Why do you hatch eggs?

[duckluck]

Well, I will be hatching a group here soon...I ordered chicken eggs since this is my first time hatching but this is a dry run for a complete newbie with a pro's borrowed McMurray/GQF cabinet incubator...just fired up the 'bator today and this will be a learning experience since I have 7 pairs of exhibition quality call ducks total and I want to hatch my own because I am hoping to be able to produce some top-shelf SQ call ducks. I have three pairs of Charlie Hodum whites with an extra drake, a gray Larry LaGeese pair, and some ducks that will be coming home soon from Foley's Waterfowl which is a pair of whites and two pairs of grays, and these have Art Lundgren and Daphne Mays bloodlines. Who knows what I will find at the Call Duck Nationals? Something good, maybe!

Wish me luck on the six dozen peeps-to-be that are on the way, as this will be a way to try everything I have in preparation for trying the call ducks, which I understand are very difficult to raise from eggs. Thankfully, I have someone already lined up for the peeps, as I intend to stay a duck-only operation...

 

[rancher hicks]

I hatched a few to give it a try with a borrowed incu. then I had a hen go broody so I thought I try that too. and then another went broody and wouldn't stop so now she's got 4 chicks and then the other is trying to go broody and I'm trying to stop her.
But the biosecurity is a good reason and knowing the heritage is good too.
Judging from this site not everyone is a good poultry keeper some you just wonder what their set up/ feeding system is like, and I wouldn't take one of their birds for free.

 

[onthespot]

Almost all of the best birds I have, I hatched myself. No one sells you off the top of the flock. They always deal from the bottom of the reject pile first.

A lot of disease cycles can be broken by hatching eggs, but not all. No shipping stress. You know for sure when they hatched and what they were fed from day one. You get to imprint them if you want to. You are ten times as proud of ones you raised yourself. You get to sell your ones that don't fit your program and make another family happy. You have something to stare at for fifteen minutes when you get up to pee at four am.

 

[KDbeads]

Quote:
Now how did you know my incubator was beside my toilet and that hubby gets up at 4 am to pee? Seriously, I wanna know!!

 

[Woods_Woman]

My first incubated eggs hatched 2 days ago, and my reason's were because I wanted to raise my own babies from the get go...I am not into paying the heavy prices for chicks and shipping, plus the stress they go thru. Reason number two was because I cant get what I want locally.

 

[peeppeeppeep]

I'm doing it because I can't find the breed I want locally (Black Copper Marans). Also I would like a few more hens as right now we have just enough eggs produced to be a hassle - too many to use ourselves and too few to sell. We end up giving most to friends. If I had more I could sell some eggs.
Ideally I would also like to breed Marans if I get a nice batch. This is my first try and may be my last if nothing hatches!

 

[speckledhen]

I hatch because, frankly, I'm tired of hen after hen, all hatchery stock, dying from internal laying. Have lost six to this (all from the same hatchery) and two more will probably not make it through winter. No more hatchery birds, period. My other breeder stock have never had this ailment, at least so far. Not to say it won't happen, but I've lost half of my original flock, plus one younger hen, all to this awful thing. I hatch because I refuse to buy started birds from anyone.

 

[austinhart123]

it gets really addicting to hatch eggs and its also good to incubate your own eggs instead of having to buy chicks