Chickens: Hatching vs Buying DOC

[Charly]

I’ve been wondering, why buy day old chicks when someone can just hatch their own?

[FarmKing]

You need the parent stocks to hatch your own eggs. If you use eggs from the normal birds they sell to you to produce chicks, the chicks won't match the performance of the parents. You also have to ensure that there is no disease transmission from the parents to the eggs. The vaccination plan is also different. So you have a lot to learn before you start hatching your own egg.

[Ikowa5]

@charly, pls my brother, hatchery is a business on is own, do not oversimplify it. The thing is which do u what to involving in, hatchery(by selling doc) brooding(selling at 3 or 4wks) broiler(for meat) layers and what have u, your financial strength is a major factor, plus other intrinsic and extrinsic factors

[FarmKing]

True talk Ikowa5, hatchery is like a business of its own with its gains and challenges. Many people are not doing it because of what is involve.

[Hilux]

@Farmking, can you explain more how the vaccination plans are different?

[FarmKing]

@Hilux, I don't know a specific vaccination plan for breeders, but it is area specific. They are vaccinated in such a way that immunity can be passed to the chicks. This means that they have to be revaccinated when their antibody level go down. You can find a plan for breeder birds here: http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/poultry/...ultry.html. But note that the specific plan to follow will depend on your location, so you need a vet.