Here we go with another random Shortykilogyrl post, yeup my life is like these posts. haha So question to all of you in the now or in the past have you ever hatched and raised chicks, and I do mean the feathered kind. 
I'm considering hatching my own and selling some when they get older and keeping some for my flock as well. I have never hatched before but I did raise some last year. I had purchased 5, one died, which is to be expected, and ALL of the other 4 turned out to be cockerels! That's my luck. So my hens are all getting up there in age and I want to add some younger girls so I have constant eggs coming in, well I guess out, to sell. Of my 9 hens, 3 are currently not laying for whatever reason I can not figure out, the other girls are giving me close to 24 eggs in a 7 day period. Not bad for one being 8 years old (still laying), and 5 being over 5 years old. Of course it's the one year olds that aren't laying. :violent: They are about to find a new home. I haven't had good luck with them from the get go. But they were transitioned from grower feed to layer feed WAAAY too early so that probably has something do with it.
Any who, I was wondering who has raised their own chicks, and hatched them from eggs. What type of an incubator did you use? I don't have a broody hen to use or else I would definitely go that route. I have researched online how to make my own incubator. This is the route I will go as I am going to purchase an infrared brooder so they can immediately go outside and start to learn what that's all about. So what's your experience? How did you hatch?
I'm considering hatching my own and selling some when they get older and keeping some for my flock as well. I have never hatched before but I did raise some last year. I had purchased 5, one died, which is to be expected, and ALL of the other 4 turned out to be cockerels! That's my luck. So my hens are all getting up there in age and I want to add some younger girls so I have constant eggs coming in, well I guess out, to sell. Of my 9 hens, 3 are currently not laying for whatever reason I can not figure out, the other girls are giving me close to 24 eggs in a 7 day period. Not bad for one being 8 years old (still laying), and 5 being over 5 years old. Of course it's the one year olds that aren't laying. :violent: They are about to find a new home. I haven't had good luck with them from the get go. But they were transitioned from grower feed to layer feed WAAAY too early so that probably has something do with it. Any who, I was wondering who has raised their own chicks, and hatched them from eggs. What type of an incubator did you use? I don't have a broody hen to use or else I would definitely go that route. I have researched online how to make my own incubator. This is the route I will go as I am going to purchase an infrared brooder so they can immediately go outside and start to learn what that's all about. So what's your experience? How did you hatch?
