Why do you hatch eggs?

[eggsrcool]

To replace the stock

 

[dianneS]

I've personally had too many issues with hens screwing things up for me! I'll give a broody the eggs I want her to hatch and she'll kick those out of the nest, or other hens will jump on the nest and lay extra eggs messing up the hatch time. I've tried marking the eggs that were all set at the same time, and before I know it all of those are gone and there are entirely new eggs on the nest! Some hens are really lousy mom's. Some will eat eggs, others will set on a nest until just days before hatching and then abandon the nest!

I've only had one hen successfully hatch an entire clutch of 10 eggs, because she was secluded to the hayloft in the barn. She's also a mixed OEGB and silky cross, so she's a super good mom! But... I had another hen (my favorite) try to hatch some in the same spot. I figured all would be just fine. A predator got her.

Killed her, didn't eat her or her eggs! Up in the hayloft too! So that is not a safe place for broodies anymore either.

The hens that try to hatch in the henhouse on their own usually end up with a bunch of unhatched eggs, only able to hatch three or four before getting off the nest and abandoning the rest.

I've had hens discriminate against eggs that weren't their own. When setting on a communal nest or setting eggs that I placed under her, she would kill the babies that came out of different sized or colored eggs than her own! She would only raise her own chicks!

I know a good broody is better than any incubator, but I've had so many hens mess things up! If I don't care what or when the chicks hatch, I'll just let them go and do their thing. But if I have specific eggs I want hatched, I do it myself, or I seclude the broody and keep her safe from the other hens so she can do her thing. That doesn't always work either, some broodys don't like being confined and will abandon the nest, just to go off to another unsafe location to start over!

I guess I like to be able to control the situation, especially when the eggs in question are important to me!

 

[DawnSuiter]

To get more chicks of course!

Most of mine are to replenish or build up my own stocks... or fill the freezer
I sell extras and sometimes like my last clutch, I "hatch on demand" for people who don't want to incubate but still want babies.

 

[gumpsgirl]

I haven't read the this thread so I do not know the responses you've gotten so far, but I wanted to give you my opinions!

I hatch chicks because it's exciting and amazing all at the same time! It's fun to watch them come out of their shells and raise them from the start. I love hatching chicks!

 

[lauralou]

I hatch eggs to get really nice stock. It's the best way that I know of to get birds from breeders who are far away from me.

Plus, I have some excellent broody hens. Truly exceptional broodies. So hatching eggs is absolutely no trouble at all for me. The girls take care of everything from hatching the eggs to raising the chicks. Very, very easy. Easier than ordering chicks from a hatchery, with the added bonus of getting good bloodlines.

Of course the downside is that you hatch out roos, whereas the hatcheries do a pretty good job of sexing and sending you only pullets. For the most part. So I sell off extra roos. Or give them away. Or eat them as a last resort. I've made enough money selling roos to pay for the eggs, every time. So it has worked out well for me.

Oh, and the mommas and babies are the cutest things ever!

 

[Junkmanme]

Sometimes, I do things just to see how well I can do them (or how "poorly" - 1st try.....)

My first try (homemade incubator) was a total failure.

So...I've studied up.....repaired a couple of broken "Little Giants"..done a few modifications..
and almost "ready-to-go".

I want to be able to raise "MY OWN sort of chicken".........going with the largest, strongest, healthiest, Best Layers, etc.

So, incubating the eggs "fits" with what I wish to do with chickens.

(I'll attempt to sell the ones I choose not to keep. There are many folks out on the REZ who want chickens just roaming around, so perhaps I will have a small, "cheap" market for my extras.)

By incubating correctly and well, I think I can get the sort of chickens that I want.

Besides, I want to see how well I can do it. (I like learning things NEW to me.)

-Junkmanme-

 

[Chicken Chat]

For one, it's really addicting! I won't ship live birds, ever, it is far too stressful for them. We have all seen what the post office can do to boxes. I even stress out over eggs that are shipped in the mail. There is nothing better than to watch a baby growing in that egg, moving around. Plus you can handle them from day one, creating a very friendly flock. I only incubate enough to replenish my flock or to add new breeds using backyard breeders only, I never use hatcheries. Just try it once, you will be hooked..

 

[ams3651]

my hen hatched her own, 4 of them one may have to go as hes a roo and the hens are giving him a hard time. I hope she hatches more next spring. It would allow me to add just a couple hens each year, staggering their ages and costing me nothing.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I've only done it once, but I did it so my kids and I could see the process. It's amazing and addicting.


Can't wait til spring so I can do it again!

 

[The Sheriff]

I had a hen go broody a couple of months ago. By broody, I am talking "I am goin' kill somebody if I don't get me some babies" broody. So I asked on Craigslist for anyone with fertile eggs. A lovely sustainable farmer gal sold me 24 fertile eggs. She sells organic brown eggs at a food co-op so she keeps basically two breeds that are laying machines. I am a hobby farmer and I want variety in egg color, hen color, size and dispositions. But I took her beautiful eggs and gave half of them to Wilma, ran out and bought the only Incubator available locally, the dreaded still air Little Giant. So the race was on. Three weeks later I hatched out chicks out 8 of my 12 and Wilma hatched out 11 of her 12. I kept mine in a brooder for a week and then sold them via Craigslist to a family just getting into chickens. They were thrilled. Wilma raised all those babies like a true professional Momma. Then I saw an ad on Craigslist from a young girl looking for chicks to raise for her first 4H poultry project. I had found the home for the babies but couldn't bear to take Wilma away from her babies. So I gave the broody ( a beautiful black copper Marans), the babies (Black/red sex links and Australorps), and two of my EE's to the girl. She specifically wanted some green eggs layers and these two EE's had been picking on my blind-in-one-eye hen, Lucy. So the Mom drove an hour to get her daughter the ready made flock and everyone was thrilled.

So now I have a new Brinsea incubator coming and 2 dozen eggs to start hatching next week. I picked out the breeds I want from reputable breeders and I will add to my flock the way I want it. I just hope I don't get all roos but it seems like there is enough interest locally that I am always able to re-home birds.

I am on lockdown right now in the styrofoam incubators with 5 BB Red OEG's from my own birds and three bantams cochins, the only survivors from 9 shipped eggs! I am hoping for the best but expecting the worst due to apparently rough shipping and major temp fluctuations in the incubators.

Wow, that was more than you asked for. I guess what I am saying is that I would use incubation or broody hens so that I can have the best chance of getting the breed and quality of birds I want with less chance of disease. Been there, done that with started birds and never again. I did make an exception with the five two week old silkies I have in the brooder right now. I bought them from MPC and hope they grow up to be good broody Moms.

Mary