Broody Hen Or Incubator For Hatching Eggs?
“Why exactly do so many more people choose the broody hen over the incubator?”
This comment was left by Megan (thanks Megan) and I thought that it was an interesting question.
More people choose to use a broody hen because the success rate with the hen is usually better than with the incubator.
The broody hen instinctively creates the correct conditions for the eggs to hatch and even knows if the eggs are fertile as they will leave the unfertile eggs in the nest once the other eggs have hatched. There is also very little human involvement in this method except making sure that the hen has access to fresh water and feed, which is part of the daily routine of hen keeping anyway. The lack of human intervention in this method of incubation can make it favourable to some people.
It is more difficult hatching eggs in an incubator as you have to consider:
how long they were stored before incubation and whether they were at the correct temperature,
making sure that the eggs were turned regularly before going into the incubator and once in the incubator,
making sure that the temperature is correct in the incubator throughout the incubation period and
making sure the humidity is correct throughout the incubation period.
As you can see there are alot of variables and conditions that can effect the success of hatching eggs in an incubator. it also takes alot of human involvement and decision making.
Although it can be difficult to hatch eggs, it is not impossible and most incubators today have regulated temperatures making it easier to hatch the eggs. The incubators come with a set of instructions making the incubation process more manageable.
I have found that different types of birds eggs can also be easier to hatch. In my experience quail eggs are easier to hatch in an incubator than guinea fowl eggs.
The great thing about using an incubator is being able to observe the eggs as they start to pip and the chicks hatch out. It is amazing to watch. With a broody hen it is not always possible to watch the hatch.
It is my belief that both methods of hatching eggs have their advantages and disadvantages. It is for the individual poultry keeper to look at their indiviual circumstances and decide which method is the most suitable. So which method do you prefer, the broody hen or the incubator?
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Broody Hen eggs Hatching Incubation Incubator
Broody hen wins every time - if it is a bantom. Some of the newer, larger breeds can be a bit skittish! Whether it is a goose egg or a partridge egg, the broody hens succeed. The broody copes with the tricky bit when they hatch at different times.
Comment by TopVeg — January 18, 2008 @ 10:47 am
I remember that incubator and hatching eggs at my grandfathers house. He would let a hen hatch some and do some in the incubator. Watching the chicks break through was always an exciting time.
Comment by Curtis — January 18, 2008 @ 11:16 am
It would be great to watch the eggs hatching. The first you know with a broody is when you hear the cheeping. I never had an incubator - could only find electric ones, and we had no electricity. I had several broodies sitting at once, and they gave no trouble as long as they weren’t disturbed.
Comment by Dragonstar — January 18, 2008 @ 2:37 pm
having failed miserably with a borrowed, brand name incubator that spiked the temp to 104 on about the 17th day. we are trying our luck with our broody hen, nature must do better than, these horrible man made, styrofoam ovens……..yes you detect a bias.
I don’t mind not seeing the chicks hatch, perhaps that’s the way it is meant to be, private for the hen and chick, and not for our ‘entertainment’. If the creator of these chicks wanted it ‘on stage’ then the event wouldn’t have been planned to take place under a fluffy hen.
Hats off to commercial hatcheries, purchasing hatched, day old chicks may be our course from now on. ‘Aerie’ our broody hen is our last resort after a heartbreaking incubator tragedy. We are on our 7th day. wish us luck!
Comment by Centaur — April 19, 2008 @ 2:50 am
personally we hav had little success in the use of a brand new incubator bought for the purpose. on the other hand the success rsate for the hen well , astronomical. we have found that the eggs in the incubator have almost pipped when unfortunately they have`nt made it even though fully formed. better luck next time.
Comment by maureen gwillim — May 16, 2008 @ 7:50 pm