Hatching Chicken Eggs (Chicks)

My family has raised chickens for eggs for more than ten years. At first, we purchased a small number of hens from a local supplier every couple of years.

Several years ago, we thought it would be fun to hatch our own chicks. We bought an inexpensive incubator, did A LOT of reading, and set things up! At the time we had a Rhode-Island Red rooster and mostly Barred Rock and Rhode-Island Red hens. We picked out seven eggs to hatch, and when everything was said and done, SIX hatched out! Yay, 86% success rate. Since then we have hatched out two more batches of eggs, our latest hatching adventure is featured farther down on this page. :)

Some basic information and tips for hatching eggs:
*Always wash your hands before handling eggs*
*Most eggs should hatch in 21-22 days*
*Start your eggs on the weekend so they'll hatch on the weekend and everyone will be able to watch!*

Do not expect 100% fertility. Not all fertile eggs hatch! The proper balance of heat, ventilation, and humidity is essential for success! To increase your success use an incubator that has a fan (is not still air).

1. Carefully choose eggs. Do not use eggs that are overly large or small. Eggs that are mis-shaped, lumpy, or textured are not good to use for hatching. Excessively large eggs are often laid by older hens that do not lay on a regular basis. Using eggs that are too large or too small may result in unhealthy chicks. Chickens are capable of storing sperm for up to 70 days. (Hint: you can watch your chickens and grab eggs just after being laid if you wish to hatch eggs from a specific hen).

2. Do not wash the eggs. This removes a naturally protective coating and leaves your eggs more vulnerable to harmful bacteria. Therefore, do not select dirty eggs for hatching.

3. Eggs can be stored for up to seven days, after this time hatching success rates drop dramatically. If you need to store eggs, do so in a cool place and be sure to rotate the eggs once a day. Do not expose the eggs to extreme heat or cold. Do not refrigerate eggs.

4. Set up your incubator according to the included instructions (each incubator is different and may have specific requirements). Every incubator I have seen includes good general instructions and tips for hatching eggs. There are a wide range of incubators available from basic to fancy. A basic incubator has an analog thermometer and no turning capabilities or fans; more advanced models are equipped with egg turners, fans, and digital temperature regulation.

5. The ideal temperature for chicken eggs is 99.5 F. Eggs are very sensitive to temperature variation and the upper limit is 103 F. Be sure to run your incubator on trial for at least a day (WITH WATER) to be sure it can operate at the correct temperature and make adjustments as needed. Again, consult your incubator instructions.

6. Be sure to always have water in your incubator, most come with slots, wells, or grooves for this purpose. The proper humidity is essential for chick development. Increase the amount of water in your incubator two days before the hatching day. Improper humidity during incubation causes problems for the chicks during hatching because they stick to the eggshell. DO NOT place water in an area the chicks have access to or they may drown.

7. Mark eggs with an X on one side and an O on the other. Turn the eggs A MINIMUM of three times per day (turn an odd number of times). Decide what times work best for you and stick to the schedule, keep a notebook and record each turning. To rotate the eggs, carefully pick up and slowly turn until the opposite letter is facing upward (for instance if your eggs started with X facing up, turn until the O is up).

8. Do not turn the eggs for the final two days before hatching as the chicks are positioning themselves for the hatch. Again, be sure to increase water during these final days and DO NOT open the incubator afterward as this will lower the humidity levels. During this time it is not unusual to hear peeping from within the eggs -- the chicks have broken into the air pocket at the large end of the egg and are preparing to start pecking the eggshell. The peeping is also believed to encourage the other chicks! It can be startling to suddenly hear a loud peep from your incubator, but don't worry, this is normal.

9. Hatching!! When the hatching day finally arrives it's always exciting. Remember, nature is not always on time, so don't be alarmed if your chicks have not hatched at precisely the moment you expect. :) By day 21, you should be seeing and hearing signs of the chicks. Most chicks hatch out between days 20-23 - depending on conditions. Still air incubators usually take longer. The first thing that you may see is a single hole in the eggshell. The chicks hatch by using a special little egg tooth. They are essentially rolling around in the shell, giving little taps as they go. Eventually these little taps are enough to break the shell as the chick pushes out.

10. The whole process of actually breaking the shell enough to get out is very lengthy and tiring for the chick. Chicks will work for several minutes and then rest. Work, rest, work, rest, repeat. During this time you will hear pecking and peeping, and the eggs will be moving about. This can be very exciting, but resist the urge to open the incubator or touch the eggs. Eventually, your chicks will muster enough energy to actually push out (I always give a little cheer as this is quite the accomplishment!). Unless a chick is really struggling to get out, do not help them along, they will get out in due time. It is not unusual for hatching to take the better part of a day and some chicks will hatch quicker than others. Last year, our chicks pipped the first hole in the morning and did not get out of the egg till late afternoon. By which time I was as anxious as a new parent!

**This is nature's way! While hatching chicks are exercising the important muscles they will use to walk and run later! Take advantage of this process to teach your child(ren) about nature and patience.**

11. The chick is out, now what? There is no hurry to remove the chicks from the incubator, let them dry off in that toasty environment first. After they hatch, the chicks usually do a lot of flopping about and getting their bearings. It's like they have sea legs and need to adjust to land! They are also very tired. Be sure they can move around fairly well before putting them into your already prepared chick box.

**A chick can live off its yolk-sac for three days, so they often do not eat or drink the first day, don't worry!**

Important: your chick box should have a brooder lamp, chick feed (we use organic), and a drown-proof waterer.

Please click HERE for more information on properly housing your chicks!

This is the third time my family has hatched chicks. This particular spring we decided to purchase a newer incubator given the poor success we had the following year with our still-air incubator. It was not only the incubator, we also had problems with fertility, but hey, all those bells and whistles locked in the purchase! Our new, fancy incubator hails from England -- it has a fan for ventilation, an automatic turner, a digital display, AND automatic temperature regulation. There is even an alarm that sounds if the temperature gets too cool or too hot. Yeah, this is the BMW 135i of incubators! :):):) We very carefully selected six eggs from our favorite hens (if you think all chickens are the same, you have never raised chickens!): Delawares, Buff Orphington's, and Rhode-Island Red. We have two roosters, but we're pretty sure Mr. Buff Orphington is the daddy! His name is Jumper, no pun intended.

Our hatch day (day 21) was set to be 15 April 2011, but things started a little earlier than expected. Early on 14 April 2011 we heard peeping AND half the eggs had that first little hole.

Check out the photos below to see what happened!!! -------->>>>