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Crow's Dairy 
AZ's Original Dairy Farm Experience
10505 W. Broadway - Tolleson, AZ  85353
 Phone: 602-390-2601  Fax:  623-936-1020

INCUBATING EGGS

This is not a project that has a guaranteed outcome.  It is also not for squeamish or very sensitive individuals.  REAL LIFE is just that way! There are many factors that affect the eggs.  Moisture, temperature, rotation, proper equipment, sanitation, etc., all play a very important part in a successful hatch.  Learn as much as you can before starting this project. The miracle of life is the payoff.  When it does go right, it is one of the most wonderful experiences.  When it doesn't, well ... life is about learning. 

Gathering and keeping fertile eggs for incubation can be tricky. Hen and rooster ratio is very important.  If you have too many roosters--all they do is fight.  They don't get around to their rooster duties because they are too worried about the other guy! If you have too few roosters--they are just too tired to romance all of the hens.  A balanced diet is also important. Feed them quality lay mash, scratch, and oyster shell.  The chickens especially love leftovers from your family. Chickens, along with pigs, are the original garbage disposals!

Not all eggs are perfect!  Odd shapes, hairline cracks, and paper thin shells sometimes occur. Perfect for eating, but not for hatching. 
 

The eggs must be turned even while they are not being incubated!  They must be kept at 75 degrees or less while waiting to be incubated.  Eggs are good for up to 10 days after being laid, but fresher is better!  
 

For basic egg facts:
This link is a fantastic resource for questions about the composition of the chicken egg!
http://www.aeb.org/facts/facts.html

Visit these sites for more info and for chicks, incubators, fertile eggs, and other poultry products:

make an incubator at home

chicken eggs, equipment and things to buy

backyardchickens.com

Before handling eggs ALWAYS wash hands well with soap and water. Your hands have bacteria and oils that can affect your hatch.

Do not wash eggs that you are incubating unless absolutely necessary. They have a protective coating called a “bloom” from the hen. To remove debris use fine steel wool.

Turn eggs at least twice daily (even when you are waiting to put them into the incubator). This keeps the yolk from “sticking” to a certain part of the shell. If you are hand turning the eggs, make sure to wash hands prior to any handling.

Make sure incubator is at a stable temperature for at least 24 hours before setting eggs. It is important to keep the incubator at a consistent temperature. The proper temperature is 99.5° - 100°F. Never allow eggs to get any hotter than 100.5°, it is far better for them to be a little low than too high. Always make sure that the humidity level is not so high that the incubator starts to have condensed moisture inside. When adding water to the incubator, make sure to warm the water to keep incubator at a stable temperature.

After 7 days candle the eggs to make sure they are developing, and to avoid the “rotten egg explosion” in your incubator! This is easily done in a very dark room with a strong flashlight. You are looking for any sign of development i.e., an air pocket at one end, veining, or if the egg is a light enough color, the growing embryo. Dark colored eggs are harder to candle. Brown or green eggs take patience finding these signs. An infertile or bad egg will look clear at this point. Repeat candling at 14 days. Don’t worry about them being out of the incubator for a few minutes on these two occasions. Remember, a mother hen must get off of her clutch to drink and eat!

Three days prior to hatching, stop turning the eggs and increase the humidity. This helps the chicks to hatch more easily. Make sure to watch your temperature closely as temperature may increase with extra humidity and when eggs get close to hatch time.

Have a place ready to put hatched chicks. You will need a container/box with finely shredded paper or commercial chicken litter, commercial chick feed (starter) and a small waterer (get these at any feed store). The chicks also need a constant heat source. I use a drop light (hardware store) with a 75-100 watt bulb. Position it where the chicks are comfortably warm, but not too hot or cold. If they are huddled directly under the light, it is too cold. If they are far away from the light, it is too warm. They should be moving around, eating, drinking and resting. Don't worry if they don't eat or drink the first day. They have a bit of a reserve provided by Mother Nature!

When chicks start to hatch, make sure not to open the incubator too often as this will disturb the rest of the hatch. When 4 or 5 have hatched and dried somewhat, quickly remove them and place in the prepared brooder or homemade container with a heat source, food and water.

After hatching begins, discard any eggs that have not hatched after 24 hours. This is the hard part, but if you allow or “help” these chicks to hatch, you will may end up with  unhealthy or deformed chicks. 

If you have a question, I will be more than happy to help answer them. My e-mail is: RhondaCrow1@aol.com. Please put the any of the following words in the subject line so that I don’t accidentally delete your message ... eggs, hatching, dairy, or animals.

I don't claim to be an "eggs"pert, but have had a lot of experience incubating chicken eggs.  I am always learning!  Drop me a line if you have a tip to share.

Happy Hatching!

Rhonda Crow