A Beginner's Guide to Hatching Chickens

A Beginners Guide to Hatching Chickens

      So, you want to hatch your own baby chickens. Congratulations! Whether you are doing it to increase your flock, to sell, or just to be able to say you've done it, I believe you will find it a rewarding experience.  It is not as simple as just putting the eggs in the incubator and letting them do their thing. Oh, no, there is so much more to the process than that. From the toils of incubator and egg selection, through the torment of waiting out the incubation period, to the celebration and sadness of hatch day, with this guide I hope to prepare you for what you will face your first time hatching eggs.

Little Giant Incubator

   First things first, incubator selection; these can be purchased at your local feed store, Tractor Supply, online, or you can build your own. I have a still air incubator(as pictured below), purchased from our local feed store. For about $20 more we decided to purchase an egg turner. You don't have to have one, you can turn the eggs twice daily, however, it is one of those things that is easily forgotten.  There are many different types of incubators on the market, still-air, all digital, desktop or cabinet. Do some research to decide which is best for you.

 

Little Giant Egg Turner

 

     READ the instruction booklet that came with your incubator. It not only tells you how to set it up, but gives valuable information to help you have a successful hatch. Now that you have your incubator, you need eggs to fill it. My egg turner will hold 41 chicken eggs, that's 3 and a half dozen eggs. So lets talk about a few ways to get hatching eggs.

 


 

Viable Egg, does have a light spot on lower right side

     You can save your own fresh eggs from your hens, you can buy hatching eggs from a hatchery or local farmers. Saving your own eggs is the most economical of the three, so we will start there. You can collect eggs for 10 days before putting them in the incubator, but don't just put every egg you collect aside for incubation. Small eggs produce small chickens, use medium and large eggs(better survival rate), candle your eggs when you collect, you want to make sure that the eggs are not porous. Porous eggs have a lower hatching rate than eggs that are easy to see through(see pictures to the right).

Porous Egg, see all those light spots

     Do not wash the eggs you are going to incubate, when the egg is laid it has a protective coating that protects it from bacteria. If they are very dirty, you can use a dry soft brush to knock off the dirt. Store your eggs away from heating and air vents and find a place that is cooler(around 50 to 60 degrees is best) and away from direct sunlight. You can use empty egg cartons to store your selected eggs pointed side down, but I recommend an egg flat that holds 2 and a half dozen. During my research, I learned that you store the eggs pointy side down because the air bubble at the larger end is what the chick survives on when fully formed before hatching.

     

Egg flat to collect hatching eggs

     During your 10 day collecting period place a piece of scrap lumber or any thing that provides a lift under one side and switch sides once per day. This helps to start the turning process and prepare the eggs for the turner, and according to research, it helps the inside from sticking to one side of the egg or the other. Using these guidelines, the very first batch of 42 hatching eggs I sold resulted in a 95% hatch and survival rate. He was so happy he continued to purchase throughout the spring and summer, every 21 days.

Using a book to give the eggs a lift

     Buying hatching eggs from a hatchery. I personally have not purchased from a hatchery, but they take care to select good quality eggs for hatching, I mean, they wouldn't still be in business if they didn't. They have full breed eggs, you know what you are going to get, but can be expensive. I would have no problems purchasing hatching eggs from a hatchery.

     Buying from a local farmer, this can be tricky. Small family farm many times will have barnyard mixes, not full breeds. I personally have several different breed of hens, and currently 4 roosters. Only one of my roosters are the same breed as any of my hens. For many people that is not a problem, but others only want to keep one breed. Whatever your preference you need to be prepared to ask the following questions to anyone you are considering purchasing hatching eggs from.

• How long have you had these eggs? Anything over 10 days, walk away.
• What breed of roosters do you have and how old are they? If roosters are under 10 months old, eggs may not be fertile.
• What is your process for selecting and storing your hatching eggs? Earlier I mentioned how I select my eggs, if they don't at least candle the eggs, you might want to rethink purchasing from that individual.
• Can I see your flock? Look to see that birds are healthy, being kept in clean condition with food and water available.  Most people love to show off their chickens, some may say no due to contamination risks, but allow you to look without going into an enclosed area. Anyone who says no without any reason given, walk away. Better safe than sorry.

     When you go to pick up eggs, examine eggs. Make sure they are pointy end down, they are a good size(no small eggs), take a good flashlight with you and candle a few before purchasing, if you feel uncomfortable with some of the eggs ask if they have any more you could trade out for the ones you don't like. Yes, this may offend some sellers, but more often than not, they will be fine with it. You may need to explain why you you don't like certain eggs(porous, too small are examples). Some people think every egg is a viable egg, this is not true.
      
     I set up the incubator at least 24 hours before putting in eggs, this is to get the temperature regulated and stable. The location of your incubator is very important, keep it away from heat and air vents, as well as sunlight, to help prevent temperature variations. I try to keep the temperature right about 100 to 100.5 degrees. After adding the turner and eggs, the temperature will most likely drop, but give it a few hours to regulate before adjusting it again. I make sure to check it everyday to maintain a regular temperature and the correct amount of water.

     Refer to your instructions for your incubator pertaining to humidity and air flow control. My incubator has 2 red plugs, I have to remove one when I put in the eggs, this is for fresh air to enter the incubator and excess heat and moisture to escape. Humidity is very important, too little and the chick will stick to the shell, too much and the chick will drown.

     Now that you have your eggs, they are in the incubator, and I think Tom Petty said it best "The waiting is the hardest part." Chicken eggs incubate for 21 days, three weeks, but good news, after about a week, you can candle a few or all of the eggs. You should see chicks forming, if not and it looks like there is nothing in the egg(like when you candle while selecting eggs to hatch) toss it out, it is not a viable egg. You can candle again at 2 weeks if you want, just try not to keep the lid off the incubator for very long at a time, you will lose heat. I recommend just candling a few eggs each time to limit heat loss. Other than checking the water level and temperature, leave it be, only open when you must and be as quick as possible.

     
     On day18 it's time to stop turning the eggs, remove them from the turner(if using) and place the eggs on the screen for the remaining 3 days, removing the second red plug as well(applies to still air incubator pictured above). Now would be a good time to get your box ready for the baby chicks. I use a Rubbermaid tub with straw or hay in the bottom.  I suggest using a closed type water container(I made one from a 20 ounce bottle and a chicken nipple, even day old chicks learned to use it quickly). We had a chick drown because of an open water container.

     Now is the time to purchase starter feed, they will be here soon. They have both medicated and non-medicated chick starter/grower. I always start my chicks on a medicated chick starter/grower as soon as they come out of the incubator, however, they can survive for 3 days from the nutrients they received from the egg, but must have water and a light for heat.

     Hatch day, honestly its more like days. You may have some eggs start pipping on day 20, some may not hatch till day 24. Some may take a few hours to hatch and others a day. You may find yourself cheering on the little ones as they struggle to free themselves from their calcified prison. Somewhere along the line you will get the urge to help one that seems to be struggling. Keep in mind that they know what they are doing. If a chick is not strong enough to get out of the shell on its own, chances are it will not survive, even if you help it. Experience has taught me that there is a reason the chicks can't hatch, when helped the chicks have had a bad knee, a deformed foot, or even their insides out. There are people out there that talk about putting the knee back in place, or splinting the foot, if you choose to do this there are plenty of videos online to aid you. The sad truth is, not all that pip will hatch and not all that hatch will survive.

     Leave chicks in incubator until dry and fluffy before moving them to a box or tub with food, water, and a light for heat. Chicks make a mess. They will spill food, water, and poop everywhere. You will need to add new bedding when soiled, and keep in mind, if kept in the house, it will take at least 3 or 4 days to get accustomed to the constant chirping all night long. Also, keep away from all inside pets.

     Now is time to celebrate and enjoy the cute little chickens you have hatched, how sweet they look all huddled up in the corner, some on top of others, or how they flutter around, or how soft and cuddly they are. We keep them in the house for about 2 weeks when most of their feathers have come in, then they go out to the brooding coop(and not a moment too soon).

Set up for chicks, before closed fluid dispenser

     

     I hope this guide has been both informative and a little entertaining. I hope that you feel you have more answers than questions and are more prepared for what to expect during your first hatch. It is an amazing experience to watch a chick hatch, and watch them grow. Now, you get to wait again, and this time it is a much longer wait... Between 5 and 6 months old you should get your first eggs. Best of luck to you, I hope you find hatching eggs as rewarding and enjoyable as I do.

As always, have a great day.

Tonia