How to Hatch Chickens Without an Incubator

Forget tinkering with lights, electricity cords and various high-tech gizmos. The best way to incubate chicken eggs is just as nature intended̵2;with a hen. A clutch of eggs incubated by a hen will typically get just the right heat, humidity and necessary ̶0;turning̶1; to successfully hatch out into a healthy brood. The instinct to sit on a nest of eggs and hatch them, however, has been bred out of many modern chicken breeds, because hens on the nest aren̵7;t producing new eggs. You may need a few ̶0;broody hens̶1; from heritage breeds to successfully hatch chickens.

Things You'll Need

  • Broody hen or hens
  • Fertilized eggs
  • Nesting box or boxes
  • Quiet nesting area
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Instructions

    • 1

      Watch your hens for signs of broodiness, or readiness to sit on the nest to hatch eggs, most likely in spring and summer. A broody hen will linger in the laying nests, become aggressive (protective) if you reach into the nest for eggs and remain on the nest come nightfall, rather than roosting.

    • 2

      Move a broody hen to a quiet, comfortable and dimly lit nesting box in an area separate from the rest of the hens. The box should be set on the ground, or close to it, for the safety of chicks. Place ̶0;test eggs̶1; (plastic or wooden eggs) in the nest. If the hen seems interested in staying on the nest, see if she goes back after you remove her a few times. She̵7;ll settle onto the nest to incubate eggs̵2;never leaving, except to eat and otherwise attend to basic needs̵2;in a day or two if she̵7;s broody.

    • 3

      Remove the plastic eggs, working at night when she̵7;s half-asleep, replacing them with fertilized eggs (the eggs you want her to hatch). Accumulate fresh hatching eggs̵2;fertile and no more than one week old̵2;ahead of time, so when your hens go broody you have work for them to do. Introduce all the eggs you want hatched all at once, so they will all be incubated under the same conditions and will hatch at about the same time. Mark your calendar for 20 to 21 days--your brood hatch date.

    • 4

      Provide free-choice feed and fresh water at all times. Make sure your broody hen has enough room in the pen to get off the nest and relieve herself, so she won̵7;t be forced to foul her own nest (and introduce bacteria).