sustainable life style for your family, brooding hens are an excellent means to provide that.

My experiences,
LofMc

The photos on my member page
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/lady-of-mccamleys-member-page.53374/

WOW! I love learning from experience. Mine or others. A sad story to start (I would have been crying in the mud too) but what you have learned is wonderful.

I incubated my first hatching eggs this year. I've never had a broody hen, so to hatch, electric was my only way. They were kept in the house. Good Lord what a mess they made! They tore through a brand new tarp scratching and running around. There is still chick dust and pine shaving floating around the house.
My coop isn't really set up for a broody so if it happened not sure how that would go.
I don't cull unless for mercy so hatching and getting cockerels is always a concern for me. If I suddenly had a broody girl I'd let her try at least. The idea of a hen doing the work sounds much better.
I agree that either way works and has it's merits.

 

[madchuck]

I have done both in the last 3 years. The incubator was borrowed and the 1st hatch 50% but all eggs developed.2nd hatch on same incubator 20% -its own had the same results some it needs calibtaring. Since then we aquired a few banties -they get broody if you leave more than 1 egg under them. The 1st hap -hazard hatch under not ideal circumstances gave us 11 out of 22 [50%] all eggs had full term in - we should have left them to it.We even added 4 blue eggs -all hatched. So next year we will have a better arrangement in place os hopefully a better hatch. Guess it depends on what you have but I am more in favour of Broodies

 

[akorte]

@Lady of McCamley, would this be appropriate as a brooding hutch? Can little babies get up and down a ramp?

 

[Abriana]

Totally agree. Whats more fun than watching a mother hen teach her chicks? This is something that will be lost in later years. Chickens raised by mother hens seem to be more hardy, overall stronger, smarter, and pick up new ideas faster than incubated chicks. They are not as friendly though. I think either way is fine, but i prefer mother hen hatched chicks.

 

[Abriana]

@Lady of McCamley, would this be appropriate as a brooding hutch? Can little babies get up and down a ramp?

View attachment 1052817

If they are super small, like just hatched, no. When their feathers are more grown they can fly up. If you make it really long they probably will be able to. You will probably have to lift them up into it for a while. I think it would be a good brooding hutch, save for the ramp. Either you go long or lifting them in every night and i don't know if there would be enough space in there to go long.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

@Lady of McCamley, would this be appropriate as a brooding hutch? Can little babies get up and down a ramp?

View attachment 1052817

Yes. That could work, assuming size is for 2 to 3 birds. They would outgrow it depending on the hatch size, but babes don't take much space for the first 2 to 3 weeks.

The ramp may or not be a problem.
My hutch ramp is too high for the first week..or two.. as it is waist high. About half manage and about half set up down below.

In my other side coop, I have a knee high ramp, and they use that pretty easily after the first few days...which works well as mom doesnt move chicks really for the first two days.

Looks good for a hen and her babes.
LofMc

 

[LilJoe]

I prefer to use bloodiest yet, if I dont have a broody and have fertile eggs I go for an incubator.


Incubator Pros
---------------------------
*Hatch more eggs
*Watch chicks hatch
(thats all I can think of)


Broody Pros
------------------------

 

[MageofMist]

I prefer to use bloodiest yet, if I dont have a broody and have fertile eggs I go for an incubator.


Incubator Pros
---------------------------
*Hatch more eggs
*Watch chicks hatch
(thats all I can think of)


Broody Pros
------------------------

Incubator Pros
---------------------------
*Hatch more eggs
*Watch chicks hatch
*Caring for the chicks (... Depending on the person, it is a pro or con )
*Can be used for a stand-in for quitter hens or hens that don't sit on the eggs when they should.
*More friendly chicks.
*Not getting pecked or growled at when candling the eggs.


Broody Pros
------------------------
*No power outages on the hen!
*Hen (hopefully) cares for chicks.
*Could be used as a stand-in for power outages.
*No need to set up a brooder, but may need to make a broody pen.
*Watching the hen and chicks as they forage about, and the chicks mimicking their mother.

 

[LilJoe]

Chicks ate friendlier?

My chicks that were raised by broodies are friendlier than my broader babies!