Here for those exquisite black chickens, yes? Here’s where you can buy hatching eggs from the stunning ayam cemani flock featured at @darlingclandestine on Instagram.
Our birds live with us on a rustic South Texas ranch, get plenty of pasture time, and are regularly snuggled because LOOK AT THEIR FACES; THEY MUST BE SNUGGLED.
In this post are some straightforward answers to stuff you might wanna know. Before you buy, PLEASE READ all these words I’ve typed here. I want you to have a realistic understanding of what you’re getting when you purchase eggs from me.
BEFORE I GET TOO EXCITED, WHAT’S THE PRICE?
$40 for eight eggs. Shipping is $12. Total cost is $52.
$40 for eight eggs. Shipping is $12. Total cost is $52.
WHERE’D YOU GET THESE GORGEOUS BIRDS?
My flock is descended from the Greenfire Farms line. A few years ago, ayam cemani made a big splash in the chicken-keeping world---and all over the internet---when Greenfire Farms, largely considered the gold standard in preserving rare chicken breeds, imported its flock through a special arrangement from Indonesia to the United States. Popular sites like Buzzfeed caught on and featured these breathtaking chickens, startlingly black from their feathers to their skin to their legs and combs and wattles, down to their meat and bones. Folks shared the images around and coveted the birds for themselves---but the pricetag for an adult ayam cemani was thousands of dollars. Even now, a single, unsexed chick from Greenfire costs between $99 and $199, depending on season. An investment for serious enthusiasts, but maybe a deterrent for backyard hobbyists who just wanted a few flashy birds in their flock.
My flock is descended from the Greenfire Farms line. A few years ago, ayam cemani made a big splash in the chicken-keeping world---and all over the internet---when Greenfire Farms, largely considered the gold standard in preserving rare chicken breeds, imported its flock through a special arrangement from Indonesia to the United States. Popular sites like Buzzfeed caught on and featured these breathtaking chickens, startlingly black from their feathers to their skin to their legs and combs and wattles, down to their meat and bones. Folks shared the images around and coveted the birds for themselves---but the pricetag for an adult ayam cemani was thousands of dollars. Even now, a single, unsexed chick from Greenfire costs between $99 and $199, depending on season. An investment for serious enthusiasts, but maybe a deterrent for backyard hobbyists who just wanted a few flashy birds in their flock.
But some enthusiasts did make that investment, and began breeding programs of their own. It’s from these breeders that I bought fertile ayam cemani eggs, and I incubated and hatched my flock right here on the ranch. I sourced the eggs from an honest, ethical breeder with a clean, well-cared-for flock. I especially liked her approach to breeding for both intense black color and genetic diversity, with some crossing from a “Smithsonian” line of black chickens a few generations back to guard against the complications of inbreeding. Not only are these chickens gorgeous, I’ve found that they’re also smart, hardy little characters with sweet, charming personalities.
I don’t make any special claims to my ayam cemani being “the best” or “show quality” (which means different things to different people), nor do I make any guarantees about your success with their eggs. But if you’re interested in trying your hand at hatching ayam cemani---whether it’s to start your own breeding flock or to simply have some exquisite blackness gracing your lawn---my eggs are a great way to begin. It’s pretty exciting. And addicting. Be warned. ;)
WHERE’D YOU GET THESE GORGEOUS PHOTOS?
The photos you see here are MY photos of MY birds. I promise. If you’d like to get to know them better, they’re featured---along with the rest of my diverse, hilarious flock!---on Instagram at @darlingclandestine.
My hens are Their Supreme Blacknesses, the Ladies Ianthe, Melantha, Andromeda, Isidora, and Ariadne. Their rooster is His Supreme Blackness, the Lord Ruthven. :)
I take these photos, of course, to celebrate the striking beauty of these magnificent birds---but also to let you see them in their habitat, doing the charming things that they do. And while I like to think that I’m a pretty decent photographer and that these photos are artistic, I also want them to be *realistic*. The coloring on these birds is REALLY HARD to capture in photos, but I’m not using filters or other methods to alter the originals beyond basic color correction. Some other images you find online might be quite dramatic, but trust me, these birds are marvelous enough in real life that they don’t need their images doctored.
We have a few little ones here on the ranch as well. In August 2016 I took a small sample clutch of eggs from my cemani breeding group and slid them under a pair of fluffy partridge cochin hens, Azalea and Sugarbeet, who were stubbornly broody and determined to be moms. This was the “test hatch” to help confirm that the eggs are fertile and viable. As you can see, the hatch was successful, and the chicks are cute as hell. Here are the first four with Sugarbeet:
This little guy’s my favorite (don’t tell the others):
WILL MY CHICKS BE COMPLETELY BLACK?
My breeding birds have very nice black coloring---feathers, legs, combs, wattles, skin. Even their eyes are dark little galaxies. But even though I’ve chosen my blackest birds to breed, not every chick will be a carbon copy. Even my thoroughly black girls have different comb shapes and other distinctive features that mark them as individuals. Diversity is a good thing! It means a healthier flock. If you’re planning on starting your own ayam cemani breeding group, please keep in mind that you’ll need to do your own selection of which birds are your best to breed and show. My flock is not a grand-scale genetics program. It’s just a happy little group of very beautiful chickens.
My breeding birds have very nice black coloring---feathers, legs, combs, wattles, skin. Even their eyes are dark little galaxies. But even though I’ve chosen my blackest birds to breed, not every chick will be a carbon copy. Even my thoroughly black girls have different comb shapes and other distinctive features that mark them as individuals. Diversity is a good thing! It means a healthier flock. If you’re planning on starting your own ayam cemani breeding group, please keep in mind that you’ll need to do your own selection of which birds are your best to breed and show. My flock is not a grand-scale genetics program. It’s just a happy little group of very beautiful chickens.
You may get birds that have white markings as chicks, and you may get birds that grow splashes of color in with their adult feathers or show red vascularity through their combs and wattles.
When these ayam cemani are babies, the fluff around their little breasts will appear gray before their feathers fully develop. Here’s a photo of my breeding group back when they were little fluffs:
Also, when they’re babies, it’s very common for these birds to have one or two light-colored toe tips, and these usually darken by the time they mature. Most of my black hens had one or two light toe-tips each when they were hatched. Here’s my little lady Ianthe at about three days old. Note her white points on wings, toes, and under her little chin. She’s now completely black. She’s the one who tells “scary stories” on Instagram. ;)
Ianthe at four months:
It’s also fairly common for chicks to have white fuzzy rump feathers (I call it the “fuzzdiaper,” lol.) Here’s one of the August chicks with a fuzzdiaper:
As they grow out their adult plumage, these beauties develop gorgeous iridescence on their black feathers, flashing shades of purple and green in the sunlight. That’s one of the most breathtaking features of ayam cemani. Here's Lord Ruthven's glory on a sunny afternoon:
The roosters can also sometimes display some copper-colored lacing in their hackle feathers, as you can see on Lord Ruthven here, strolling with the ladies when he was about four months old. Ruthven also has a very healthy, blood-engorged comb and wattles, and sometimes the red dominates the black---and is really amped up by the camera---when his “roostosterone” is raging. ;)
(“Roostosterone” is not a real word. It’s a word I made up, like “fuzzdiaper” . . . DarlingClandestine patent pending, lol.)
I have also seen ayam cemani roosters with white lacing in their hackle feathers. I haven’t experienced it in my own yet, but keep in mind that it’s a possibility.
Regardless of the coloring on my own birds, I CANNOT GUARANTEE the coloring of any chicks that you hatch. Not even Greenfire Farms guarantees this. Again, don’t consider this a bad thing---genetic diversity is very important for the health and hardiness of your birds. Please don’t believe everything you read on the internet about whether a bird is or isn’t “true ayam cemani” if they have occasional variations in color. Sometimes I look at forums and it seems that the folks saying that sort of thing have never even *seen* ayam cemani in person, and certainly haven’t the vaguest notion of genetics, and are just making stuff up on the spot. Breeding carbon copies of the same birds will ultimately result in degradation of the gene pool, so please consider a little diversity to be a positive thing.
DOESN’T “AYAM CEMANI” MEAN “COMPLETELY BLACK”?
“Ayam” means “chicken” in the Indonesian language. The best sources seem to say that Cemani is the village on the island of Java from which the birds were imported. I’ve seen some marketing material that furthers the notion that “cemani” means “perfect black” or “complete black” . . . but I don’t think this is the case. I consulted an Indonesian friend on the matter, and she said that she’d never heard the term, and upon doing her own research she concluded that the name of the village is probably the origin. Also, upon hearing it spoken, I can more reliably note that the “c” in “cemani” is *not* pronounced with a soft sound like that in “certify,” but with a “ch” sound, as in Che. For English speakers, say, “I am che-MAH-nee.”
“Ayam” means “chicken” in the Indonesian language. The best sources seem to say that Cemani is the village on the island of Java from which the birds were imported. I’ve seen some marketing material that furthers the notion that “cemani” means “perfect black” or “complete black” . . . but I don’t think this is the case. I consulted an Indonesian friend on the matter, and she said that she’d never heard the term, and upon doing her own research she concluded that the name of the village is probably the origin. Also, upon hearing it spoken, I can more reliably note that the “c” in “cemani” is *not* pronounced with a soft sound like that in “certify,” but with a “ch” sound, as in Che. For English speakers, say, “I am che-MAH-nee.”
ARE YOU NPIP CERTIFIED?
My birds are tested for pullorum-typhoid, cleared and certified by the Texas A&M Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, flock # 201602 0501 49. I obtained my initial ayam cemani hatching eggs from a NPIP-certified flock in Oklahoma. I can sell and ship eggs within the United States (no international orders; sorry). Please check with your individual state’s department of agriculture for any additional restrictions that might apply to importing and keeping poultry where you live.
My birds are tested for pullorum-typhoid, cleared and certified by the Texas A&M Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, flock # 201602 0501 49. I obtained my initial ayam cemani hatching eggs from a NPIP-certified flock in Oklahoma. I can sell and ship eggs within the United States (no international orders; sorry). Please check with your individual state’s department of agriculture for any additional restrictions that might apply to importing and keeping poultry where you live.
HOW WILL YOU SELECT AND COLLECT MY EGGS?
Fresher eggs usually mean better hatch rates. I sell eggs in small quantities so that they will always be fresh. I will ship within three business days of your order, and your eggs will be no more than four days old when I ship them. This, of course, means relying on the hens to produce them. At their best, my hens each lay one egg per day.
I dislike receiving eggs that are apparently from very small flocks, only two or three hens, but that have been collected over a week or more. I won’t do that to you. I’ll be sure that you get the most eggs collected on the most recent days possible. I can only ship on weekdays, so if you order, say, on a Saturday, you might get some of Sunday’s, Monday’s, and possibly Tuesday morning’s eggs when I ship them out on Tuesday afternoon.
To help keep their contents in a healthy position, I store the eggs I’m collecting for you on an automatic turner, large end up, at room temperature, until it’s time to ship them. I don’t ship on Fridays, ‘cause I don’t want to risk your eggs sitting in a mail truck or non-climate-controlled area over the weekend.
Again, egg production is of course completely up to the hens, and they get grumpy if you rush them, lol. If for some reason the girls can’t deliver within three days’ time, I will contact you and let you know. If you need to wait another day for me to collect enough eggs, you’ll get some of *that day’s* eggs and not older eggs.
I will choose the cleanest, strongest-looking eggs that my girls give me. The eggs will be *unwashed*, to preserve the natural protective barrier on the shell, and the ladies romp around where they please, so you may see the occasional bit of sand, mud, straw, grass or tiny belly feathers. That’s just a little bit of Texas free-range coming home to you! ;)
I will *not*, however, send you any poopy eggs. I understand that poop happens on eggs occasionally, but it shouldn’t happen often, and it baffles me when sellers send eggs that are significantly poop-spattered. I won’t do that to you!
HOW DO YOU PACK AND SHIP MY EGGS?
Your eggs will be carefully wrapped and individually immobilized inside a USPS Priority Mail box. The cost of shipping is included in the price of your eggs. I’ll send you a tracking number when they ship. After that, the U.S. Postal Service does what it does to get the box into your hands, and your eggs should arrive within 3 business days.
Your eggs will be carefully wrapped and individually immobilized inside a USPS Priority Mail box. The cost of shipping is included in the price of your eggs. I’ll send you a tracking number when they ship. After that, the U.S. Postal Service does what it does to get the box into your hands, and your eggs should arrive within 3 business days.
Please keep a close watch on your tracking so that you’ll be ready to receive your eggs when they arrive. Once a package has been marked “delivered,” it is YOUR responsibility to make sure that you retrieve your package, and to call your local post office if there’s any confusion. I can’t be held responsible for any misplaced packages, and I don’t have any “insider” information on the location of your package. What you see in the tracking information is the same thing I see. If the package seems to be stuck in “tracking limbo,” however, and the eggs take longer to arrive than they should, I am happy to send a replacement.
DO YOU OFFER USPS INSURANCE?
Nah, and here’s why. Technically Priority Mail packages are automatically insured, but while USPS may be perfectly happy to *sell* you insurance on a perishable item, they won’t reimburse you if the item doesn’t make it. Ain’t that a kick in the head? So offering additional insurance would obviously be a waste of both our money. But don’t worry---if any of your eggs are damaged on arrival, you can contact me and I’ll offer you a refund or replacement. Please see the info about my guarantee below.
Nah, and here’s why. Technically Priority Mail packages are automatically insured, but while USPS may be perfectly happy to *sell* you insurance on a perishable item, they won’t reimburse you if the item doesn’t make it. Ain’t that a kick in the head? So offering additional insurance would obviously be a waste of both our money. But don’t worry---if any of your eggs are damaged on arrival, you can contact me and I’ll offer you a refund or replacement. Please see the info about my guarantee below.
I WON’T BE HOME WHEN THE MAIL CARRIER COMES TO MY DOOR. WILL MY EGGS BE OKAY?
If you have an outdoor mailbox and won’t be around to retrieve your package, I highly recommend that you have your carrier hold your box at your local post office, and that you be ready to pick it up during business hours. This goes double if the weather is extreme. Your eggs will have a much better chance if they sit on a counter in a climate-controlled post office for a few extra hours than if they sit baking in the sun on a metal mailbox or freeze solid in a pile of snow. Please contact me at hatch.xanadu@gmail.com if you’d like your package held at the post office, and give me your phone number. I will leave a conspicuous note on your package asking your carrier to hold it for pickup, and to call you when it’s ready. Be warned that a carrier might not always see the note, so keep your eye on the tracking just in case. If you’d like me to ship your package on a specific day to help ensure that it arrives when you’re available to pick it up, just let me know at hatch.xanadu@gmail.com. Whenever I send the package, I’ll include the freshest eggs I have available.
If you have an outdoor mailbox and won’t be around to retrieve your package, I highly recommend that you have your carrier hold your box at your local post office, and that you be ready to pick it up during business hours. This goes double if the weather is extreme. Your eggs will have a much better chance if they sit on a counter in a climate-controlled post office for a few extra hours than if they sit baking in the sun on a metal mailbox or freeze solid in a pile of snow. Please contact me at hatch.xanadu@gmail.com if you’d like your package held at the post office, and give me your phone number. I will leave a conspicuous note on your package asking your carrier to hold it for pickup, and to call you when it’s ready. Be warned that a carrier might not always see the note, so keep your eye on the tracking just in case. If you’d like me to ship your package on a specific day to help ensure that it arrives when you’re available to pick it up, just let me know at hatch.xanadu@gmail.com. Whenever I send the package, I’ll include the freshest eggs I have available.
WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN I RECEIVE MY EGGS?
When you open your package, have an egg carton or other safe resting spot ready to place the eggs. Do NOT put them directly in the incubator! Each egg will be individually wrapped. Open each one carefully and set each egg into the carton one by one, with the LARGE END UP. The large end is where your chick’s air sac should develop, so it’s best to let the contents settle towards the pointy end. If you discover any cracks or leaks in an egg, take photos of it for me if you can, and then toss it out. A broken egg is not viable, and it could contaminate your other eggs if you stick them together.
When you open your package, have an egg carton or other safe resting spot ready to place the eggs. Do NOT put them directly in the incubator! Each egg will be individually wrapped. Open each one carefully and set each egg into the carton one by one, with the LARGE END UP. The large end is where your chick’s air sac should develop, so it’s best to let the contents settle towards the pointy end. If you discover any cracks or leaks in an egg, take photos of it for me if you can, and then toss it out. A broken egg is not viable, and it could contaminate your other eggs if you stick them together.
Once your eggs are safely unwrapped, you should allow them to REST for at least 12 hours before you place them in your incubator. After you’ve placed them in a carton---remember, large end up---leave the carton in a safe spot to let them settle at room temperature (DON’T put the eggs in the fridge). While your eggs are resting, it’s a good time to familiarize yourself with your incubator (if you’re using one) and make sure it’s running at a steady temperature. (If you’re hatching under a broody hen, she should be already running fine, lol.) I will not include detailed incubation instructions here---for that, you should consult both the instruction manual for your incubator and a trusted step-by-step source on incubating eggs. Do your research and learn what to expect from and how to care for your eggs and your developing chicks.
WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT BROKEN EGGS?
I guarantee that the number of eggs you ordered will arrive intact, and I offer refunds or replacements if they don’t. In the rare instance that eggs are cracked---and it is rare for me---please contact me immediately at hatch.xanadu@gmail.com. Include photos if you can, so I can see what went wrong and work on preventing it next time.
I guarantee that the number of eggs you ordered will arrive intact, and I offer refunds or replacements if they don’t. In the rare instance that eggs are cracked---and it is rare for me---please contact me immediately at hatch.xanadu@gmail.com. Include photos if you can, so I can see what went wrong and work on preventing it next time.
If the girls are especially productive, I may send a couple of extra eggs in your package to increase your odds of hatching, but I do NOT promise this. I only refund/replace eggs that you paid for---meaning, if you ordered 8 eggs and I sent you 10, and one was broken, you’ve still gotten the number of eggs you ordered (plus one)!
AREN’T THESE EGGS SUPPOSED TO BE BLACK?
Nah. They’re generally beige/pale brown, with subtle gradients depending on the individual hen that laid them. At some point I think an image of black-painted eggs got mixed up in the Google image results for ayam cemani, and that misled some folks. Even the Wiki page says that the eggs are black. “Black feathers, black skin, black meat, black bones . . . black eggs, right?” But no. The process for pigmenting eggshells is different from the process of pigmenting the critters themselves. Here are some eggs from my flock:
The Greenfire Farms page also shows a photo of their eggs, also beige/pale brown: https://greenfirefarms.com/ayam_cemani.html
And on the inside they look just like any other egg, though perhaps mine have a little more intense color in the yolk, since my girls are pasture-raised and eat grass and bugs and other wholesome “outside” stuff. :)
HOW DO YOU KNOW THESE EGGS ARE FERTILE?
Your odds are very good. It’s impossible to tell whether an individual egg has been fertilized without either a) incubating it to see if it develops or b) cracking it open to see if the small white blastodisc beside the yolk has joined with a sperm cell to create a blastoderm. The blastoderm looks like a small white “bulls-eye” against the yolk, like so:
Your odds are very good. It’s impossible to tell whether an individual egg has been fertilized without either a) incubating it to see if it develops or b) cracking it open to see if the small white blastodisc beside the yolk has joined with a sperm cell to create a blastoderm. The blastoderm looks like a small white “bulls-eye” against the yolk, like so:
But obviously, I can’t crack open *your* eggs before I send them to you, and obviously I can’t incubate them before I send them to you. So what I have to go on is the very high fertility rate I see in the eggs that I *do* crack open and in the eggs that I *do* incubate. And then, y’know, there’s this:
. . . He does that a lot. :P
So yeah. ;) While I can’t guarantee that every single egg is fertilized, I can say with confidence that there’s a good chance that it is.
I INCUBATED EGGS AND THEY DIDN’T HATCH. DOES THAT MEAN THEY WEREN’T FERTILE?
Not necessarily. There are countless variables in play, and unfortunately I can’t offer troubleshooting help here. I have no control over your incubation technique, which requires precise conditions of temperature and humidity over the course of 21 days. And even if your incubation conditions are ideal, many factors---also beyond my control---can contribute to the success (or unsuccess) rate of your hatch. An embryo can die (“quit”) within its first few days of growth, and even a chick that’s fully ready to hatch can still die in the egg. This could be due to a HUGE number of variables, most likely in one of these areas:
Not necessarily. There are countless variables in play, and unfortunately I can’t offer troubleshooting help here. I have no control over your incubation technique, which requires precise conditions of temperature and humidity over the course of 21 days. And even if your incubation conditions are ideal, many factors---also beyond my control---can contribute to the success (or unsuccess) rate of your hatch. An embryo can die (“quit”) within its first few days of growth, and even a chick that’s fully ready to hatch can still die in the egg. This could be due to a HUGE number of variables, most likely in one of these areas:
- The egg’s contents were damaged in transport. If an egg is shaken too roughly, the membranes can be ruptured or “scrambled,” and this can cause embryo death at any stage of development. This is generally an accepted risk in the realm of shipped eggs. Evidently the occasional USPS package is subject to X-ray screening as well, which can kill the embryo. Damage can also occur if the eggs are subjected to extreme temperature fluctuations---one of the reasons it’s best to pick your eggs up at the post office rather than have them left at your door.
- Incubator conditions were not ideal. This is a big one. Even tiny fluctuations in temperature and, perhaps even more critical, humidity, can affect your hatch. Some chicks survive minor changes in incubator conditions, some do not. Do your research BEFORE you buy and learn about the incubation and development process to give your eggs the best chance possible.
- Contamination. It’s possible for bacteria to penetrate even an intact shell, and it’s possible that bacteria can inhabit all sorts of surfaces. Diligent handwashing, minimal handling of eggs as they develop, and a clean incubator definitely help reduce the risk, but even with the best husbandry it’s possible that bacteria can invade and kill your embryo.
Now, naturally, I’m telling you this so you won’t be upset with me if you have an unsuccessful hatch---but I’m also telling you so you won’t be upset with *yourself*. I know that a poor hatch can be very disheartening, but there are plenty of factors that, ultimately, are beyond anybody’s control. In the exciting world of shipped eggs, it’s generally accepted that a 50% hatch rate is pretty good. If half of your eggs hatch, you’ve done a great job!
SO YOU’LL GUARANTEE THAT I’LL GET SOME CHICKS?
No. I cannot guarantee that you’ll get any chicks at all. Buying hatching eggs is a taking a chance, and when you make your purchase, you agree to that risk and acknowledge that you understand it.
No. I cannot guarantee that you’ll get any chicks at all. Buying hatching eggs is a taking a chance, and when you make your purchase, you agree to that risk and acknowledge that you understand it.
CAN I INCUBATE EGGS WITH ONLY FEMALE CHICKS INSIDE?
Ahhhh, if only. :P I imagine the poultry industry would be very different if it were possible to put that into practice. But no.
Ahhhh, if only. :P I imagine the poultry industry would be very different if it were possible to put that into practice. But no.
There seems to be some evidence that small differences in temperature can influence the sex of *reptile* embryos, but in chickens, the sex of the chick seems to be determined from the start. Some findings may suggest that different sexes are better at tolerating higher or lower temperatures, making embryos of a certain sex more likely to survive during development if the temperature fluctuates . . . but this is not something that can be reliably executed, and I don’t recommend trying.
If you get chicks, there is a good chance that some of them will be male. Heck, it’s even possible that they’ll *all* be male. You need to be prepared for this. You need to be able to provide a safe and happy habitat for ANY and ALL birds you bring into the world, and that includes roosters. Roosters do crow, crowing is loud, and they don’t just crow in the morning---they crow intermittently all day long. Having a rooster at the head of your flock is an *excellent* idea if you’re prepared (and your home is legally zoned) for a rooster---he will protect your hens, find them food, and help keep the pecking order among the girls from turning into bullying. Having *multiple* roosters, however, can lead to scuffles within one flock, and even if they don’t outright fight, they’re continually jockeying for top position among the hens, which stresses everybody out and distracts them from doing what a flock is supposed to do.
Have a plan in place for your “extra” roosters. You may choose to house them separately, or sell or rehome them to a chicken-loving neighbor who wants to add the beauty of ayam cemani to their own flock. If you find someone who appreciates the value of ayam cemani, you might turn a cosy little profit. If you plan to humanely butcher birds for your dinner table, I have absolutely no problem with that. But if you think that depositing an animal at a shelter is ever an option, don’t even ask me about hatching eggs.
CAN YOU TELL ME THE BEST WAY TO INCUBATE MY EGGS?
No. I do not offer advice on incubation, hatching, or husbandry. Please, do NOT ask me for advice. Again, there are too many variables at play and I cannot accept responsibility for them. It’s too much pressure and I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t get you the right advice in time! Fortunately, there are plenty of excellent resources, online, in bookstores, and at your local library, that can guide you to make the best decisions for your eggs, chicks, and growing chickens. Please consult as many of these resources as you can, BEFORE you consider buying hatching eggs. And if you use an automatic incubator, please familiarize yourself completely with its instruction manual and have it running and calibrated before you add your eggs. A reliable broody hen is also an option, if she’s willing. But please, do NOT ask me how to “induce” broodiness---that is something that I believe should be left up to the hen and never induced. And never stop learning about your chickens---there’s always something more to know!
One more thing: There are several online forums that can offer community guidance on hatching and husbandry, and many of these forums are regulated by sensible people who have archived the best information into useful threads. But also keep in mind that not everyone in these forums is an “expert”---some of them have extensive experience with successfully raising chickens, some of them are making guesses based on their own limited experience, and some are merely regurgitating hearsay or what they’ve found during a quick internet search. Not everything is gospel in these forums, but with good members and good moderation, the most seasoned experience tends to float to the top. :)
READY TO DO THIS? Click the “Buy Now” PayPal button at the bottom of this post. And if your contact email is different from your PayPal email, PLEASE contact me with the best way to get a hold of you!
Have more questions? Email me at hatch.xanadu@gmail.com.
I hope you have an amazing experience with your eggs! And, again, you can see the flock in action day-to-day at @darlingclandestine on Instagram. Thank you so much for reading, and happy hatching to you!
Evonne
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