Cube mk2 and WIR

[lauren_1]

Hi, (first post) be gentle!

 

I have managed to get the idea of keeping chickens around my hubby, i did have to compromise and let him buy a workshop so i can have my coup but hey we needed a new one.

 

Any how we have 2 bantam chicks coming tomorrow and we have room for more in the future, i was just wondering what the general tone was for buying eggs from ebay to incubate at home?

 

Also was wondering as the chicks are still small would it be better if i looked for a point of lay hen to kinda be their 'mother'

 

Many thanks

[Egluntyne]

Welcome to the forum.

 

You need to do masses of research Lauren.

 

A point of lay hen will in all likelihood kill your chicks and eat them for breakfast.

 

Have a browse of our FAQ section, there are many helpful articles there.

 

I would recommend that you don't embark upon hatching until you are more experienced.

[lauren_1]

Ok, thanks for that.

[Snowy]

Hi Lauren and welcome!

I agree with Egluntine, please do read up on hatching and chickens before you embark, there can be many pitfalls!

When you say your chicks are still young, do you know how young? Very young chicks need to be kept warm until a certain age (not too sure when as I've never hatched my self). You will also need to consider what to do with any cockerels as they are very difficult to rehome (unless you plan on eating them). There's lots of info in the FAQ section.

[lauren_1]

Any cockrels will probably be eaten, killing them makes me feel a bit but my hubby chef has no problems with it, neither does my mum, a farmers daughter.

 

They can take care of that bit!

 

We do want to keep a cockrel for sure as we eat a lot of chicken and it might teach the kids a thing or two about the food we although i can see this chicken thing getting quite addictive and when the time comes to kill one i may get quite protective...

 

Is there anyone else who rears chicken for food too?

[craftyhunnypie]

I might get shouted at for writing this, but I don't see the point in hatching something - to oogle over it as a chick - then kill it when it grows up. Why hatch it in the first place? I don't eat chicken at all, but if I did I would leave growing chickens purely for food to someone else.

I think hatching just because you want cute chicks & then kill them later is a bit selfish. A bit like leaving the chickens out purposely for the fox to get.

 

My cockerels are hatched for breeding purposes only & to keep the girls under control.

 

Emma.x

[Steph101]

Check out an earlier thread by Claret called 'Meet my friend Prudence'.

I wouldn't entertain embarking on anything like this unless you have enough chicken keeping experience. While some people on this forum may well breed chickens for the table, I think the majority keep chickens as pets, that have the added bonus of possibly laying a few eggs! (Depending on whether you have an ornamental pure/rare breed type, or hybrids).

[Snowy]

There are some who raise chickens for meat lauren, and many more who would like to! At least you will know they have had a good life with you

[oatley]

I think hatching eggs would be great, and if you find like I did that your hen goes broody within 3 days of owning your first two hens, it can be an almost inevitable experience! We tried to crack the broodiness from my hen but she was very stubborn and my chilcken breeder said she needed babies or she might get ill if she persisted too long. So we put eggs under her and 3 weeks later had 3 babies (all unrelated as they were donor eggs from different flocks at the breeder). Two males and one female. Unfortunately the female became unwell at about 3 weeks old and had to be destroyed. The boys actually make fabulous pets too - we love them - no eggs I accept but great pets. They did fight initially, but now they know who is boss and they get on great! The other hen is truly the boss.

 

So time went by and the same hen recovered well, then recently went broody again. A freind of mine wants to have some chicks to keep as pets so we have agreed that we will go for another little brood and she will take them when they are old enough. She will also take my old ark for them to live in as I have a cube arriving next month.

 

So we got 6 more donor eggs from Rob, and added one egg from each of my hens which we hoped had been fertilized by one of the boys that we hatched earlier in the year. We are now 14 days in and all the eggs got candled today and every single one is looking good. I can see movement in all of them (eight).

 

So - I am sure that it may need a lot of experience to raise chicks from eggs, but having just accidentally ended up doing it with very little experience of raising chickens - I am loving it and finding it very rewarding - and more to the point, my hen is happy as it is what she wants to do.

 

I figure that I am learning on the job, and I know where to go to if I need advice - what is there to lose?

[Egluntyne]

So long as one has a good idea about what one will do with any cockerels/deformed chicks and has all the appropriate info and kit in place.....go for it.

 

The problems occur when people ask for a home for an unwanted cockerel or post frantic "help" messages, not about an unexpected development but for basic info such as "what should the chicks eat?" just as the eggs are pipping.

 

Be prepared and do the necessary research beforehand.

 

It is always the best way.