Why incubate when broody hens will do it for you?

[karlamaria]

I know lots of folks use incubators, is this because they do not have broody hens? Seems mine go broody non stop lol. Wish I had some fertile eggs to go under her,I will be buying some come spring so my broody girl can finally be a mama !

 

[stephanie1992]

i do it because i dont have broody hens and i love to see them hatch!!

 

[karlamaria]

Question, what do you all do with all these chicks you hatch out? Eat them, sell them? I mean you can only incubate so many and your stuck with loads of chickens .

 

[stephanie1992]

i give them away for free if there mix breeds or cockrels. and sell my pure breed pullets. and keep a few pullets

 

[deerman]

good reason to use a incubator.

1. broody hens setting or raising chicks DON'T Lay.....in case of show birds or chicken to hatch you can hatch more when she start laying again.

2. I get better hatch rate with my incubator than a broody hen.

 

[shellyga]

When I have a broody hen.. I use her.. at other times (and the same time as I am a hatchaholic) I incubate.

As for what I do with all the chicks.. I keep some, sell some, and give a few away.

Shelly

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

I don't like using broodies, maybe its just my hens but they always seen to get the chicks killed somehow. Either by killing them themselves or something of the like.

 

[MamaMarcy]

I enjoy incubating (hobby). I do have a broody duck sitting on 10 eggs right now. I'm wishing I hadn;t let her sit on a clutch cause she'd still be laying if she wasn't (I sell her eggs and we eat them)

The chicks...I sell some, give some away, keep some. I can't imagine eating a chick for the simple reason they are so small, but in our yard they are pets and not food although we do eat the eggs.

 

[MamaMarcy]

And yes, chicken is my favorite kind of meat

I just don't eat my own.

 

[littlecreekfarm]

because sometimes i don't have a broody. And plus if your selling the chicks it's less stress on the hen to take her chicks away(trust me i had some turkey poults and we took them away from momma and we had them in a box about 5 feet up and she got in there with them and i had one in my lap and she jumoed up in my lap trust it's madness). and you can hatch more in an incubator.