Hatching Eggs.

[bluemoon]

Having read the thread about eglus here, I decided to look on e-bay at the chicken coops (I never think to do this) and I've noticed loads of hatching eggs for sale. Would this be a good thing to try - I'd have to try to get hold of a cheap incubator too - or is it running before I can walk? I love the idea of raising my new hens from scratch (no pun intended), but I'd worry about what to do with the 'spare' cockerels.

[bigal123_123]

its very easy if you follow instructions word for word but its not just inci you have to buy its feeders drinkers brooder lamp and holder plus you need some were to keep them when they hatch plus feed can get very expensive but worth doing .

[Birdie Wife]

Hi bluemoon, raising chicks is hard work but very rewarding - but you do need to have a plan of what you're going to do with those extra cockerels. It's rare to be able to rehome spare cockerels (don't even think about taking money for them, unless they are some super-duper strain and you happen to have someone in your area needing to improve their flock... chances? virtually nil!!) and most people either dispatch at a few days old (with some breeds, you can tell girls and boys apart at a very early age) or later on for the table.

[bigal123_123]

bird wife is right cocks very hard to pass on unless you can despatch yourself but worth trying to keep for table birds thats why i keep ls plus rir good luck.

[Keep It Green]

If you like the thought of having them from chicks you can always buy day old's. This way you don't have to buy an incubator. Remember it'll be a while before you get an egg, it might be better to get a couple of hens at POL and then get yourself set up to hatch some eggs.

I'll be putting some in my incubator in a couple of weeks time, it's the first time I've used this one so I'll have to see how things go.

[Lauren b]

have no idea how to hatch eggs mummy is thinking to get a small incubatorset don't no if she is getting it

[roitelet]

How about waiting for a hen to go broody and she will do the job for you.

[kirsty b]

We did have a RIR go broody last year and she got off the eggs and let them go cold with only days to go. Lauren is quite taken with the idea of chicks and in a recent GYO i saw that Ascotts do an incubator set that includes a brooder, heat lamp and feeders for £89 and was toying with the idea of saving up for it.

As my current hens are ex-bats not sure if they are likely to go broody at all. Would deffo try a hatch if one did though.

[matthew2riches]

I thought about this but eggs are so eaisly damaged. I have a glass vase come to me from essex (only 40 miles from me) and i opened it and it was broken.

I wouldn't risk sending an egg through the post. even if it doesn't break it will still kill the neucleus and then you will have an egg that is not much more good than one in your pantry!

Try it at your own risk - it would be better to go to a local farm and collect some hatching eggs yourself.

best of luck!

[kirsty b]

I'm lucky in that I have a farm less than a mile away that sells fertile eggs. Marans and Light Sussex
Will have to see if the budget allows it later in the year

[bluemoon]

Thanks all. Having considered this we have decided to go with POL hens as we are far too inexperienced. I do now however have 2 allotments, with permission for hens on both and the plan was to keep 6 on the first plot then, when they were no longer in the first flush of youth, buy 6 more for the second plot, that way the first batch are allowed a bit of retirement rather than being culled to make room for more. I quite like the idea of using a broody to rear the chicks when we stock the second plot, so will hang fire for a couple of years, at least I now know that it's possible - and where to buy the eggs.