How to Incubate a Bantam Egg

Bantam poultry are popular as pets due to their small size, letting them fit in small backyards. They're also common in shows because of their exotic colors and feathers. Hatching bantam eggs in an incubator provides you a high level of control over the environment, hopefully producing a successful brood. The most important part of incubation is maintaining a safe and constant temperature for the eggs to develop.

Things You'll Need

  • Incubator
  • Thermometer
  • Hygrometer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Select well-formed healthy bantam eggs to incubate. Skip over any eggs that are deformed, cracked, flawed, mottled, opaque, too large, too small, soft or excessively dirty.

    • 2

      Turn on your incubator and set it up according to the manufacturer's instructions. Bantam eggs typically require a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit in a fan-forced incubator, measured anywhere in the incubator, and 102 degrees in a still-air incubator, measured at the top of the eggs. The humidity should be between 40 and 50 percent during incubation and between 50 and 60 percent for the final three days. Let the incubator sit for a few hours to ensure it's working properly and to get a constant temperature.

    • 3

      Place the bantam eggs in your incubator.

    • 4

      Check the temperature of the incubator daily with a reliable thermometer and the humidity with a hygrometer. It's difficult to maintain a constant humidity percentage, so just focus on keeping it within 10 to 15 percent of the target number.

    • 5

      Turn the eggs three to six times daily, the more the better. If your incubator can't automatically turn the eggs for you, mark opposite sides of each egg with an "X" and "O", track the turning times on a calendar and turn them manually. Stop turning the eggs at Day 18 so the peeps have time to orient themselves before pipping. The eggs should hatch between days 18 and 21.