How to Hatch a Chicken Egg at Home

Hatching a fertilized chicken egg is a project that you can do at home, but it will require you to be patient and diligent. Chicken egg hatching consists of creating a warm and humid environment in which to raise the eggs, and turning the eggs several times a day. An egg incubator makes this project easier, but it is not necessary to successfully hatch the eggs. Most chicken eggs will hatch within 22 days.

Things You'll Need

  • Fertilized chicken eggs
  • Large plastic container with lid
  • Gooseneck lamp with 60 or 100 watt bulb
  • Drill
  • Towels
  • Water bottle with spray nozzle
  • Thermometer
  • Hygrometer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Create an incubator from a large plastic container with a lid, roughly 3 feet deep and 1 to 3 feet wide. A large, plastic tub works well. Make sure the container is large enough to hold a lamp, a hygrometer (which measures humidity), a towel, a thermometer and the eggs. Drill five or six small holes in the top of the container for ventilation. Use a gooseneck lamp so that the light can be held close over the eggs. The bendable neck on the gooseneck provides this flexibility. Plug in the lamp and monitor the temperature in the container for 24 hours before placing the eggs inside. The temperature should reach a steady 100 to 102 degrees. Humidity should be at 60 percent.

    • 2

      Place the eggs inside the incubator. This is day 1. Lay them on their sides rather than their tops or bottoms. Spray the eggs lightly with water to help maintain a humidity reading of 60 percent. Keep the lid of the incubator closed as much as possible.

    • 3

      Start turning the eggs on day 2. Eggs should be turned a half turn four to five times a day. The best times to do this are when you get up, after every meal and before you go to bed. Keep the eggs flat, and make sure the temperature stays around 102 degrees. Some heat may be lost when the lid is removed from the container to turn the eggs. Add another gooseneck lamp if the temperature is consistently low. Spray the eggs with water if the humidity drops below 55 percent.

    • 4

      Continue to monitor the eggs from day 4 through day 18 for temperature and humidity, and turn the eggs five times a day. Spray the eggs when the humidity level starts to drop. If the temperature gets above 102, remove the second lamp, or replace the bulb with one that's got lower wattage. Pay special attention the day after adding or removing a lamp to make sure the temperature never falls below 100 degrees or rises above 102 degrees.

    • 5

      Stop turning the eggs after day 18. Turning the eggs after that can disrupt the final development of the chicks. Keep monitoring the temperature and humidity levels. Normal hatching takes place on days 19 through 21; slow-hatching chicks can take two days longer. Once hatching begins, increase the humidity to 65 percent.