A Step-by-Step Guide on Hatching Eggs

If you have a rooster in with your hens, you can gather the eggs and incubate them and in a few weeks you will have baby chicks. Hatching eggs of any poultry species saves money and can provide an educational experience for your family.

Things You'll Need

  • Fertilized eggs
  • Incubator
  • Pencil
  • Brooding box
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Instructions

    • 1

      Gather the eggs from your flock of hens. One rooster can fertilize the eggs of about 10 hens. Only gather the clean eggs. If you wash the eggs it removes the protective layer and the egg can become diseased. Make sure the shells are sturdy and unbroken. You can candle the eggs to be sure they are fertile. Candling is a process of seeing inside of an egg with a bright light to determine if the egg is fertilized.

    • 2

      Turn on the incubator. The temperature and humidity of the incubator depends on the type of eggs you are hatching. Turning on the incubator a day or more before placing the eggs in it allows for adjustments of temperature and humidity so they are stable when the eggs are in place.

    • 3

      Place the eggs in an incubator that is specially made for hatching eggs. There are many incubators on the market. They range from tabletop small varieties to large commercial incubators. The eggs should be allowed to warm up to room temperature before placing them in the incubator. Taking the eggs from the cold outdoors to the warm temperatures of an incubator without being gradually warmed up can reduce the chance of hatching. The eggs should be placed large end up.

    • 4

      Turn the eggs twice a day. When the eggs are placed in the incubator an X should be placed on one side of each egg to keep track of the turning process. Use a pencil to lightly draw the X on the egg shell. Do not turn the eggs three days before hatching. The hatching time varies from species to species --- chickens take about 21 days while ducks take about 37 days. Check a reliable source to see how long the species of poultry you are hatching takes to hatch.

    • 5

      Watch as the eggs hatch. The eggs should all hatch within 48 hours of each other. Place the chicks in a warm, appropriately sized brooding box. Initially the temperature should be around 95 degrees and reduced each week by five degrees until the temperature is about 70 degrees. This can be achieved with a heat lamp that is gradually raised. Allow the chicks to have space to retreat from the heat lamp. Provide food, water and a clean environment and enjoy your new brood of chicks.