chicken virgin here, needs advice

[SteppeAwayFromTheKeyboard]

hi, we are going to get chickens. i ave wanted them for ages, and dh has resisted. Now dd really wants a pet for her birthday and after a long talk we are going for chickens on the basis that we want them anyway and I know she is going to be over the moon.

so, her birthday is on Monday (disorganised as usual)

Last year her school had a load of ready to hatched eggs in an incubator and they looking after them as they all hatched. We could have bought some of the chicks, but in principle they were returned to the farm.

I thought this would be an amazing way to start off. Dd could tame them from the word go and it was amazing watching them hatch,

Is this a mad idea? How do we do it? How big do they have to be to distinguish girls and boys? (we would like some eggs)

Is is possible to hire an incubator? Or easier to buy one and then buy in the eggs?

Wisdom ladies please

grr, sticky computer keys, sorry for typos

I don't think its a good idea tbh - you can't have more than one cockerel really as they fight, and then you have to explain to dd that the boys have to go... And they are very noisy.

Look locally for people selling point of lay pullets, then you know where you are.
We have three hens (one Welsummer, two Golden Legbars) which is more than enough eggs, and they like a cuddle and come running to you

hmm, yes I was wondering about the boys.

I guess I was thinking about the school, who hatched about 15 and then the farmer took them back. We were told that we could buy any of the chicks.
My neighbour down the road has ducks and chickens and they have hatched out chicks. i need to go and talk to her

I'd be tempted to get some point of layers first, they will be easier for your first hens, and lay too.

Yes get a couple of point of layers. Otherwise you'll have to get a heatlamp or brooder for after the eggs have hatched, some of the chicks may die, you could end up with all cockerels etc. The list of things that could go wrong is too big.

thanks for the advice, but too late! We got 3 chicks, female Light Sussex, they were 2 weeks old when we got them. We have a brooder box which is basically a box and an infra red light bulb. We have survived one week so far and dd is besotted. They are lovely.

She has called then Nugget, Kentucky and Chips!