by Ana Hotaling
As anyone who has ever owned chickens for at least, oh, 5 minutes knows, baby chicks have quite an addictive quality to them. Cup one in your hands for even 10 seconds and, next thing you know, you’ll be toting 20 of them home in perforated carry boxes.
Chicken math is a very common condition amongst backyard flock owners, but it’s not the only affliction affecting poultry farmers. “Incubatoritis” — the insatiable need to hatch endless clutches of darling chicks — is just as acute. The only difference is that, unlike buying chicks from somewhere, you can control (or not control) how many chicks you hatch at home.