The very best method is to have a broody hen do the job for you. This can be difficult because “going broody” has been bred out of most hatchery non-purebred egg-laying breeds.
The alterative is to get an incubator. The Styrofoam ones work very well and are inexpensive. I use a commercial incubator from 1949 that holds about a thousand eggs. With any incubator you must check the temperature every time you start hatching for the year. For a still-air incubator it should be 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit at the top of the eggs. For an incubator with a fan, it’s 99.5 degrees anywhere in the incubator. Make sure you test your thermometer, too. For reference, ice water is 32 degrees. Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s directions for water amounts, so the chicks have enough moisture to help them develop.
Let’s move on the eggs. First, you must have a rooster for every 12 to 15 hens. Try to collect the eggs twice a day, keeping only the clean normal-shaped ones (don’t wash or put in the fridge). Put them in an regular egg carton pointy end down. Place a small piece of 2x4 (or similar) under one end, alternating ends twice a day. Doing this you may keep eggs up to two weeks before setting. If your incubator has a turner, place the eggs point end down. If you don’t have a turner, put an X with a pencil on the eggs’ sides and lay them down flat. Turn them halfway twice a day. A turner will do this for you.
Stop turning the eggs on the 18th day. If you have a turner, take the eggs out of the turner and lay them flat, put the recommended amount of water in and do not open the incubator until all are hatched. Wait a couple days if you have one that isn’t hatching, just in case it’s a late bloomer. Because of their yolk sack chicks can go 48 to 72 hours without food or water.
When you are ready to take them out of the incubator, it’s time to transfer them to the brooder.
As always, ask further questions in the comment section.
-Dale, aka Turkeyman
-Dale, aka Turkeyman
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