i was reading a chicken care book that said you should take the eggs and hatch them yourself all the time. It said to raise the chicks in a garage until they were big enough to put with the rest of the chickens. Is this true, or will the hen take proper care of the chicks if you let her hatch the eggs?
also, will these chicks interbreed with the rooster (their father) or each other and produce chicks with birth defects?
I prefer to let my hens hatch, and raise chicks, it makes my life so much easier, plus the chicks seem happier, as well as the moms.
This being said naturally all hens are not the best of mothers. Some hens will even abandon and kill their young. But, most of the time if a hen is determined to have chicks, she will go through with it, and raise them up.
Also, know that not all breeds tend to go broody. With many production and ornamental fowl the broody trait was breed out of them. So if you want hens to hatch out chickens pick breeds that are known for it. Some are Silkies, Cochins, Brahmas, and the Orpington.
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As for inbreeding, doing so is fine as long as your genetics are. The tough thing about inbreeding is the recessive traits can show once breed back into each other, and these traits may be undesirable, such as a birth defect, or possibly even desirable such as color you are working towards.
Best wishes,
Jamie/Rhoderunner
A hen will only hatch eggs if she goes broody which means she makes a nest and sits on the eggs 24/7. If this is the case she will be a devoted mother usually and care for them diligently (I have had several hens raise ducklings and turkey poults)
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n283/... Most breeds of hen never go broody, it has been bred out of them to please the egg consuming public, broody hens stop laying eggs so are no good for egg production therefore broody hens in battery units are culled. Unless you have a broody hen you have to use an incubator if you want chicks and yes you need to keep them secure and warm (with a red heat lamp) for the first 2 or 3 weeks till they feather up.
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Yes the chicks will get mated by their father (presuming you have female chicks) and no they don't have birth defects. I have hatched eggs for many years and probably some of these were father/daughter eggs and I've never had a problem. Have you though what you will do with the male offspring? I have never had more female than male chicks, it always seems to be more young roosters.
yes the hens love and care believe me i had a mother hen she hatched 12 chicks and cared for them when they grew up they layed eggs The hen can sense the chicks peeping inside the eggs, and will gently cluck to .... would otherwise do to each other in the crowded quarters they are raised in.. .... Cuccos (also Hylian Cuccos) are a breed of chickens or ... Fighting Cock brand of Bourbon uses a mean rooster as their trademark. ...
