Hatching 101
Photo by Myriams Fotos pexels
Tis the season to be hatching!
Yay! The snow is gone, the sun is shining, husbands are grumbling…
We all know what spring brings. More birds and new projects. Come on, lets face it. Once you’ve had a taste of your first chicks, there’s no going back. Every year means projects like new additions to your coop, build a quack shack, or investing in an incubator because you want to start hatching your own chicks. Well, that’s what we’re gonna talk about today. Hatching chicks 101!
Hatching chicks doesn’t have to be difficult. Once you understand the basics of what a chick needs to develop, you’re pretty much golden. So, lets talk about the anatomy of an egg.
The important parts are:
· Shell
· Air sac (the bubble located on the wider end of the egg)
· Yolk
· Blastoderm, a.k.a bullseye (when you crack a fertilized egg, and you see a white dot within another white circle)
· Membrane (the “skin” on the inside of the eggshell)
· Veins
What a chick needs to develop:
The basic principle is heat and humidity. The amount of each is going to totally depend on what species of bird you’re hatching and your environment. Generally speaking, the incubation of an egg has 2 phases: initial development and hatching (lockdown). Review the list of species below for specific details. If you’re using an incubator that doesn’t have a turner, make sure you turn the eggs at least twice per day.
Photo by Brenda Timmermans
Chickens
Initial Development: Day 1-18
Ideal temperature: Min 98.9 F – Max 99.7 F
Humidity: Min 35%-Max 50%
Hatching (Lockdown): Day 18-21
Humidity: Min 50%-Max 65%
Total incubation period: 21 days (can go up to 23 if temperatures are on the lower side)
Ducks:
Initial Development: Day 1-26
Ideal temperature: Min 99.3 F – Max 99.7 F
Humidity: Min 45%-Max 50%
Hatching (Lockdown): Day 26-28
Humidity: Min 60%-Max 70%
Total incubation period: 28 days (can go up to 30 if temperatures are on the lower side)
Turkeys:
Initial Development: Day 1-26
Ideal temperature: Min 99.5 F – Max 99.8 F
Humidity: Min 45%-Max 50%
Hatching (Lockdown): Day 26-28
Humidity: Min 60%-Max 70%
Total incubation period: 28 days (can go up to 30 if temperatures are on the lower side)
Lets talk humidity:
One question I get asked a lot is how to control the humidity in your incubator. First thing I recommend getting is one of those humidity/temperature readers. You will use this to determine how much (if any) water needs to be added and what temperature to set the incubator at. Not all incubators are super accurate, so this will help you with the temperature settings as well. Ok, you got your incubator plugged in and you’re ready to go… do you do a wet hatch or a dry hatch? This totally depends on what your humidity reader is sitting at inside the incubator WITHOUT water. If your home in naturally humid or you live in a humid environment, you may not need to add water at all during the initial development phase. If your incubator is holding 35% humidity or above, you don’t need to add water. If its below 35% I would add water to bring it around 40%-45%.
The humidity is essentially what determines the development of your air cell. If its too humid, you’ll notice your air cell isn’t big enough prior to lock down. This could be a problem because your chicks can end up drowning before they hatch. However, if the incubator is too dry then there isn’t enough moisture for the chick to break through the membrane and eggshell. If the chick manages to pip, it will likely result in the chick getting shrink wrapped because of the lack of moisture.
The lockdown struggle:
Trust me, I’ve been there… Its lockdown and you notice your incubator is losing humidity and theres no way for you to add water without opening your incubator. What do you do?
Well, after trying several things myself (sponges, wet face cloths, extra container of water, spray bottle…) but I think the very best that has worked so far is the honeycomb humidity filters. This could be easily found on Amazon or any super/hardware store.
OK, your chicks are now pipping and have begun to hatch. One appears to be struggling; you want to assist. DO NOT OPEN THE INCUBATOR. Wait until the majority have hatched before assisting a chick. Trust me its not worth the risk of the rest of your eggs getting shrink wrapped. If you’re confident no more eggs are going to hatch, then open her up. Otherwise, its really best to wait until most of them have hatched. If the struggling chick has pipped and is able to breath, it will likely be fine. Another thing to consider, is sometimes there’s a reason they’re struggling to get out. This can sometimes be natures way of saying it has a defect or won’t be able to thrive.
Some incubator brands we like:
Brinsea
Sportsman
Borotto
Hovabator
Brooder:
Your adorable little chickies have hatched and are ready to be moved into their brooder. What type of brooder should you use? I’ve experiments with several types of brooder options and here my are top recommended ones list below, but first… if you’re good with tools and able to make one your self, that’s probably ideal. Otherwise save yourself the headache and refer to the list below. Note: These are my personal recommendations and do not receive compensation from these suggestions.
Brooder top picks:
1. PawHut Wood Tortoise House Indoor Outdoor Turtle Habitat Reptile Cage (Amazon)
Why we love it: The middle slab is removeable providing extra open space if needed. The plexi-glass is super easy to clean and fun to be able to see your chicks. The door with the hardware cloth is convenient for a few things. Firstly, if you’re set on using a heat lamp this is probably the safest way to use it. Second, it allows for good airflow without causing a draft. Another great thing about this particular product, the shorter panel with the plexi-glass slides up and down. This will save you a lot of headache when you’re trying to clean out your brooder.
What we could do without: Honestly, it’s a pretty cool product. Only complaint was that there was a very strong pine smell and weird sparkly dust on the product when it arrived. After rinsing all the pieces and letting it sit for a few days, it was totally fine.
2. Amazon Basics Portable Soft Pet Dog Travel Playpen
Why we love it: Honestly, its hard to beat this price. You can easily find the same or similar products on amazon or used on marketplace. It’s a really convenient and inexpensive alternative if you’re looking to do a few hatches just for the experience. They’re easy to clean (just take it outside and hose it down) but can be a bit messy when trying to dump any bedding out. Super important to note that you really want to get one with a bottom.
What we could do without: This is probably not the best option if you have young children, a dog or cats as its not very sturdy and can easily collapse with enough weight. Also, not the best option if you’re using a heat lamp as the mesh can burn if it gets too close.
3. MidWest Homes for Pets Guinea Habitat (amazon)
What we love about it: Similar to the soft dog pens, this cage is easy to wash down with a hose. This product also comes with several options to either make it bigger, add dividers (if you want to keep breeds separate) and have several doors. You can even addon a top panel to keep the top closed for extra security.
What we can do without: I do find it a bit on the pricey side considering you can get our top pick for the same price (if not cheaper). Other than that, because the walls are basically cage panels you won’t be able to keep the chicks in there for too long (max 4 weeks). They’ll start to kick bedding out making a pretty big mess.
Brooder accessories top picks:
Titan Incubators Heat plate
Pros: Great quality, doesn’t burn to touch, safer than heat lamps
Cons: Can be pricey
Farm Babies waterer/feeder
Pros: Perfect size for chicks, easy to clean, convenient duo purpose base, economical.
Cons: May need to find a base to put under as the chicks grow to prevent bedding getting into the feeders.
Terra Pousse Hemp bedding:
Pros: Odor control, minimal dust, highly absorbent
Cons: Any other bedding will become intolerable.
Useful links:
Egg Candling – Incubator Warehouse