Hatching Eggs 101
Introduction
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When you read this tutorial you are probably going to think hatching eggs is complicated and expensive. It is neither. It just looks that way in print. In most areas, you can get started for between $50.00 and $100.00 in equipment and by the second or third hatching you will remember each easy step. So don’t fear the length and detail of this tutorial. I am just long winded and want to share the many things I’ve learned by trial and error so you won’t encounter the same problems.
Fertility – Hens do not need roosters to lay eggs. They do, however, need roosters to provide fertile eggs. The best practice is to harvest fertile eggs only after three days of sexual activity. Do not stress the rooster with too many or two few hens. We have found 6 to 8 hens per rooster is the best number. Too few and his desires might overwhelm the hens resulting in overly forceful mating. Too many and not only may the hens via for his affections, fertility rate will drop.
If buying fertile eggs, remember that fertility decreases with time. Balance the dwindling fertility with a concern for sudden temperature change and air bubble positioning. If your eggs were shipped, it is a very good idea to let them sit still, settle, and adjust to room temperature for at least a few hours before putting them in the incubator.
Selecting & Cleaning Eggs – If you are collecting your own eggs, avoid cleaning eggs which are dirty. There is a natural protective layer provided by the mother who will come off if you wash the eggs. If you do not want to discard dirty eggs and can not easily flake off any dirt, then you can improve the hatch rate of dirty eggs by cleaning and disinfecting them. We have had very good luck with a mild bleach and water solution as well as a water and hydrogen peroxide mixture. Whatever the disinfecting method, insure that the solution is at the same temperature as the egg or maybe a bit warmer. Use as little as possible and clean as little as necessary.
Again: If the eggs are reasonably clean, DO NOT clean them.
Sterility – It is not just the eggs that must be clean, but everything they will come into contact with. Wash your hands with disinfectant before handling eggs. Do not smoke around eggs. Do not breathe on eggs. Even if your incubator is brand new, use a disinfectant to clean it and any equipment used with it such as thermometers, egg turners, and hydrometers.
Battery Back Ups – OPTIONAL – If the power goes out for more than a few minutes, you risk loosing an entire batch of peeps. Relatively low cost battery back ups are available at most computer stores. Check the power requirements of your incubator against the power available from back ups to find out how long they will keep your incubator running.
Surge Protectors – MANDATORY – Commonly available at hardware stores; a surge protector will protect your incubator, turner, and other equipment from unclean power sources. Don’t trust household current.
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFI) – MANDATORY – These devices are intended to protect you more than your equipment. GFI equipment is always a good idea but they are absolutely mandatory whenever electricity is used around water. Take it from someone who suffered a permanent brain injury due to electrocution, the twenty dollars you will spend at the hardware store is well worth your piece of mind.
Note on Combinations – Finding a battery back up with Surge Protection and GFI safety is relatively easy. Fairly expensive, but relatively easy to find. If you are going to skip the battery back up, you can find a Surge Protector / GFI combination easily and affordably at your local hardware store.
Incubator Considerations – Few people start with an expensive cabinet incubator or even one of the smaller quality incubators. Instead, they purchase the ones from the local feed store which cost around $50.00 without an egg turner. Those things are great in that they allow the joy of hatching eggs to be available to just about everyone. But they do take a bit more consideration and attention than the higher quality models.
Hard Flat Surface / TableTop – If using a still air incubator, know that what you are really using is an incubator that circulates air without a fan. There will be tiny holes in the bottom and top. The air inside is warmed and rises through the holes in the top. This action draws fresh air from the holes in the bottom. So do not place the incubator on a carpeted floor, as the carpet will obstruct airflow.
Automatic Egg Turners – BUY AN AUTOMATIC EGG TURNER – Theoretically, you could lay your eggs flat on the bottom of the incubator, use a pencil to mark one side with an X and the other with an O, and then turn the eggs at least three times a day for the first portion of incubation, but you will inevitably forget. This will result in a dramatically lowered hatch rate.
Automatic Egg Turners and Incubators are generally sold separately. Look at this as a way of keeping replacement part cost down. When one breaks, you don’t have to purchase both.
Initial Temperature and Humidity – (50% humidity) – BUY A HYDROMETER – Most of the low cost incubators come with a thermometer but fail to provide a hydrometer and maintain humidity at proper levels. Depending on where you are incubating, this might require not only filling the moisture rings but also adding a wet sponge to the incubator. Most of the incubators we have seen have plenty of room in between the wall of the incubator and the automatic egg turner for a standard sponge to be placed on its side.
Both temperature and humidity must be established before introducing hatching eggs. Tiny adjustments can be made with the eggs inside, but radical changes in temperature will kill your peeps. So will core temperatures in excess of five degrees in either direction. This means set up your incubator days before adding your eggs, monitor it, and only add eggs once temperature and humidity are stable.
Note: There is different process called “Dry Incubation” which reportedly works in some climates. Basically, you start with up to 50% and then just about ignore it until the last three days. We have not had any success with this method so chances are we do not live in the right climate.
Egg Placement – If you took my advice and purchased an automatic egg turner, place the eggs in the turner with the narrow end down. This will cause the air bubble to settle in the wider end of the egg. This is the ideal location to prevent the peep from drowning when its time to hatch.
Candling – Candling refers to shining a light through the egg to see how its growth has progressed. Difference references have different opinions on when to candle. We have found that excess candling can decrease hatch rate. That must be balanced with the concern for infertile eggs going rotten. If an egg doesn’t develop into a peep or if it starts to develop and then fail, the one egg can contaminate the entire batch as it rots. Believe it or not, a rotten egg can explode and fill the incubator with deadly bacteria.
We’ve had our best results by candling a day before 1/3 and 2/3 of the way into the incubation period. The exact number of days is relative to the length of incubation. As an example: Most chicken incubate for 21 days, so we would candle on day 6 and day 13. If there are no signs of life, we remove the egg. As candling is its own art form, I will include a tutorial at a later date.
Last Three Days – (humidity 60 to 75%) – During the last three days the eggs should not be turned and the incubator should not be opened except to remove dry peeps. During these three days, humidity and in the case of a still air incubator ventilation should be increased. On the small Styrofoam incubators, there are usually two red plugs. Make sure both are removed during the last three days.
Three More Days – Peeps never seem to pop on cue. By letting the incubation cycle run for three additional days, we have squeaked several healthy peeps out of a batch. Some argue that this practice will have a negative effect on your gene pool by allowing unhealthy peeps to survive. However, some of our late peeps have gone on to being some of our best birds.
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