Incubator vs. Broody Hen; Which is Best???
We often get questions on incubation methods, or folks in a blind panic as their Broody hen has just gone for a walk and left the eggs unattended. It is easy to become baffled by the sheer volume of technical advice out there on incubation or rearing chicks. Sometimes in nature rearing young is not always successful. It might be that your broody hen was not in peak condition when she started sitting on eggs and after a couple of weeks realises she needs to take care of herself as she has lost condition and too much body weight if she continues to sit she might die. Sometimes you cannot always have an answer as to why things were not successful, but with the following reasonably simple guide, it should offer some guidance on how to go about certain methods and things to avoid. With this in mind a 100% hatch rate is achievable, but it is good to be realistic too. Even the big commercial hatcheries don't get anywhere near a 100% hatch rate. Fertility, it is possible to not hatch a chick from a perfectly fertile egg. There are some very intricate ways in which a chickens reproductive system works, maybe this is another topic altogether but definitely an interesting one.
It is not always possible to pick up top quality hatching eggs fresh from somebody who lives at the end of the street. The internet is a wonderful tool and connects folks in great ways sometimes. We have had great joy from messages where children are enjoying the wonders of watching life begin, as a chick emerges from it's shell. We to have had compliments on how stunning the birds are once they have grown on. Usually folks have forgotten us by then and have got the bug and gone chicken mad!!! So the solution for most is to order online. Schools, mums, dads, top breeders, big names and everyone in between has bought our eggs. Ideally to have the best possible results it is obvious it is best not to let them go through the postal system!!! With this said, it can be done effectively if the eggs are packaged correctly in purpose made packaging and great care is taken to ensure, freshness when eggs are collected to be sent out, that eggs are packaged in a way that avoids any movement at all whilst in transit. Finally a suitable postage option. We always use guaranteed next day delivery, as this means items do not go through the same system as standard items of post and as a rule are handled with more care, as they are tracked, can be traced throughout their journey and only signed for at your end if the package is delivered in good order. We have posted to far flung places with 100% hatch rates. Most sellers can offer a guarantee if pushed, but it is always best to talk to the seller about this before buying. Trust me when I say we have seen it all, ordered expensive rare eggs in and they have turned up in a shoe box wrapped in tissue paper. We have also received somebody else's eggs before, a lady once made such a fuss she sent the eggs back which were in a horrendous state and were the wrong colour eggs, needless to say they were not ours. So in short if you are going to buy eggs which will have to come via the postie, please ensure the quality of what you will receive before buying. It is also best to assume you will not achieve a 100% hatch rate at your first attempt, it does take time to understand the incubation process. Incubation can also be reasonably simple if you have suitable equipment or a seasoned broody hen, so don't be put off if you have never hatched off before, it is a wonderful experience for anyone. If the eggs are super cheap there is usually good reason for it. |
Basics of Incubation
From start to finish a chicken egg should take 21 days from setting the egg, either under a hen or in an incubator to hatching a chick. I will go through stages of development during incubation in the Candling section a little later on. The egg requires a constant temperature of around 37.5 degrees c for this period of time. Humidity also is required throughout incubation with an increase in the last 3 days before hatching day to aid pipping and hatching. It is also worth noting bantam eggs and eggs from certain breeds can hatch at 19 days. It is also worth noting if using a broody hen it can take even longer if she takes long tea breaks whilst incubating eggs. So be patient, don't be disappointed if you don't have bundles of chicks on-time, as nature cannot be that predictable. That is it, that is the simple version!!! We have had some Broody hens that literally do the lot, all we had to do is put the eggs under and 21 days later hey presto! Fluffy chicks! Now on to a more in depth comparison between incubation methods.
IncubatorIncubators are a very effective way of controlling parameters, for example you can buy an incubator that will comfortably incubate 20 or 40 eggs or into the thousands if you hatch commercially. A hen unfortunately might be limited dependant on breed or whether it is large fowl or bantam etc. Some breeds of chicken are just not really prone to broodiness or make terrible mums. An incubator takes out some of these potential pitfalls.
You can buy an incubator that suits your requirements. For example; a family with kids wanting to hatch just a handful of chicks as a learning experience, or just to acquire some pets, (as pictured) a Brinsea Mini Advance or similar sized incubator would suffice. This would allow you to incubate 7 large fowl eggs or more if they are bantam eggs. I use this incubator as an example as it is fully automatic, it turns the eggs for you, so all that is required is keeping the water pot filled to correct levels during incubation to control humidity. Parameters Using an Incubator: Temperature (still air/forced air fan assisted) Cooling Options, intermittent cooling to replicate hen getting up for a stretch, can increase hatch rate. Humidity; pumps, reservoirs, consistent humidity is required. This too can affect hatch rate. Automatic turning or manual (by hand) This is important to replicate the hen turning the eggs to keep the developing chick from getting stuck to a membrane before hatching out. Angle of turning; often there are settings to precisely measure the angle of degrees of turn. Frequency of turning eggs; this can also be specified, for example to be turned once per hour I have made the assumption the eggs were my own, produced by quality stock which is happy as a result of all parameters being carefully considered. I will cover this in more detail, in a how to source hatching eggs section. Eggs must be cleaned with correct egg cleaner and sourced fresh, allowed to settle, pointy end down for 24 hours then set in a correctly set up incubator which has been cleaned and allowed at least 12 hours to get to temperature. All of the above can also affect the hatch rate. I choose as a rule when hatching here, to not clean eggs, but select clean unsoiled, correctly shaped eggs for incubation. Weight of the egg can be seen as important, but as long as they are not misshapen or undersized or even oversized, all will be well. Hatch Rate
This is as a percentage what you hatch, fertility rate is something entirely different. There are many parameters involved in incubating eggs. You are essentially trying to replicate as closely as possible the natural incubation process. Even intermittent cooling is used now on modern incubators, to replicate the hen getting off the nest to feed and water herself. This is said to potentially increase the chances of you hatching strong healthy chicks on hatch day. Hatch rate is also a bit subjective as it is dependant on the number of eggs you incubate. For instance if you only incubate 6 eggs and 2 fail to hatch your hatch rate would be 66.6% which sounds horrendous. incubate 20 eggs and only hatch 16 and you are at 80% which I would be disappointed with here myself, but that is because I can control most of the parameters with minimal interference.
Fertility Rate:
This is decided by the parent stock of the eggs you have sourced. There are bundles of things that have an impact on this, but I will keep it simple, happy birds tend to produce good hatching eggs. A balanced high quality diet is necessary and a healthy ratio of fertile cock birds to hens is also required. As a rule we might run up to 6 hens with a single cock bird dependant on the breed less if the breed is less active. It is also important to note that as the hens come into lay naturally (traditionally Valentines day), this is when the season is in full swing and cock birds are active, fertility can be expected to dip in autumn/winter unless artificial environments are used. Age of birds, both sexes is also a factor either too young or too old and this can have a detrimental effect. Again this is breed specific.
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Broody HenBroody hens are by far the most natural way to increase your flock size, and I feel bring the most joy. There is nothing better than seeing bundles of fluff being cared for lovingly by a doting mum. Broodies are not without their faults, as they are not a machine and if they change their mind on incubating the eggs all can be lost, which can be devastating or expensive, if you have gone to great lengths to source hatching eggs.
As pictured Marge; she is by a long way the best Broody hen we have ever had the pleasure to own. Sometimes choosing to rear back to back broods. She is a hybrid consisting of a Gold Silkie x Light Sussex Parentage. Broody hens are not easily handled even if you are a seasoned pro! They can be savage at times particularly once chicks have hatched and the hen must protect her brood from harm. We had a Blue Laced Bantam hen that would happily savage the dogs even when not with chicks, so sometimes it can be difficult to tell if the hen you have will make a good broody hen/mother.
Taking Good Care of your Broody Hen
Handling the Broody hen; if it must be done is best with welding gauntlets or thick gardening gloves, be as gentle and calm as you can, being careful not to damage either hen or eggs if she is already sitting on some. I have found a stroke or two on the back towards the tail often makes them fluff up and begin to talk, then you can handle accordingly. Bear in mind if somebody grabbed you while you were in the zone and hiding up from potential predators, you might freak out too, even lash out!!!
Feeding and Watering: Food and fresh water is a must. The Broody hen will need constant access to these. I feed some cut maize or corn or ideally sure mixed, which has green split peas in too to keep them well maintained. A broody can lose a third of their body weight while sitting on eggs, so this is important. Fresh water is essential. Exercise: Your hen will need to stretch her legs and have a poo when she does get up. We have had hens that stay seated for 3 days at a time. Bear in mind the poo will stink and ideally want removing from any enclosed space, put a peg on your nose!!! You will need to ensure she can find her nest easily again once ready to go back. Providing safe and secure housing: The broody whilst nesting will need a safe place, away from other birds and predators; ideally somewhere suitable that is all on one level for when chicks hatch. A rabbit hutch is ideal for small bantams with the bird allowed to wander once thoroughly settled in. The housing also needs to be secure enough for when the chicks hatch. Nesting materials; I personally use a bed of shavings with the actual nest as fresh barley straw, ideally direct onto soil below, but obviously nowhere a predator can burrow into. This helps with Humidity. Parameters Using a Broody: Temperature (FOC) hen provides heat by contact with skin/underfeathers and regulates temperature by moving eggs around Humidity; hen provides this, ideally you need to provide damp grass for her to wander around in on day 17 or 18 to increase humidity to soften shells slightly making it easier for chicks to pip and hatch. Turning of eggs is provided by hen Angle of turning not quite as scientific with a hen, she decides! frequency of turning eggs (hen) |
Positives: Negatives: |
Incubator:
Can be used all year round to aid early production of show birds for season ahead Allows you to hatch off what you require when you want Larger hatches can be achieved with relative ease Requires no Broody hen Cost of running incubator Checking of parameters during incubation not too bad if fully automatic Requires Electric or other Brooder to keep chicks warm and under heat for 5-6 weeks Requires adequate housing for chicks hatched through to 6 weeks and beyond |
Broody Hen:
Seasonal: but a joy to have in the garden Trouble free incubation when using a good broody Doesn't require Brooder, minimal effort required as hen does most of the work Natural Process Can be temperamental It is possible to lose hen if hatch is unsuccessful. loss of egg production from hen being used Requires suitable secure housing, dry etc. Predators can easily take chicks and or mum if free range after hatch, careful supervision required or suitable environment |
How to Source Quality Hatching Eggs
Buy from me!!!! Just kidding, there are lots of folks out there doing similar to us. The way I would describe the process is very similar to buying a puppy. You will want to know what breed you want, this might be purely to lay you some eggs for use in the kitchen as there is nothing that beats a fresh egg of your own for breakfast. Or maybe you want something seriously impressive for your stately home. Or something with serious character and looks to go with. There is a breed out there for you no matter what your requirements.
Decide if you haven't already which breed you want.
A useful link would be the Poultry Club of Great Britain Website with their breed gallery, this will give you a starting point, another good way is to go to a local show to see some of the breeds first hand. talk to breeders and ask first hand what the breed is like to own, how much space it requires to be happy etc.
If you want some beautiful eggs to eat longer term then maybe look at sourcing a mixture of breeds, or hybrid hens that lay different coloured eggs.
Good Hybrid hens are bred with specific traits in mind, for instance egg production, or to make a good broody hen etc.
Just because the person who sold you the eggs told you their birds lay 400 eggs a year, does not necessarily mean this is true, but also your hens, whatever you choose will lay based on the conditions they are kept in. Generally a happy hen will lay well, this is as a result of a good balanced diet with a few boosters/supplements to keep them in good health. If you have sourced layers that lay 280 plus eggs a year, it is quite likely you will only get a couple of good seasons, as this is what most commercial breeders produce birds for, a bird that will have one full season laying 300 eggs, then they either are luckily rehomed or most end up in dog food, which is awful. The next batch of hens bought in and the process starts over again. This is where pure bred birds catch up as they can lay eggs more consistently for many more years, dependant on breed and conditions. Our slow growing Brahma take a full two years to get to full size and even then some go on to get bigger still. They don't lay at 19-23 weeks like some laying breeds but we recently had a hen in full lay at 9 years of age, monster eggs too.
Decide what is most important to you:
Space they require, suitable for anything other than free ranging etc.
Egg Laying Abilities
Egg Colour
Temperament
Looks
Make great mums
Pets
Something a bit Different
Can they cope with climate and environment
Large Fowl or Bantams?
Flighty or Docile?
Novice keeper/ expert
How important is quality?
Decide if you haven't already which breed you want.
A useful link would be the Poultry Club of Great Britain Website with their breed gallery, this will give you a starting point, another good way is to go to a local show to see some of the breeds first hand. talk to breeders and ask first hand what the breed is like to own, how much space it requires to be happy etc.
If you want some beautiful eggs to eat longer term then maybe look at sourcing a mixture of breeds, or hybrid hens that lay different coloured eggs.
Good Hybrid hens are bred with specific traits in mind, for instance egg production, or to make a good broody hen etc.
Just because the person who sold you the eggs told you their birds lay 400 eggs a year, does not necessarily mean this is true, but also your hens, whatever you choose will lay based on the conditions they are kept in. Generally a happy hen will lay well, this is as a result of a good balanced diet with a few boosters/supplements to keep them in good health. If you have sourced layers that lay 280 plus eggs a year, it is quite likely you will only get a couple of good seasons, as this is what most commercial breeders produce birds for, a bird that will have one full season laying 300 eggs, then they either are luckily rehomed or most end up in dog food, which is awful. The next batch of hens bought in and the process starts over again. This is where pure bred birds catch up as they can lay eggs more consistently for many more years, dependant on breed and conditions. Our slow growing Brahma take a full two years to get to full size and even then some go on to get bigger still. They don't lay at 19-23 weeks like some laying breeds but we recently had a hen in full lay at 9 years of age, monster eggs too.
Decide what is most important to you:
Space they require, suitable for anything other than free ranging etc.
Egg Laying Abilities
Egg Colour
Temperament
Looks
Make great mums
Pets
Something a bit Different
Can they cope with climate and environment
Large Fowl or Bantams?
Flighty or Docile?
Novice keeper/ expert
How important is quality?
TBC ...