Hatching vs. Buying Chicks: Which Is Right?
Compare hatching your own chicks against buying day-old chicks on cost, control, effort, sex selection, and timing to choose the best way to start or grow your backyard flock.
There are two ways to add chicks to your flock: hatch your own from fertile eggs, or buy day-old chicks from a hatchery or feed store. Hatching is a magical, hands-on project that gives you full control over breeds and timing. Buying is faster, more predictable, and usually cheaper for a small flock. Neither is wrong, and the best choice depends on your goals, your budget, and how much of a project you want. This guide compares the two so you can start your flock the way that fits you.
Gear for Hatching and Brooding
MATICOOPX 20-Egg Incubator with Auto Turner and Humidity Display
Automatic turning, temperature, and humidity control for a steady 21-day hatch.
RentACoop Brooder Heating Plate for Chicks
Safer than a heat lamp, this adjustable plate gives chicks warmth to duck under as needed.
Manna Pro Medicated Chick Starter Feed
Complete high-protein starter to feed chicks from hatch through the brooder weeks.
Quick Comparison
| Factor | Hatching Eggs | Buying Chicks |
|---|---|---|
| Cost for a small flock | Higher, needs incubator | Lower, pay per chick |
| Sex control | None, about half cockerels | Sexed pullets available |
| Predictable numbers | No, hatch rates vary | Yes, buy what you need |
| Breed selection | Wide, via fertile eggs | Wide, via hatcheries |
| Effort and time | High, 21-day project | Low, chicks arrive ready |
| Experience | Educational, rewarding | Simple and fast |
The Case for Hatching Your Own
Hatching is an unforgettable experience and a wonderful project for families and curious keepers. You control which breeds you raise by choosing fertile eggs, you can hatch on your own schedule, and you watch the whole cycle unfold over 21 days. If you want a larger number of birds, plan to hatch repeatedly, or already have a rooster and fertile eggs, hatching can also become economical over time once you own an incubator. For many people, the learning and the wonder are reason enough.
The realities are cost, effort, and uncertainty. You need an incubator, you must hold steady temperature and humidity and turn the eggs for nearly three weeks, and not every egg hatches. Just as importantly, you cannot choose sex, so about half of what hatches will be cockerels, which is a problem if your area bans roosters or you only want layers.
The Case for Buying Chicks
Buying day-old chicks is the faster, more predictable route, and it is what most new keepers choose. You get exactly the number of birds you want, you can buy sexed pullets to avoid most roosters, and there is no incubation to manage. Hatcheries and feed stores offer a huge range of breeds, often with vaccination options, and the chicks arrive ready to go into your brooder. For a first flock of a few laying hens, this is usually the simplest and most economical path.
The trade-offs are smaller but real. You miss the hatching experience, you depend on hatchery or store availability and timing, and shipped chicks need prompt, careful brooding on arrival. Even sexed pullets carry a small chance of turning out male, around 10 percent, so the occasional surprise rooster still happens.
Backyard Chicken Keepers Planner
Track your chicken's health, meds, vet visits, mobility, nutrition, and quality of life, all in one printable planner.
What Both Paths Require: A Good Brooder
Whether your chicks hatch in your kitchen or arrive in a box, the next six weeks are identical. They need a draft-free brooder with a controllable heat source, ideally a brooder plate they can duck under, started warm and lowered each week as they feather out. They need chick starter feed, clean water in a shallow waterer they cannot drown in, and absorbent bedding kept dry. Watch for pasty butt in the first days and keep the brooder clean to prevent coccidiosis. Around six weeks, once fully feathered, they move to the coop. The brooder setup is the great equalizer between hatching and buying.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose to hatch if you want the experience, plan to hatch often, do not mind rehoming cockerels, and enjoy a hands-on three-week project. Choose to buy if you want a specific number of laying hens, need to avoid roosters, or simply want the fastest, most predictable start. Many keepers buy chicks for their first flock to learn the basics, then try hatching once they have a rooster and confidence. Whichever you pick, get the brooder right and your chicks will thrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to hatch eggs or buy chicks?
Buying day-old chicks is usually cheaper and simpler for small flocks, since hatching means buying an incubator and accepting that not every egg hatches and about half will be cockerels. Hatching can pay off if you want many birds, plan to hatch repeatedly, or already have fertile eggs. For a first flock of a few hens, buying sexed pullet chicks from a hatchery or feed store is the easier, more economical path.
How long does it take to hatch chicken eggs?
Chicken eggs take about 21 days to hatch in an incubator. For the first 18 days you keep them at roughly 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit with controlled humidity and turn them several times a day, which a good incubator does automatically. The last three days are lockdown: you stop turning, raise the humidity, and wait. Hatching is rewarding but demands steady conditions for three solid weeks.
Can I get only hens if I buy chicks?
Mostly, yes. Hatcheries and feed stores sell sexed pullet chicks that are identified as female with about 90 percent accuracy, so you can avoid most roosters. Straight-run chicks are unsexed and run roughly half cockerels. If your goal is laying hens and your area restricts roosters, buy sexed pullets. When you hatch your own eggs, you have no control over sex, and about half will be male.
Do I need an incubator to hatch eggs?
You need either an incubator or a broody hen. An incubator gives you control over temperature, humidity, and turning, and lets you hatch on your schedule from shipped or collected fertile eggs. A reliably broody hen can hatch and raise chicks naturally with no equipment, but you cannot force a hen to go broody on demand. For predictable hatching, an incubator is the dependable choice.
What do I need to raise day-old chicks?
Whether you hatch or buy, newly hatched chicks need a brooder: a draft-free space with a heat source like a brooder plate set warm at first and lowered weekly, plus chick starter feed, clean water in a shallow chick waterer, and absorbent bedding. They stay in the brooder for about six weeks until fully feathered, then move outside. The setup is the same no matter where the chicks come from.
Why do some eggs not hatch in an incubator?
Hatch rates are never 100 percent. Eggs may be infertile, may have been damaged or stored poorly before incubation, or may fail because of temperature and humidity swings during the 21 days. Shipped eggs hatch at lower rates due to handling. Even with a good incubator and fertile eggs, expect to lose some. This is part of why buying chicks is more predictable when you need a specific number of birds.
Need more help with your flock?
Browse our guides by topic to find practical solutions.
Wellness Planner: $39