We have been hatching our own chicks for several years now, with the exception of purchasing a few by mail or from our local feed store here and there. And every time we’ve bought them they don’t seem to match the strength and level of health that our home hatched chicks have. So here are my top 5 reasons why we hatch our chickens at home.
1. Treatment
Big hatchery environments are not very friendly to the chicks they hatch. Sure, they have climate and humidity control at the right levels, but after hatching, chicks come in contact with human hands that handle them in ways that are aggressive and disrespectful. Chicks are tossed around while being sexed and packaged for the mail, but are not treated gently. It’s no wonder that they throw a couple extra in the box in case some don’t make it on the journey to our house.
2. Vaccination
After hatching and sexing at the big hatcheries, the chicks are run through the vaccination station (I don’t know if that’s the name of it, but it rhymes). In this process they are pressed firmly into a rather large needle giving them the Mercks vaccine. Upon ordering your chicks, you can choose whether or not to vaccinate them for a small fee. And because of the pro-vaccine world we live in, I would assume they just vaccinate them whether you request it or not. I have no way of knowing this, but I just assume it because of all the nasty vaccines and chemicals that are put into our food these days.
3. Controlled Environment
I absolutely love hatching at home. Here I know exactly what my little chick has been through from the time it left its mother as a fertilized egg. We collected it from under her ourselves. We incubated it in our living room. We carefully snuggled it after it hatched, and placed it in its brooder box. It has the chance to grow in a healthy environment and never has to face the intensely aggressive way other chicks are handled by big, industrialized hatcheries.
4. Controlled Breeding
On our homestead we can control breeding between different flocks of chickens. So, if we need to breed more meat chickens, I have that breed cooped together to make sure I’m only getting those specific eggs. Or if we want to hatch only layers for that round, we can be specific about which eggs go in the incubator next.
I also know which hens and roosters are healthy and strong and who has the best genes to pass down to the next generation. I do not have to rely on a hatchery for this, unsure of what I might be getting. If the chicks are mistreated, I’m doubly sure the hens are as well. If hens are made to sit in a box all day or a small crowded area, they are not able to grow and thrive in the way God intended for them. This could result in alterations to their brain chemistry and could create anxiety in them, none of which I would want passed down in my chicks.
We have been hatching our own chicks for several years now, with the exception of purchasing a few by mail or from our local feed store here and there. And every time we’ve bought them they don’t seem to match the strength and level of health that our home hatched chicks have. Hatchery chicks tend to be scrawnier, more aggressive toward other chickens, and more susceptible to illnesses. Our chicks hatched from home are always stronger, with better temperaments than their hatchery counterparts.
5. It’s FUN!
Here comes the fun part! Right now in our living room we are starting to hear the first peeps of chicks as they start to peck at their shells during the several hour task of emerging from their egg. It is an exhausting process that keeps them busy, but also has them stopping for long naps in between pecking sprints. And when they awaken, sometimes only for a few minutes, we get to hear the soft peeping of a chick who is facing the first challenge of its life. Some don’t make it past this point, but most do.
We all love to gather around and watch them as they battle their way out of the membrane and then the hard shell surrounding it. And let me tell you, some of these shells are very strong. If you are not used to farm fresh eggs and only know store bought, you should know that the shells of our chickens seem to be twice as thick. They are calcium rich and provide a great home to our chicks, but also give them the opportunity to prove their strength when they come out.
Our family stops the by the incubator as each time we pass, to check on their progress and cheer them on. We never tire of seeing them come out or meeting them for the first time. They get names (sometimes several as multiple people might name each one), and once they’re fluffy, they get brought out and snuggled.
Yep, I’ll take home grown chickens any day of the week. I’m grateful that we can offer this opportunity both to the chickens and to our family. The only thing better than home hatching is when they get the privilege of being hatched by their mama hen. Nothing beats that. And nothing beats watching her strut around like a good mama, teaching her chicks the ins and outs of being a chicken and allowing them to burrow into her feathers for snuggles, warmth, and naps.
Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
