Latest Mother Earth News post is up, this time talking about chick season, which is not as far as it may currently seem:
“Though it may be hard to believe, spring is coming, and chick season with it. If you have never hatched your own chicks before, you might want to give it a go this year.”
Above: a picture of one of our broodies with her chicks from a couple of years ago.
Some would say, and rationally they would probably be right, that the owner of a little urban flock doesn’t need to hatch chicks at all. It’s time consuming and messy, there are countless hurdles a chick faces on its way to adulthood, and some of the young birds will inevitably be lost at some point.
It’s easier and more convenient to just keep 3-4 hens for eggs and buy point of lay pullets every couple of years to replace the aging flock. It would probably be cheaper in the long run, too. But nothing compares to the magic of another “surprise egg” cracking and letting out a fluffy new chick. The way the children’s eyes light up when they see it, too – it’s so beautiful every single time. ♥
So here’s to full incubators, busy broodies, and a spring and summer full of fluffy peeping chicks.
Domestic Felicity 
absolutely adorable!
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♥
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Nice post…went to read your other one too…good advice I am sure. We never tried this when we had chickens in town…always bought hatched chicks…but I think it is nicer really if chicks have their moms!!
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We have raised many batches of incubator chicks as well. It’s also fun for the kids because if you’re hand raising, you can handle them more freely and get tamer birds.
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I was in my early teens when a friend lent us a broody bantam hen and a few fertile eggs. My sister and I – and the family dog – were absolutely entranced. While the dog was as ditsy as any puppy, she was a second mother to those chicks; it was funny to watch.
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Must have been so sweet. I love dogs who are good around poultry.
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Great post. I love our chickens. Ours will sit and cuddle with you. They will look through out kitchen window and be like “Let us in” Our dogs and cats even get along with them. ❤
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Chickens have so much personality! We never get tired of their antics.
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