What to have first, chickens or eggs?

[Anonymous]

Hello I have recently joined your forum and have been reading all your posts. I need a little advice, I want to have some chickens, but dont know if to hatch eggs and watch any chicks grow and mature, or to buy a few chickens and later get some eggs for them to hatch.

I have been looking on Ebay for Silkie, or Silkie x eggs and getting broody myself! :roll: :lol: Would the Silkie be good for a first timer?

We do have dogs, but any chickens would be in a secure area where the dogs had no way of getting in. We keep various species of tortoises, so are used to creating dog proof enclosures.
Laine

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Laine,
I haven't got Silkies myself,but,IMO they are a good breed to keep when your new to keeping hens.There silky feathering,and general cuteness give them a lot of appeal.They do have feathering on their heads,so imagine that you do need to check their heads for red mite,that can bother some breeds with topknotts.Like polands and houdans,houdans are rarer though,than polands,and a lot rarer than silkies.
you also get them in 3 sizes,miniature,bantam and large,so spoilt for choice.
Regarding if to get eggs,or chicks,or older birds,is worth thinking about.
When I first decided that I was going to keep chickens,I did want to hatch eggs out myself.There were 2 reasons I opted for adult birds,I didn't want to hatch out 6 cockerels,or worse,none at all.The way lady luck goes,I would have one of those,nothing inbetween .
The second reason was the cost of a decent incubator.Bearing in mind,from hatch date,within 6 weeks,I would have to have a secure hen house and run.
It would have been too much of an outlay,all in one go incubator,broody,hen house,feeder's,drinker's etc plus the other extra's like food,bedding and other odds and ends.
A lot of people can make use or alter items they already have.Often simpler is better and cheaper,but,I don't do d.i.y. I do b.i. and b.i. (bosh it and bash it)which usually breaks it.
Close friends have told me,I am the female Frank Spencer.......... :lol:
Hope this helps you, with making your decision.

 

[Anonymous]

I would say it would depend on what your interested in your chickies for...
Hatching is definetly one of those things that takes time, patience, and A LOT of practice w/ trial & error! And once you do get the hang of it... its SO rewarding! I remember the very first chick I ever hatched... and He grew to be a Beautiful 6lb Roo! Its an awesome experience!
I think if you wanted to try Hatching your own first, that I would start with (1) a little less expensive or exotic breed... like maybe try it 1st with broilers/fryers or leghorns, etc... at least until you get the hang of it!
If you wanted to go for buying chicks first before hatching... certainly go for the Silkie, and maybe let her go it on her own! They are very sweet tempered and friendly and also and great setters and good mamas!
Hope this helped a little!

 

[dawn]

Hello, I'm fairly new to keeping chickens and started with them at point of lay. There is so much to learn about looking after them, well worth it but I wouldn't have wanted to learn all the extra that you need to know to hatch and bring up chicks too. I'd love a few more, but will buy them as I have one rooster and think that I should be prepared to cull any that hatch out if I let my girls have babies and can't find homes for them. I know I couldn't do that.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your advice, today I rang the council and checked with my immediate neighbours, so no problems there so far, just have to decide on a breed now. get the chickens, and then once I am a bit more confident I will get some eggs for the girls to hatch.
As I said earlier I like the silkies, but I also like the Pekins, the variety in both breeds is amazing. think if I had more than a large garden I would have lots, but the tortoises need space too! :lol:

Laine