I previously mentioned that when building a chicken coop, you need to make sure that the interior’s temperature is controlled enough for the birds to survive. This is especially important for chicks. But when it comes to hatching chickens, incubation is probably the one thing that you should remember above all else. Hatching chicks from fertilized eggs may sound easy in theory, but once you get down to the nitty-gritty, you’ll find out that getting your hatchlings out is tougher than you’d expect.
Chicken incubation isn’t exactly what you’ll call a science, but in order to ensure that your chick hatches cleanly and completely from the egg, you’ll have to keep a very strict watch on a lot of the things going on. Ideally, the hens should be the ones incubating the eggs; however, using an incubator will give you a pretty good edge over several factors that you want to make sure you have control over.
But first, what about the one thing you cannot control? See, fertile eggs need to be incubated within ten days after they are laid. What if you bought a bunch of these eggs from a hatchery in the countryside, but you had to stay within the area – away from your incubator – for another five days or so?
The first thing you do is make sure that the eggs are stored in a large carton that has a constant temperature of 21⁰ C (although the ideal temperature is 10⁰C). The large side of the eggs should be up. Shift their positions daily so that you don’t end up having an egg with the yolk sticking to the sides of the shell.
Once you’re incubating, things don’t get any simpler. Chicken incubation temperatures are very demanding – you have to keep it at a steady 37.5⁰C. You also need to make sure that the overall humidity of the incubator chamber is steady at around 30 – 31⁰C for pretty much most of the time, or else the air bubble that naturally forms within the egg (near the large end) will grow bigger. This means that the necessary liquids the chick needs are being depleted so this is, without a doubt, something you do not want to happen.
An additional note about this air bubble: while you don’t want it to grow too big, you also don’t want it to be too small lest you rob your growing chick of air even before it hatches.
How long do eggs incubate? All fertilized chicken eggs need to incubate for a total of 21 days after being laid. Throughout this time, you need to constantly turn the egg to make sure that the embryo doesn’t stick too close to the wall of the shell. Because when this occurs, it will result to an abnormality in your chick. While inside the incubator, chicken eggs should be turned around thrice in a day.
There is debate among fowl enthusiasts whether or not turning is actually important. Some would prefer turning the eggs to make sure, while others don’t mind just letting them sit there. However, one thing is certain. On the last three days of incubation, you should avoid turning these eggs, since the chick is now fully developed and just waiting to be hatched.
Once they hatch, the chicken incubation chamber still plays an important role in the development of young chicks for up to three days. These baby birds can survive up to three days without food or water, and the safe environment of the incubation chamber will help them get accustomed to the new sensation of being out of the shell. The stronger your chicks are when you introduce them to the real world, the bigger their chances would be for survival.
Incubation chambers are sold by hatcheries and animal stores throughout the country and come in various shapes and sizes. Another alternative would be to make one by yourself if you know how. Just remember – keep a constant watch on the temperature and humidity of the incubation chamber, and your chicks should be fine.
Happy hatching!
