Hatching Chicks Naturally
Some people go to elaborate lengths to raise chickens, but the truth is, that’s not necessary. Chickens are so undemanding that the process is relatively simple, even if you’re dedicated to rearing your poultry from babyhood. First of all, live baby chicks aren’t very expensive, so you always have the option of buying a handful at the feed store whenever you need them. However, you never know what those chicks have been exposed to, and their pedigree is less than certain. That being the case, you may want to hatch your own biddies, as we call them down here in the South.
Now, you can go through a whole complicated process of buying an incubator, candling eggs, and carefully controlling the temperature and humidity, as outlined here by an Extension Poultry Specialist—and that’s just fine if you feel the need for a challenge. But it’s so much easier if you’ll just let Mother Nature handle it. Assuming you’re willing to do without fresh eggs for a while, all you really need to do is bring a rooster in to visit your hens, and let nature take its course. You don’t even have to buy the rooster, just borrow him for a while. Once he’s done his business, stop taking the eggs and wait to see what happens.
Assuming that a hen gets broody (which you can’t always guarantee), in about 21 days the first of the chicks will hatch, and you’ll soon have a bunch of downy little puffballs running around. It’s worth the inconvenience, because naturally hatched chicks tend to be more robust than the artificially hatched variety, and you don’t have to worry about watching over them every second; the hen will take care of that. Just keep an eye out to make sure that Mama isn’t too clumsy and doesn’t try to peck at the babies, which happen sometimes (chickens are not the smartest animals ever). Otherwise, it can be endlessly amusing to watch her strut around with her little brood, teaching them to find food, dust-bathe, and everything else they need to know to be successful chickens.
By the way: if you go this all-natural organic route of raising your own chickens, please be patient. You’ll have to accept the fact that the hen won’t lay eggs from the point where she becomes broody until the chicks are about halfway grown—about four months in all. After that, it’s back to sunny-side up!
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