Soooo, you might be like me and decide that you want chickens. Perhaps for meat, maybe for eggs. Maybe they are your first step of your homestead, or you live in a city where you can have a few birds and just for fun or maybe school you want to raise up some. We decided on a breed of chicken and to my luck I found a local breeder who was raising the bird I wanted for our lifestyle. I purchased her ONLY THREE chicks from her hatch that were what I wanted. Her birds unfortunately were not productive that year and the following year she paused her breeding program. Anyway, I got lucky and ended up with two lovely hens and a rooster. Then we collected eggs from them and a few easter eggers we purchased. Now, we’ve successfully bred and raised some of our own birds!
We chose Orpington as our current breed of choice. With raising children, we wanted something calm and docile (though my one hen throws a wrench in that idea when she’s broody). We also are aiming to raise meat birds and wanted to have a breed of chicken that could reproduce regularly. With broiler birds they are typically a specific cross and when you breed, if you can breed them, they won’t produce the same kind of bird they are. They may throw traits that are from their parent bird, sometimes they grow too quickly, and you can’t breed them due to their size or health. I’m sure some people have had success but seeing as how I am still learning too, I didn’t want to try it out. We ultimately decided on a heritage breed. We wanted a chicken that could live a good life, provide meat and eggs, and could produce the same chicken each breeding. Though I have had some variations of color genetics. We have not ventured into butchering but as we do, I will share what I learn.
Incubation
Let’s talk about incubating. You want to invest in the best incubator you can afford and the one that fits in your space best. We chose a small incubator that fits on our countertop. We are a small budding homestead, and a larger incubator just isn’t what we need. We can do several eggs at a time, and it’s been pretty successful for us. We purchased this incubator https://www.amazon.com/WYD2ANG-Incubators-Automatic-Temperature-Mechachick/dp/B0CNY4SZ91/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8wFkS5gfXCcheWPgLW4bcexaHFgOFa-sDu8YFQ4DM_r5kBbKY2CTLifArxPHxdddq0Yr8lTYZxfK7_PFlprolQPzQ4OOtPXa08tTy0K6ziYqAbC9vpMRcANE7EO_PLWOwLwuoPb3lpWuYq8YEM7rgVOpyCVWSkvc949DKIsyPMQ99BRXXy6P0UUZARNksAjrkGhfUPVNcSMbspNMr2VWAVaZVU4yIIXjhS2NjyBGKw4e4IhjswT-Asd50o1CNzfZ3HfXawo8KYAPpvpvHomxS6jRUbOFnMTz2pzgQ60fmmOfus6n2s7caNcxfre_Nt_rH14-IBoG1CGL00E8qNs_j3yKljcfOTz4njAb-sK_3P73ErFhRJHvqX5pniAlt2FTLxSjtRLkGlK306hcYN2H68HFsOX5o240wwEAQwp0SOA4i8E0c9WOI_gMpxSAKboV.oOzCW_pl8x_jP7oTbBYvb1eEK30gzrPxNoLKHmDqWPA&dib_tag=se&keywords=wyd2ang+incubator&qid=1741378231&sr=8-1, but please do your research on what suits you best. You want to only collect your cleanest eggs for hatching. And I mean clean straight from the hen, DO NOT WASH the eggs. The natural bloom on the eggs helps protect the egg and keep bacteria out. Ok, now you have your dozen or so eggs you want to hatch. Some key things to remember. You will likely not have a 100 percent hatch rate, in fact, it’s very acceptable to expect as low as a 25 percent hatch rate. Temperature and humidity are very important. You need your incubator in a range from 99-102 degrees Fahrenheit. Ideally around 100 degrees. Using a second thermometer inside the incubator can help you monitor, get one that also measure humidity. https://www.amazon.com/Hygrometer-Thermometer-Humidity-Greenhouse-Fahrenheit/dp/B0CXHV22GD/ref=sr_1_8?crid=32NIBUW0WA5HP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ew-bu6PyGKu2HQAV-w8bzXtkaxJt0SU8LLvyT8r6fx_P6-oDnstQesIcurNZhGyxYeXX0pkGY_G6hKT3mRjzMbkhanEwC_mcssgvwqSMLgPilbiLXXN8RXkAlcXQ284Z6PXVP2fYFFuNnmuEG-F1nSbhj2-Z_iG32e-38Jm3Ucbup-S6Rpv-jjaJq7PdRzzDaZdGku2JKp0P3WHJliuwWNSjfrLPDRzlwOLEACLDIZTwLm0AwtnB83P9TFy0fHKnMZrmiwLVTy3RBl2x3Q6pxgSu1HpGx9aA_aP19b5yskg.rLI5ATYb1ZykOLdZejkxqk-5EaQnW5s_sKuI6IaPnQc&dib_tag=se&keywords=thermometer+and+hygrometer&qid=1741378748&sprefix=thermometer+and+hydr%2Caps%2C993&sr=8-8. Now, let’s discuss humidity. You want your humidity level around 50 percent. Days 1-18 the eggs need to turn several times. Now if you don’t have a self-turning incubator YOU have to do this about every 2-3 hours. This prevents the developing chick from getting stuck to one side of the shell. Several factors can play into your success or failure. Be sure to allow yourself grace and forgiveness in your path of learning and celebrate success no matter how small.
Candling
Candling the egg is a way of using a bright light to look inside the egg to see any development. If you have white egg layers this may be easier, darker eggs tend to be a bit more difficult. You will need a dark space (I wait until nightfall) and a bright light. I use a small flashlight but a phone light may work too. After day seven you can candle and see if you spot any veining inside the egg. RESIST the temptation to check sooner-it may lead to premature disappointment. Ok, you made it to day seven and your are candling your first eggs! Very carefully remove the egg from the incubator and hold the light under the egg. If you are too rough with the egg you could drop it or hurt the developing embryo inside. Be careful. If you see veining CONGRATULATIONS! If you don’t you can give the egg a few more days and recheck. If nothing is seen, then that egg may not be fertilized. Try again later. Let any developing eggs stay in the incubator and you can candle again on around day 14. Eggs may randomly stop developing, they may have died due to something wrong with the embryo or the incubation. Remember we won’t get a 100 percent hatch rate, we may or may not be close. Once I had chicks develop fully only to die right before hatching, it was very sad. Last year a chick hatched but its abdomen wasn’t fully closed, it also died. I did have several successful hatches for myself and a friends new flock.
DAY 18-21
It takes roughly 21 days for an egg to fully develop and hatch. I have had a hatch at day 23 so be sure to wait a little extra if your chicks are taking their time. At day 18 you want to go on “lock down”. Basically, you will take the eggs out of the egg turner and lay them right on the hatching tray. Eggs do not need to be turned any more at this time. Then you will close up the incubator and monitor the temperature until hatch day. Some things can still go wrong, but lots can go right, and you end up with some cute chicks! You shouldn’t need to increase the humidity much at this time, as the eggs hatch the humidity inside that incubator will naturally rise. Raise it to about 70 percent on day 18. It can take about 24 hours for a chick to fully hatch, be patient and give it time. If you do have any concerns about a chick hatching use your judgement and intervene if you feel it’s necessary. I’m not going to speak on that as I have assisted a few chicks but only one made it to adolescence only for it to succumb to illness. Once chicks have hatched let them sit and dry out in the incubator before moving to their brooder.
Congratulations! You just went through the emotional roller coaster of incubating and hatching your own chickens. If you had more failure than success, don’t despair, we are all learning. Try again.
Happy Shenanigans!