Hatching Chicken Eggs: Dos and Don'ts, Plus Helpful Hints!
Krystal- Apr 27
- 8 min read
If you love chickens, hatching your own seems like an inevitable goal! Maybe that's just me?? Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned hatcher, it is essential to know the dos and don’ts that can make your hatching journey a better experience for you and the little ones you are hoping to add to your flock. I remember my first time hatching eggs — it was equal parts excitement and anxiety! I have learned a lot along the way and can't wait to share what I have learned with you.
Let’s go!
The Basics of Hatching Chicken Eggs
Before we dive into the details, let's talk about the overall conditions necessary for successful hatching. There is A LOT of info out there about hatching chicks. I have a basic guide on our website page 'Hatching & Chick Care'. I have simplified it even more in the drop down box here.
Basics of Hatching Chicken Eggs
For the first 18 days the ideal temperature for incubation is between 99.5°F and 100.5°F, and humidity should be between 50-55%.
Rotate the eggs at least 3-6 times a day for the first 18 days.
Days 19-21 are hatching days.
Increase the humidity to 65-75%, reduce the temperature to 98.9°F, and stop turning the eggs.
This period is called "Lockdown" and, just as that name describes, it is time to close your incubator and let the chicks hatch.
Allow your chicks to stay in the incubator until they are all done hatching and fluffy.
*Generally, these figures are standard, but sometimes different breeds hatch more successfully with slightly different incubation periods, temperature, and humidity.
Incubator Recommendations
The Dos of Hatching Eggs
1. Do Source Quality Fertile Eggs
If you happen to have a handsome roo within your flock already, you have hatching eggs!
Hatching from your own flock is eggciting! In my personal opinion, hatching chicks from your own flock is a great way to start hatching chicks and learning more! There are some variables to consider, like the hen to rooster ratio, what genetics you are looking to add, etc. Ultimately, it is all up to you and your goals.
If you are going to make the investment of buying hatching eggs, buy your hatching eggs from a reputable breeder. Preferably, find a breeder that tests fertility frequently, or even better, that hatches out from their own flocks often. A good breeder puts much time and effort into their flocks - both health and genetics. They will want you to have a great hatch!
Traits to look for in a "Good Egg"
Shape - Choose eggs with a nice oval shape, a distinct blunt end with an air cell, and an obvious point. An egg that is especially pointy or too round may be hard for the chick to hatch out of.
Texture - Your hatching egg shells should be smooth, and free of wrinkles or ridges.
Clean - Pick out eggs that are clean for hatching. Do not wash hatching eggs as it will wash away that protective bloom the hens lay over them. I know...sometimes even with the cleanest nesting boxes, the hens like to place their "muddy" feet on the eggs and get them a bit dirty. If you would like to take a damp cloth to clean an egg a bit, that is ok. Generally, a little dirt on your hatching eggs is reasonable and nothing to be overly concerned about.
Size - Avoid hatching eggs that are much bigger or smaller than the average for the breed you are hatching. Extra huge eggs can be hard for chicks to hatch out of, and small eggs equal small chicks. Try to choose eggs that are just right. :)
2. Do Prepare Your Incubator Ahead of Time & Continue to Monitor It
Even though we are hatching out many chicks throughout our hatching season, I always turn on my incubator 24 hours before I set eggs. This is also a perfect opportunity to let your eggs reach room temperature, preparing them for placement in your incubator.
Your incubator will need to bring the hatching eggs up to temp. Starting up your incubator ahead of time will get the incubator itself to the right temp as well. Although I need to take out my egg turning trays to load them up, I warm them up along with the rest of the incubator. This time before setting your eggs allows you to confirm that the temperature and humidity are stable. You will also be able to ensure that your egg turner, if you are using one, is working properly.
Continue to monitor your incubator's temperature and humidity closely throughout your hatch. Depending on the type of incubator you have, different variables (like the temperature of the room it is in) can have a bigger impact on how stable it holds the correct temperature. Be prepared to make adjustments, if needed.
Incubator Setup List
*Clean
*Temp Steady
*Humidity Level
*Properly ventilated
*Turner working properly (if using one, of course)
*Water reservoir full (if your model has one)
3. Do Take Notes and Keep Records
I know may seem a little tedious, but you will be thankful later. If nothing else, get out your calendar and mark the dates you loaded the incubator, when lockdown is, and when to expect your eggs to start hatching.
If you are up to a little more work, note the temperature, humidity, and any other observations about each hatch. Be specific! Adding details about how specific breeds or crosses hatched may prove to be valuable information to have as well! This will help you refine your hatching technique over time.
Storytime!
I LOVE spreadsheets, lists, details...all of it. They are invaluable when it comes to my breeding plans, hatching, and sharing chicks! However.... back when I was hatching solely to add to our flocks (and for fun), I had a little 24 egg incubator that I had been using all summer. I loaded it up and did not mark it on the calendar. The next week went by, so I thought, and I decided to mark my calendar for lockdown and their hatch date. Much to my surprise, I heard peeping on week.....2? I was so confused! I looked, and I had chicks pipping! How did these chicks hatch so fast? I didn't even have a chance to remove the egg turner and put them on lockdown! Do you know what happened? Well, friends, I was a week off! They were hatching on time, but I let my busy schedule and lack of record keeping get the better of me. Thankfully, they hatched well despite my not being prepared for it.
I learned my lesson, and still rely on my calendar...in addition to spreadsheets and the like!
4. Do Candle Your Eggs Before Setting Them
I don't think any of us want to deal with a rotten egg in our incubator. Sometimes cracks cannot readily be seen just by looking at an egg, and a cracked egg is likely to become very unpleasant in your warm incubator. Candling your eggs before you set them gives you an opportunity to inspect each one more carefully. You can then remove any that may be cracked, have a double yolk, or an air cell that is not placed properly.
My personal preferences for candling during incubation
I only candle my eggs twice during incubation:
1. Day one-When I set them in their turning trays
2. On lockdown day
Don't get me wrong, I am chomping at the bit to see development, find out how certain breeds are coming along, and am excited and curious along the way with each and every hatch! I have simply had too many mishaps...ok, broken eggs. The chances of me fumbling a developing egg and cracking it are too great a risk. So, I try to leave them to develop and grow without my disturbance. That said, I am not at all opposed to sneaking out an egg to show a visiting friend what a developing chick looks like!
If you are worried about an egg going bad while it is in the incubator, which is a valid concern, I have not as of yet had a stinky egg to deal with. Because I candle the eggs when I first set them, any that are cracked have already been removed. When I candle the eggs at lockdown, I place any that have stopped developing or never started in a basket to be discarded.
5. Do Patiently Prepare For Your New Chicks
While you wait, make sure you have everything ready for the precious little lives that will soon hatch. Twenty-one days goes by faster than you think!
Here is another link to our Hatching & Chick Care page where I share more details about brooding chicks along with my personal feed recommendations. If you are viewing our desktop version of the website, you can also see my brooders set up.
The Don'ts of Hatching Eggs
1. Don't Open the Incubator Too Often
I completely understand why you would want to check on your eggs often, but it is best for them if you avoid opening the incubator. Each time you open it, humidity and heat is lost. Your incubator will need to get those levels stable again, and that can cause undue stress on the little ones you are so excited about meeting.
This is especially important in that Lockdown phase, the last 3 days of their hatch. I get it...if you have a viewing area and can see a chick in a funny position....or another chick picking on a hatching chick (that really bugs me)... you may want to open it "real quick" to adjust things. Even a brief visit during lockdown can drastically effect your hatch. The chicks that haven't broken out of their shell yet are especially at risk at this stage. The brief exchange of dry air combined with the warm temp in the incubator can dry out the membrane just beneath the eggshell. Rather than pipping and zipping, they may become essentially wrapped in the membrane just beneath the eggshell and perish.
As hard as it may be to resist, if you avoid opening your incubator unnecessarily, it will improve your chances of a successful hatch. That's the ultimate goal, right. :)
2. Don't Be quick to Assist Chicks During Hatching
This one is tricky for me to give my personal opinion or advice on. There is a lot of info out there about when and how to assist a chick. I cannot say I agree with the advice to never help a chick out, but I also can't say you should always help out.
So, let's go with what I do for my own hatches. If a chick takes more than 24 hours to hatch, I worry about them, but I do not assist at all until it is time for me to open the incubator on hatch day. After I have removed all of their hatchmates from the incubator, I address the little one that hasn't hatched yet. If it appears that they are just a little stuck in their shell, I assist a bit and then leave them in the incubator to fluff up. After they are all fluffy and doing well, I add them to the brooder with their fellow chicks.
That said, I have found that, more often than not, a chick that has problems hatching does not thrive like its hatchmates. It is more of an exception if they thrive and I cannot tell which one had trouble hatching. I suppose I tend to address individual chick hatching issues case by case, and try my best. Sad results can be expected when helping these delicate little ones into the world.
My Conclusion
When it comes to hatching out chicks, doing research is valuable, learning from others is valuable, and having a great plan is valuable. However, there are some things that you will only learn or fully understand after you have hatched out your own little group of adorable chicks yourself!
I hope that my hatching tips help you in some way. I so appreciate all of you for reading, thank you!
As always, Happy Hatching!
-Krystal
