Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Poultry and Pets => Chicken Chat => Topic started by: Casey76 on May 31, 2010, 14:41

Title: Artificial vs natural incubating and brooding
Post by: Casey76 on May 31, 2010, 14:41
Are we not a little schizophrenic when it comes to incubating and rearing naturally vs artificially?

For instance... how much we panic if the top of the incubator is off for a second or two and the temp drops by half a degree - yet the consensus is that a broody must get off her nest to eat, drink and relieve her self and the eggs will be fine for up to 15 minutes - increasing up to 30 mins in the last days.

Then there is the brooding... we have carefully temperature controlled brooders with heat lamps (or electric hens) carefully monitored and dropping the temps down 2C every week before carefully acclimating the chicks to the outside world... My broody (and consequently her chicks) was out of her coop all day yesterday, even though it was only around 15C and it rained on and off - but the chicks were quite happy bumbling around, scratching through the grass looking for grubs and whatsits (very carefully avoiding my nice chick crumbs) and popping under mum when necessary (while I hovered in the background like an overprotective aunt!)

Who has the right of it? Should we worry more over our broodies, or be a little more lassaiz faire over our incubators?
Title: Re: Artificial vs natural incubating and brooding
Post by: TeaPots on May 31, 2010, 15:32
or a bit of both  :lol:
Title: Re: Artificial vs natural incubating and brooding
Post by: Nikkithefoot on May 31, 2010, 15:32
That's very similar to the frenzy over bottle feeding and breast feeding children. You must sterilize bottles and teats, carefully measure the milk and worry if they don't drink it all, or seem to want more.................does the breastfeeding mother sterilise before offering to baby and how much do they take? Who knows..........

Its amazing how 'man' tries to mimic nature and struggles to do so.

I would like to say I am using the above as a comparison ONLY. Either way for feeding is fine as long as that's what mum wants / is able to do  :D
Title: Re: Artificial vs natural incubating and brooding
Post by: joyfull on May 31, 2010, 20:23
I only use broodies as I find it easier and I would be too nervous watching for any problems with an incubator. I do think with broody hens it is a lot easier as you just have to leave the mum to teach them and don't need heat lamps etc, but if the broody gets off them or leaves the chicks then you have problems  :(
Title: Re: Artificial vs natural incubating and brooding
Post by: GrannieAnnie on May 31, 2010, 22:41
I think we worry more with incubators as it is all in our hands, but at least with a broody hen, she instinctively knows what is best for the eggs and subsequent chicks.  she is there all the time, but we aren't sitting in front of the incubator 24/7!  :D
Title: Re: Artificial vs natural incubating and brooding
Post by: Nails on June 01, 2010, 09:28
I have tried both ways now, and although i still have eggs in the inncy as we speak, i have had another girl go broody, so eggs that were going in the inncy have now gone under her, it is easier with a broody, i have also got a goose sitting at present as well, as i have had no luck in the inncy with the goose eggs. So gonna let mum do it, as i think she will do a better job!!
I also agree, that i did not worry half as much about a hen sitting on eggs than i do when in the inncy, didn't even candle the eggs, until she got off and left some of the babies in the nest, so i then popped them in the inncy.