How to Hatch Chicken Eggs in An Incubator

How to hatch chicken eggs in an incubator, includes egg selection, temperature, humidity controls, dangers associated with homemade incubators, watch a video of baby chicks hatching in an incubator plus get the best deals on incubators and brooders here!

Step by Step-How to Hatch Baby Chicks in An Incubator

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Carefully select the eggs you plan to hatch
​Candle the eggs to make sure they are fertile
Store the selected eggs at between 55 and 65°F. for 3-7 days prior to hatch.
Maintain  70 to 80 percent relative humidity during storage.
Clean, disinfect and sanitise the incubator.
Place incubator in a room with no drafts or sunlight.
Run the incubator for a few days before set day. 
Make sure temperature and humidity are correct and stable before you set the eggs.
Use a forced air incubator if possible.
Let stored eggs warm to room temperature (4-8 hours).
Set eggs in incubator with stable temp and humidity pointy end down.
Use an egg turner or manually turn eggs at least five times every 24 hours. 
​Keep accurate records to ensure the eggs are turned three to five times each 24-hour period. 
Keep temperature in the incubator 99.5°F to 100°F during set stage.
Candle eggs at 8 to 12 days to ensure there is a embryo inside.
Do not turn eggs during Hatch Stage (3-4 days before the 21st day)
Lower temperature to 1°F and increase the relative humidity to 65 to 70 percent. (You can increase the humidity by adding a wet sponge or wet paper towels to the incubator).  Scroll down to see more about hatching baby chicks.

How to Choose an Incubator

PicturePhoto by Cindi Perry. 2019. Submitted to our Show Off Your Chicken Contest.
For some of us, it is frustrating to wait for a hen to go broody and start hatching eggs. Generally a hen will lay one egg per day and will not go broody until she has gathered a clutch of ten or more eggs. If you do not want to wait or your hen just won't go broody and you decide to hatch the eggs yourself there are several different methods you may wish to think about. Purchasing a new incubator that comes with an egg turner and forced air incubators are a good choice. You can watch as the chicks hatch from most commercial incubators. Some of them even have in ovum microscopes that allow you to see inside the egg shell and there even more detailed ones that allow you to take pictures of the inside of the egg-kind of like an ultrasound.
When you purchase a new incubator most come with detailed instructions explaining how to use them. If you decide on this option you may want to think about getting one with an automatic egg turner unless you will be available to manually turn the eggs at least three times a day. Prices vary from $20.00-$500.00 and up depending on the size and features that you are looking for such as: Forced Air Incubators and Incubators with automatic egg turners that automatically turn the egg. Which type of incubator you should purchase depends on you, your schedule, and your budget. Scroll down to see more about temperature, controls, humidity, watch a video of baby chicks hatching, and much, much more...

How to Select The Best Eggs For Hatching

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Carefully select the eggs you wish to hatch by making sure that you have chosen fertile eggs from good breeding stock. Choose your best, healthiest hens and a young healthy rooster to mate with your hen's regularly. Inbreeding is commonly used among show bird breeding but is not recommended because it reduces the fertility and hatching rate of the eggs. Make sure that your chickens are eating a healthy diet of grains, greens, and grit. Go to How to Select the Best Eggs for Hatching: 

Should You Wash or Don't Wash Eggs Before Hatching Them in An Incubator?

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Answer: It is not a good idea to wash eggs before trying to hatch them in an incubator. Washing removes the protective coating and can allow bacteria to enter the egg shell which could easily contaminate the unborn fetus. It is best to use eggs which are clean when they come out of the nest.

How to Store Eggs  for Hatching In an incubator

It is best if you can use eggs that are freshly hatched and store them for a short period of time until you can get enough eggs to fill your incubator then you should store them in fresh hay or straw, pointy end down, and rotate them once a day. Do not use eggs stored longer than 7 days. Fertile eggs purchased through the mail should be kept pointy side down for 12-24 hours before placing them in an incubator. Make sure that your stored eggs are allowed to sit at room temperature before placing them into the incubator.

Eggs Should Be Candled Prior to Placement In the Incubator

Before you place any eggs in your brooder or incubator you need to candle them. Candling will show you if there is an embryo in the eggs or not. Eggs that are not fertile will most likely explode inside your incubator which can be very difficult to clean up and depending on what type off brooder you are using could even cause it too short circuit. Chicks should be hatched indoors and monitored frequently by candling the eggs and checking the temperature and humidity levels of the brooder. Candling your eggs every few days will show you how well your baby chicks are developing. Make sure you close your incubator while candling.

Automatic Egg Turners

Automatic egg turners turn the eggs inside the incubator every four hours to eliminate manual handling and improve hatch rate​.  Many incubators now come with egg turners but there are still some on the market which do not. If your incubator does not have an egg turner you will need to turn the eggs manually yourself every four  hours. Turning eggs manually means you have to open the incubator which can affect the temperature and humidity you are trying to maintain for the best hatch. It is best to purchase a quality incubator with automatic egg turner for best results. If you already have an incubator and it does not have an egg turner there are some pretty good one's out there but you need to make sure you get one that is compatible with the model incubator that you have.

Incubator Temperature and Humidity Control

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It is very important to maintain the proper temperature and humidity inside the incubator. Too much humidity can cause "mushy chicks" and not enough humidity can cause the shells to dry out. Maintaining the proper temp and humidity will give you a better shot at hatching healthy baby chicks. Every incubator should come with complete use and instructions guides that will tell you the correct temperature and humidity controls to use. If you have lost your instructions you should look up the incubator manufacturer's name and model number to get a replacement set of instructions. Many incubator manufacturer's have the instructions listed on their websites. 
Location of incubator-Place your incubator in a room that has a stable temperature, away from windows and drafts, and out of direct sunlight so that you do not have extreme temperature changes inside the incubator influenced by outside temperatures. 
Temperature inside incubator-Always purchase another thermometer so you can gauge whether or not your incubator thermometers are working correctly. Incubator temperature should be kept at 99.5 degrees F. Water should be added 4 days before hatch date. It takes 21 days for standard breeds and 20 days for bantams to hatch eggs so mark your calendar accordingly. Check your incubator temperature and humidity several times throughout the day but avoid opening the incubator as much as possible. Make sure your incubator has proper ventilation and if it does not have an egg turner you will need to turn the eggs manually once every day. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions exactly and never trust the thermometer that comes with an incubator.
Humidity-Humidity affects the chicks weight gain and loss by affecting the amount of moisture that is lost during incubation. Improper humidity percent can result in blind, helpless chicks with crooked toes. Your incubators humidity should be kept between 13% and 15 %. desirable humidity during the first 18 days of incubation is around 50% to 55% Relative Humidity (equivalent to wet bulb thermometer readings of 82°F [28°C] to 88°F [31°C]). Use lukewarm water when filling water trays inside your incubator.

Dangers Associated With Homemade Incubators

PictureSafe way to use a heat lamp. This one is hanging in a parrot cage. CHOE 2018
Homemade incubators are not a recommended way to hatch eggs for several reasons such as safety and fire hazards. A heat lamp can be used to hatch eggs but we do not recommend this as there is a considerable risk of fire if the container is not metal, gets to hot or if left unsupervised can easily catch on fire plus it is almost impossible to maintain the proper temperature and humidity controls needed. The heat lamp must be kept far enough away from the eggs so that the internal temperature of the eggs does not get so hot that it cooks the chicks. Cardboard boxes should not be used with a heat lamp. The lamp should be secured by more than the clamps as they can easily get knocked over by other pets or people. I have seen one get knocked off by wind from an opening door and even though it had pulled loose of the wall plug it still quickly ignited the bedding. Luckily, I was there at the time when it happened. Any time I use a heat lamp for keeping chicks warm, I securely tie it using electric fence wire on three sides and secure the other ends to a screw on the wall or beams but the safest way I have discovered to use a heat lamp is to wire it inside an old parakeet cage which has a metal bottom,  that way if it does get knocked loose and falls there is a lot less chance of fire.

Watching Baby Chicks Hatch

Watching baby chicks hatch is a fun experience for children and adults alike. Many schools hatch baby chicks as part of school projects but most people who hatch baby chicks do it for the experience or because they want more chickens. Watch these adorable little baby chicks hatch from their shell! 

All About Eggs

Everything you need to know about eggs from handling them, hatching them, labeling eggs,  packaging them, avoiding salmonella contamination and more.

After Hatching Baby Chicks Care

Immediately after your chicks hatch you need to move them to a very warm area. Put them in a prepared cage with a heat lamp to keep them warm. Make sure the heat lamp is secured with heat resistant wire so that it does not fall on your cage. Also make sure the heat lamp is not too close to the cage. Using a cardboard box to keep chicks in is not advisable as it could ignite from the heat lamp. Make sure the cage is in an area that has no drafts. Keep a close eye on the chicks for any signs of distress. It is advisable to use an absorbent  pad in the cage right after hatching. (Puppy pads work well). As soon as the chicks are dry change the pad. Keep a steady supply of baby chick starter feed and water on hand. Make sure the water container you use cannot be tipped over easily and that the water is no deeper than a quarter inch deep. Keep absorbent pads in the cage (even under bedding) just in case they spill the water, or get wet from the water. (See Baby Chick Care Index for More Information)

How and What to Feed Your New Baby Chicks

Baby chicks have higher nutritional needs than adult chickens because they grow so rapidly it is important that you feed them the right food. How and what to feed baby chicks.

Memory Verse

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt. 6:33 (See more inspiring Bible Verses)
Reference: Hatching Chickens. Incubating Eggs for Raising Baby ChickensFantasticFarms.com.au.http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/hatching_chickens.html