How to Hatch Your Own Eggs
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Now that you have decided to hatch out your own chicks. Either you purchased some or hatching from your own flock. The first thing you will need to buy is an incubator. There are TONS of options out there. You need to pick one that works for you. If you are just wanting to hatch small batches, you could use Manna Pro Harris Farms Nurture Right incubator. I personally love this one and it’s so easy to use and clean! Eggs incubate for roughly 21 days. Now not all chicks will hatch on day 21. Some will hatch later and that is fine. Candle them before you toss them.
Supplies needed:
I also recommend getting a thermometer that can sit inside the machine, while we expect everything to work properly, that doesn’t always happen. A lot of things come to play with incubator. I’ve noticed that I need to run mine higher because I keep my house cold. A lot of people use the Govee Bluetooth thermometer. Having this will help you keep the most accurate temperature and humidity levels, which are supper important when hatching your eggs.
Recommended temperature and humidity:
Day one to day 17
ideal temperature is 99.5 to 100 with a humidity level of 50-60%
Day 18 to hatch day
Keep temperature the same but increase your humidity to 60-65%
Egg Candling
You will want to candle your eggs a few times while they are in the incubator. You will remove the ones that are not developing as they will eventually pop and the smell is awful. Days to candle your eggs: Day 7, Day 12, Day 17
Incubator Setup
For day 1 - 17 the eggs will need to be rotated. If your incubator has an auto rotate on it, make sure this is turned on. On day 18 you will put your incubator into lockdown, meaning, you will not open the incubator at all until chicks have hatched. You will also remove the egg tray and place something over the bottom of your incubator. I place a paper towel or the rubber mats you use in your cabinets.