chicks

[Joe]

What is the cheapest way to get chicks from my chickens this spring? Do I just leave the eggs alone and let them take care of it? how long should the eggs stay out?

Would it be best to pick up the eggs and put them in a incubator? anybody rig a reliable incubator from scratch?

[Junie]

The best way would be to let the hens hatch them, if they will set. I've raised chickens for 25 years and never had any set until last year. I use an incubator (I use a hovabator, which a lot of people don't like) so can't help you with making one from scratch.

[sbemt456]

The best way to hatch chicks is to let the hen do the work. But I only have one lil hen setting right now,and she only has about 10 eggs under her. I too have an incubator, its the Little Giant still air incubator. I put 36 eggs in there today and they should hatch off about the same time the hen does and hopefully I can sneak the chicks under her at night an she wont notice. Pretty sure she cant count.:wink: So she can teach them to eat and drink and I wont have to hand feed them.

Have a great day!

stella

[jonvee]

I've used an incubator in the past and let the hens hatch too. Personally, I prefer to let the hens handle things. The incubator has to be checked often and refilled with water so the humidity is right. And, my electric bill shoots up to about $75 a month when we hatch with the incubator.

I prefer to let the hens do it - they take care of the heat and humidity and I don't have to worry about the chicks getting their feet stuck in the egg turner. When I hear them hatch I do move them into a brooder box cause we have a problem with little critters digging in the coop and we lose chicks.

[yotetrapper]

For years my hens refused to set. Then, last year they finally did. She sat on about 10 eggs, but only 5 hatched. One died that same day, one a week later, and later, an older one got out of its side of the fence and drowned in a water pail. It's definitely wayy cute when a hen hatches, and it's also undoubtably "cheapest", but, for me at least, not a very reliable way to get chicks.

We did make an incubator, and it is fairly reliable. We made a small cabinet style one out of wood (picture a dorm sized fridge) and put 3 racks in it. For a thermostat we used a hot water heater thermostat, and the heat source is a light bulb. We also installed a computer fan for circulation.

However, we spent near as much on parts as we would have to bought a tabletop one. I would reccommend going to the farm store and buying a $50 one there. With chicks averaging $2.50, you'd only need to hatch out 20 chicks to break even....

[WileyCoyote]

I've never used an incubator; the hens are the most efficient. Although I did have some banties that would lay like crazy - but wouldn't set. Even ceramic eggs in the nest didn't help. They were NOT good mamas. If you have a hen that wants to set, let her! Natural is always better...

[Junie]

For years my hens refused to set. Then, last year they finally did. She sat on about 10 eggs, but only 5 hatched. One died that same day, one a week later, and later, an older one got out of its side of the fence and drowned in a water pail. It's definitely wayy cute when a hen hatches, and it's also undoubtably "cheapest", but, for me at least, not a very reliable way to get chicks.

I had similar problems with the chicks I let my hens raise. I ended up taking the remaining chicks and starting them in the brooder. I think the commercial chickens don't know how to raise chicks because they weren't hatched or raised by hens. They have not been taught how.

[Anon001]

A lot of it depends on the breed. Some breeds are good setters and some aren't. If you plan to let the hens do the hatching, you need to make certain you have a breed that is known as good setters.

Pick the eggs up until you have enough to set under a hen. I've always been told to set an odd number. So, I would gather until you have 11 eggs, and then put those under a broody hen. The eggs will keep for up to two weeks at room temperature. I put them in an egg carton and then gently rotate it twice a day until time to set.

You will never get as much to hatch as a hen. Mother nature still knows best.

Another thing is if you have a problem with chicks getting lost, confine the hen and chicks to an area that doesn't have high weeds and grass.

Paul

[yotetrapper]

I dont know, Paul.... My hen was a type known for broodiness, a Buff Orpington. Now, maybe I just had a bum mother. But my hen's production was 50% hatch-rate and a 20% to maturity.

Now, my incubator hatch rates average about 60%. Included in this average is eggs of particular breeds I've had shipped to me from all over the country, and shipping is rough on eggs. Now, of those that hatch I usually raise over 90% to maturity, which figures out to 54% to maturity from my incubator versus 20% to my broody.....

[Junie]

Yotetrapper, where did you get your Buffs? Mine were Buffs, too. I got them from McMurray Hatcheries. Of the 5 that set, none of them raised ANY of their chicks. They either got lost or the mothers abandoned them.

I get around a 75-80% hatch in the incubator and seldom lose a chick (around 2% loss)

[Anon001]

If your Buffs aren't giving you a good hatch there's something else wrong.

Buff Orpingtons used to be great setters. But,.... like with several of the breeds that were good setters, it has been bred out of them.

If I catch a Buff that is broody, she'll usually hatch all the eggs. From time to time, there may be one that doesn't get hatched.

One thing I notice with a surprising number of people new to chickens, they leave all the eggs out and expect a good hatch. The hen won't stay on the eggs with one or two hatching each day. They have to be picked up and then all of them placed under the hen at the same time.

Usually if a Buff hen does get broody, she will hatch more than an incubator. Another key is to not let her off the nest on her own.

I have a small wood crate. When a hen goes broody, I'll place her and the eggs on some hay or straw in the box. I'll then put chicken wire over the top to keep other hens from trying to get in with her. I'll let her out twice a day to eat and drink. Then when she settles back into the nest, I put the chicken wire back over her.

A lot of old timers would have brooding cages. They were set up sort of like rabbit cages, up off the ground. When a hen would go broody, she and the eggs would be placed in the brooding cage and fed and watered inside the cage. It works good.

Paul

[Junie]

Mine weren't hatching a few, then leaving the nest. They'd stay on the nest and the chicks were left to fend for themselves. Naturally, they'd get lost or die because the mother wasn't taking care of them.

I like the idea of putting them in a cage. I have some rabbit cages I'm not using. I might try that later this spring.

[fancifowl]

Thats exactly how I ran brood pens. they were old fox pens and worked perfectly for breeding bantam pairs or trios or large fowl pairs and as broody pens. I would leave the hen and her brood in them until they were grown enuff to seperate then pen the hens according to their bloodline, band the chicks and put on the ground in their resperctive grow pens. I lost very few that way. As I had a market for them i didnt let them free run and die off!

When we had the pit games we put them on walks at different farms and they would lose about 1/2 the chicks, we figured the smart and tough made it? Didnt always work out that way!

[Joe]

Thank you all for the information and sharing your experience. I will give the brooding cage method from PaulNKS a shot.
Joe

[yotetrapper]

Hope you get a broody Joe. Or do you already have one gone broody?

I didn't have mine penned up seperate, so that may have been it. I dont know, I've just had nothing but hassle. Had one other, a wyandotte, go broody. She would sit on a nest all day, and peck me when I tried to take eggs. This went on for 2 weeks, and finally I gave her eggs to keep. She sat on them for 7 days, then promptly abandonned them. <sigh>

If I have hens go broody I always try to let them hatch them but very few times do they actually hatch any, well, in fact, only once out of 10 or so broodies I've had over the past 2 years. The first 3 years I had no broodies. I guess bottom line for me, if my hens want to hatch they're welcome to, but for realiabilty for me to increase my flock and sell chicks at swap meet, I'm an incubator gal.

Oh, and Junie, I dont recall where my buff's originally came from, it was either Ideal Hatchery, or Farm King store (which would be Welp hatchery). Have never ordered from McMurray.

[Junie]

Oh, and Junie, I dont recall where my buff's originally came from, it was either Ideal Hatchery, or Farm King store (which would be Welp hatchery). Have never ordered from McMurray.

I was thinking that hatchery chickens didn't have the instincts to raise young. That might be right.

[yotetrapper]

My chicken project for this spring is working on a brand new line of chickens called Lavender Orpingtons. They're kind of a smoky purplish gray color and pretty as all get out. I have a lavender rooster, and 5 split black hens, meaning they're black but carry the lavender gene. They were created by Jody Hinks of PA, and I won an auction for some eggs last year. i have two batches of them in the incubator now, with the first 7 set to hatch on St. Patty's day.

[Junie]

That is really awesome! If you can, please post pictures after they hatch and as they grow. I'd love to see them!

[yotetrapper]

Sure. After they hatch I'll start a thread about them here. Need to get some pictures of the adults next day it don't rain, which, from the sounds of it, may be a while.

[Junie]

Thank you. I know what you mean about the rain. In the past year we've had no more than 4 days of sunshine in a row.

[Joe]

1 more question, my wife is really concern on how long the hatch chix can stay in the cage before they are mix with the flock, I said not to worry about it, but she insist that I ask...

Thank you again

[Junie]

I usually keep mine separated about a month or until they're big enough not to walk through the chicken wire in the run.

[AlchemyAcres]

Silkies are setting, hatching and mothering machines!!!!

I used silkies when I was hatching out several chicks 'naturally' every year.


~Martin

[Joe]

Thank you PaulNKS, Junie and everybody else... I followed your suggestions and got 7 chix so far and more on the way.

Joe

[Treehog]

My chicken project for this spring is working on a brand new line of chickens called Lavender Orpingtons. They're kind of a smoky purplish gray color and pretty as all get out. I have a lavender rooster, and 5 split black hens, meaning they're black but carry the lavender gene. They were created by Jody Hinks of PA, and I won an auction for some eggs last year. i have two batches of them in the incubator now, with the first 7 set to hatch on St. Patty's day.

Are these the ones you're talking about? http://www.pagespoultry.co.uk/images/chickens/lavenderorpington_cockerel.jpg
They look delicious :)

[Anon001]

They look good.

Paul

[Anon001]

Joe,

I wouldn't keep the hen and chicks in the box now that they are hatched. Ideally, she needs to be able to get out and about with the chicks to start teaching them how to scratch and find food. It would be best if you can do it where there isn't high grass and weeds.

Paul

[jonvee]

Everyone looks happy. congrats.

We hatched 15 last month. Ever see an Araucana Frizzle cross? Think windy day hair and you'll get the picture. Not too pretty, but the eggs taste just fine.

And, if I don't hound my kid to collect eggs we'll have another 15 in short order. I think that's her plan:)

[Joe]

Joe,

I wouldn't keep the hen and chicks in the box now that they are hatched. Ideally, she needs to be able to get out and about with the chicks to start teaching them how to scratch and find food. It would be best if you can do it where there isn't high grass and weeds.

Paul

Thanks Paul, the whole gang are going out in the chicken tractors in the field, mama hen and the chicks will have the coop and yard for themselve.

[ohara1000]

I just got 25 baby brown leghorn's from McMurray. They look like little ground squirrels with the black stripes down their backs. I have them in a brooder box in my living room for now until they are about a week old and the nights warm up a bit. My husband said he never thought he would see the day he would be living in a house with chickens.:sarcastic:

I have one hen setting now so I think I will set about 12 eggs as well.

Sarah

[ohara1000]

We made a coop to house our new chicks. It was built from salvaged wood and remanants of metal roof. They have a small stationary run but we turn them out to forage during the day. I will try to attach a picture of the coop, nest box and a couple of hens. Never mind the image says grandchildren because my hen house pics are mixed in with the grands pics.
Sarah

[NCLee]

Sarah, now that's what I call a chicken coop!

Love the idea that you used salvaged materials to build it. You nest boxes look just like the way I build them.

Suggestion: When you have time, you may want to build a small wire enclosed area for a chicken run in front of your house. It'll be good for those times when you want to keep the chickens penned up for some reason. With the wire enclosure, they'll still be able to get plenty of light and air circulation, as you'll leave the coop door open and the gate to the fence closed.

And, because they have more area, the poop build-up in the coop will be less.

The run will be a good place for you to dump surplus produce, vegetable trimmings, and other things that you want to feed the chickens. Once they get used to getting "treats" there, it will be easier to round them up, during the day, if the need arises. Give them a call, and they'll come ah running. :wink:

Just a though......

Lee

[ohara1000]

Thanks Lee. I do have a 14x24 run in the back that can be accessed from a small door in the back of the coop. The run has a seperate door to the outside. I agree with the additional run because they deplete the vegetation fast. I usually turn them outside to forage during the day and close them in for the night. This helps with the poop build up and cuts down of "chicken feed".
Sarah

[Deberosa]

Dark Cornish are excellent mothers also - I had one hatch out 18 chicks under a bush and raise every one of them!


Right now I have a buff Orpington with a brood. When she went broody we put 12 eggs in one of those covered cat litter boxes with lots of straw and put her in there. I put a towel over the opening until mid the next day for her to settle. Then she didn't move till she had 9 chicks.

The best way is to let the hen raise the chicks, but I found if you have multiple nest boxes you need to isolate the broody hen because they "forget" which nest they were sitting on - even if the one they move to has no eggs! That plus other hens will keep adding to the nest she is setting on and unless you mark and check the eggs you won't know which is which. Plus you don't want to disturb the hen nuch once she is setting if you want chicks.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b340/deberosa/NewChicks.jpg