Hatching Poultry/Game Fowl

Hatching your own birds, is one of the most rewarding things you can do as a homesteader. Having chickens or turkeys, quail or even ducks. Mean there are lots of eggs to come. The constant supply of eggs can become overbearing. Turn those eggs into profit or make your flock bigger! Choosing the right tools and knowing a few tips and tricks will get you started, and you can continue to produce birds for generations to come!

Choosing an Incubator

There are hundreds of incubators on the market. From a plastic shell to a polystyrene foam shell. after years of trying different incubators, I came across the Incuview Pro 3 incubator. This has been by far the simplest, and most convenient incubator I have used. Other incubators didn't seem to keep consistent temperature, or humidity. I had to purchase an egg turner separately, or extra turners for different sized eggs. Plus, they were difficult to clean/sanitize between hatchings. These are key things when choosing an incubator. 

Choosing Eggs

Hatching eggs are readily available in many places online and locally, or if you already have an existing flock, you could hatch your own. Ordering eggs online can be a 50/50. Boxes get thrown around, temperature changes could harm the viability off the eggs, and many other factors. I prefer to stay local, and buy from other farmers/homesteaders, or hatch eggs from my own flock. I generally recommend only hatching eggs that are less than 14 days old. While I have hatched older eggs, they tend to have a much lower hatch rate. Clean unwashed eggs are preferred. This limits the number of bacteria inside of the incubator.  

Preparing the Eggs

24 Hours before you fill the incubator, you want to prepare your eggs by placing them pointy side down in an egg carton. This allows the yolk (AKA the chick embryo) to settle in the middle of the egg, and the air sack to rise to the surface. The air sack is where the chick will exit upon hatching. Check that the eggs are free from cracks.

Fill the Incubator

Place your eggs evenly apart on the egg turner inside the incubator. Set the temperature of the incubator to 99.5 degrees eggs will run for about 18-28 days depending on what you are trying to hatch. Some incubators have a hatch timer on them that will count down the days until hatch. This is helpful but not necessary. The humidity of the incubator should be kept around 45-50% for the first few weeks of hatching. I generally don't add any water to my incubator and have never seen and issue as far as the eggs not hatching. This is called a dry hatch.   

Candle the Eggs

If you look at an egg that has been inside an incubator for a while, you will not be able to tell if it has begun to develop or not. You will need to candle then. Using a bright flashlight, shine it through the air sack. I like to do this twice. Once on day 11and again on day 18. By day 11 you should see veining and the start of the new chick. At this time, you can remove any eggs that have not started to develop. On day 18 all remaining eggs should have movement. Remove any eggs that do not. 

Lockdown

Lockdown should begin on the last 4 days before hatching. now that you have candled all of the eggs, you know that your incubator is full of viable eggs. You should remove the auto turner (or stop turning the eggs by hand) and you should increase the humidity to about 65-70%. I have found that eggs from my flock tend to hatch a day or two early. 

Hatching

As Chicks begin to hatch, you might be eager to open the incubator, check out the chicks, and move them to a brooder. Don't get to ahead of yourself. Chicks should remain inside the incubator until they are completely dry (usually 6-8 hours after hatch). I don't particularly like moving one or two birds into the brooder at a time, instead I like to wait until there are 6-7 to move at a time. Chicks can go the first 72 hours after hatching without food or water. However, once they have been given food and water it cannot be removed.

Brooding

Commercially manufactured brooders are available from many companies, but they tend to be pricey. Up until a year ago we used a large tote that we added a screen top to. There are hundreds of DIY plans to be found online. You will need to line the bottom of the brooder with some kind of bedding, so the new chicks have some traction for their feet. I personally find that pine shavings, or pelleted horse bedding works well. Hay, stray, or even newspaper will also work. The brooder should be heated. Directly under the light or brooder plate should be at least 99 degrees. This temperature will decrease 5 degrees every week until the chicks are fully feathered. I like to keep the heat more on one side and place the food and water on the cooler side of the brooder.  

Cleaning/Sanitizing the Incubator

Once you have completed your hatch, and all the birds are in the brooder, you will need to clean and sanitize the incubator in order to do another hatch. I prefer hard shell incubators because it makes the cleaning process a whole lot easier. Parts that have electronic components cannot be submerged in a cleaning solution. Parts that can be removed and submerged should be placed in a sink or similar vessel with bleach water. Parts that cannot be submerged can we wiped down with a bleach water rag and left to air dry. During this time, I like to inspect the incubator and make sure it is in usable condition for the next round. leave all parts inside the sanitizer for at least 5 minutes and then leave to air dry.