Spring Hatching

I'm gearing up for my first spring hatch. I spent all week gathering eggs from my light Sussex chickens. I ended up with a baker's dozen of Sussex eggs plus three from Brandon's special bantam project. The hens have been laying since January and the males finally figured out what their role is, so I think fertility should be good. Here's hoping for some show winners among these chicks! 

I prefer hatching and raising small batches of chicks at a time rather than one big batch of chicks. As fun as hatching is and as cute as baby chicks are, they are my least favorite part of keeping poultry. Every year, I wait impatiently for the chicks to be big enough to kick out of the house. While having a few groups of babies to raise sounds counterproductive to my disdain for raising chicks, it's far easier to keep the brooder clean for a dozen chicks than with forty or more.

What are you hatching? Do you enjoy raising chicks or are you like me and wish you could skip straight from the egg to a fully feathered bird?