Directions for Hatching Chicks

Hatching chicks is a very good educational experiment for teaching children how to gently care for and nurture life. After tending to the egg, children are taught the miracle of life when the chick hatches. However, hatching chicks is not only for educational purposes. They can be hatched from home to acquire chicks for a farm or as pets. Regardless if you are hatching chicks from home or school, the chick hatching process is challenging but rewarding.

Things You'll Need

  • Incubator
  • Thermometer
  • Hygrometer
  • Water pan
  • Water
  • Pen or pencil
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare the incubator. Find the perfect location for your incubator. It will be located in an area with consistent room temperature, away from direct sunlight and near an electric outlet. Test the temperature of the incubator. You will put water in the incubator, and adjust the heat so it is between 99 and 102 degrees F. Check the incubator temperature throughout the day to guarantee it will maintain a constant temperature with the chicken eggs.

    • 2

      Put fresh water in the incubator. Turn on the incubator, and heat the water to around 98 degrees F. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water. It will remain around 99 to 102 degrees F throughout the hatching process. Depending on the type of your incubator you may have to place a water tray underneath the eggs to produce humidity. Fill the water tray with water. Measure the humidity of the incubator with your hygrometer. You will make sure the humidity stays around 50% for the first 18 days of the egg life, and 70% for the remaining days.

    • 3
      Marking the eggs will help you turn them properly.

      Mark each side of the egg. You will mark a "1" on the left side, and mark a "2" on the opposite side.

    • 4
      The largest part of the egg should always be on the bottom.

      Put the chicken eggs in the incubator. You will place them so the largest end is higher than the smallest end.

    • 5

      Turn the eggs three times a day except for the last three days. You will turn them for around 18 days. The chicks will hatch within 21 days.

    • 6

      Wait for the chicks to hatch. After hatching, do not take the chicks out of the incubator immediately. Wait until the chicks dry and fluff. During this process you will lower the temperature of the incubator to 95 degrees F.

    • 7
      Welcome your new chick to the world.

      Take the chicks out of the incubator within 24 hours.