How to Incubate Chicks

When well-cared for, chickens make excellent pets that can quickly yield dozens of eggs. Whether you're planning to breed your chickens to produce pets or to sell, you'll need to incubate the eggs properly. Before choosing to incubate your chicken's eggs, think carefully about whether you are equipped to care for the chicks. Chicks generally don't sell for more than a dollar or two, and it can be difficult to find competent homes for baby chickens.

Things You'll Need

  • Egg Incubator
  • Thermometer
  • Hygrometer
  • Pencil
  • Water mister
  • Vermiculite
  • Peat moss
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the eggs from your hen's laying area. If you've provided your hen with a nest, the eggs should be easy to find. Otherwise, look for an area to which your hen has added lots of straw and other debris. The eggs are likely buried there. Don't shake the eggs. Mark them with a pencil or wax pen, indicating the top and bottom of each egg.

    • 2

      Place the eggs in a chicken egg incubator. You can buy them at farm supply stores and some pet stores. Set the temperature to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep The humidity at 50 to 60 percent for the first 17 days of incubation. You can achieve optimum humidity by misting the eggs with a water mister several times a day or by placing them in a moist substrate like vermiculite or peat moss. Use the hygrometer and thermometer to ensure that the temperature and humidity remain consistent through the incubation period.

    • 3

      Turn the eggs at least three times every day. Each turn should be a half turn so that the top of the egg becomes the bottom and the bottom becomes the top. Stop turning the eggs on the 18th day of incubation.

    • 4

      Raise the humidity on day 18 of incubation. For the final few days, humidity should be 70 to 80 percent. Chicken eggs normally hatch after 21 days.