Incubating and Hatching Chicks

Step-by-step guide to incubating and hatching chicken eggs

Great — here’s a practical, straightforward step-by-step guide you can follow from choosing eggs through the first days after hatching. I’ll include temps in both °F and °C, timelines, common problems, and quick troubleshooting.

Quick overview (timeline)

• Set up & collect eggs: Days −7 to 0
• Incubation (automatic or still air): Day 0 → Day 18 (turning)
• Lockdown / stop turning: Day 18 → Day 21
• Hatch window: ≈ Day 19–22 (most breeds hatch ~21 days)
• Brooder: Day 0 (post-hatch) onward

Equipment & supplies checklist

• Incubator (commercial forced-air recommended) OR a broody hen
• Thermometer (accurate ±0.5°F/±0.3°C) and hygrometer
• Container for clean water (for humidity control)
• Egg Turner (automatic) or soft foam/padded towel for manual turning
• Candling light or bright LED for checks (optional)
• Brooder box, heat lamp or plate heater, bedding, feeder, waterer, chick starter feed
• Cleaner/disinfectant, gloves, notebook for temps/humidity logs

1) Choosing and storing eggs (before incubation)

1. Use fertile, clean eggs from a healthy rooster/hens. Avoid cracked or very dirty eggs.
2. Age: Best if <7 days old; up to 7–10 days is fine if stored properly. Older eggs have lower hatch rates.
3. Storage conditions: 50–60°F (10–15°C) and ~75% humidity is ideal. Pointy end down. Store in a cool, stable place and avoid refrigeration (which is too cold).

2) Set up the incubator

1. Place incubator on a level surface away from direct sun/drafts.
2. Run it empty for 24 hours to stabilize temperature and humidity and confirm readings. Aim for the temperature below.
    
   • Forced-air incubator (fan): 99.5°F (37.5°C).
   • Still-air incubator: ~101°F (38.3°C) measured at the top center of eggs (still-air models vary—follow manufacturer if provided).

1. Humidity target (start / incubation days 0–17): about 40–50% RH (relative humidity). Use a small pan of water in the incubator; adjust airflow/venting to change humidity.
2. Turning: If incubator lacks automatic turner, you must turn eggs odd-even (or rotate 90°) at least 3–5 times per day — ideally every 4–6 hours — through day 17. Mark eggs with pencil: one side “X” and the other “O” to track turns.

3) Day 0 — Set eggs into incubator

1. Place eggs pointy end down (or slightly tilted).
2. Start a log: date, time, temp, humidity, turning schedule. Record any adjustments.

4) Incubation care (days 1–17)

• Temperature: keep stable at the values above. Small fluctuations of ±0.5°F (±0.3°C) are okay; large or prolonged deviations reduce hatch rate.
• Humidity: keep around 40–50% RH days 0–17. Avoid opening incubator frequently — do quick checks only.
• Turning: continue automatic or manual turning. Never let the eggs sit in the same position for more than ~8 hours.
• Candling (optional):
   
  • First candle at day 7–10 to remove clear/infertile eggs. Look for blood vessels and an embryo (dark spot with veins) vs. clear egg.
  • Second candle at day 14 to check development.
  • Remove rotten eggs immediately (smell and soft yolk) to avoid contamination. Wear gloves and disinfect.

5) Lockdown (start of Day 18)

1. Stop turning on day 18 (some count day 1 as first day — adjust if you follow different convention). From now on, position eggs with the large end slightly up (air cell end).
2. Increase humidity: raise to ~65–75% RH (some sources target 70%). This prevents membranes from drying and makes pipping and zipping easier. Add more water pans or wet sponge as needed.
3. Do not open the incubator often. Minimal disturbance — opening lowers humidity and can harm chicks.
4. Temperature stays the same (99.5°F / 37.5°C for forced air).

6) Hatch (approx. days 19–22)

• Pip: chick bites a small hole in the shell (external pip). This can take many hours.
• Zipping: chick breaks a long crack around the shell.
• Hatch: chick emerges and rests. Some chicks take 12–24+ hours from pip to emerge — do not help unless there’s a clear emergency (see troubleshooting). Helping prematurely often kills the chick.
• Do not remove chicks immediately; let them dry and fluff in the incubator for several hours. After most have hatched and are dry, transfer to brooder.

7) Brooder setup (immediately after hatch)

1. Heat: provide 95°F (35°C) at chick level for week 1 (under heat lamp or plate heater). Reduce by 5°F (≈3°C) each week until no heat is needed (~6 weeks depending on weather).
2. Space & bedding: cardboard or pine shavings (not cedar), clean and dry.
3. Food & water: chick starter feed (crumbles). Shallow waterer with marbles or pebbles to prevent drowning. Add a tiny dish of water with a drop of sugar for exhausted chicks only if they’re very weak — otherwise plain water is best.
4. Protection & ventilation: draft-free but well-ventilated; no direct drafts on chicks.

8) First 24–72 hours care

• Chicks may sleep a lot after hatching. Encourage eating and drinking by gently dipping a chick’s beak into water if needed to show them where it is (do not force).
• Keep brooder temperature comfortable; watch behavior: chicks huddled tightly under heat = too cold; chicks spread far from heat panting = too hot. Ideal is even distribution and active chicks.

Troubleshooting & common problems

• No development on candling (clear egg): likely infertile or died early — remove.
• Large late deaths (after day 14): often caused by poor ventilation, high temperature, or bacterial contamination.
• Pip but doesn’t progress for >24 hours: increase humidity slightly, keep disturbance minimal. Only assist if chick is exhausted, membrane is dry and stuck, or chick has been pipped >24–36 hours with no progress and you know what you’re doing. Assistance risks injury.
• Too many weak or deformed chicks: often due to temperature too high/low during incubation or poor egg storage prior to setting.
• Moldy or rotten eggs: remove immediately and sanitize incubator.

Quick reference (temperature & humidity)

• Forced-air incubator: 99.5°F (37.5°C) all incubating days.
• Still-air incubator: ~101°F (38.3°C) at top of eggs (follow manufacturer).
• Humidity days 0–17: ~40–50% RH.
• Lockdown days 18–hatch: ~65–75% RH.
• Turn eggs: at least 3–5×/day until day 18 (automated is easier & more consistent).
• Hatch time: ~21 days (range 19–22 for most chicken breeds).

When to intervene (short checklist)

• Smell of rotten egg → open, remove, disinfect.
• Egg is pipped and chick seems stuck >24–36 hrs, membrane dry → consider careful assistance only if experienced.
• Incubator failure (power outage): keep incubation running if outage <4–6 hours and temps not dropped drastically; if long outage or temps dropped a lot, restart and expect lowered hatch rates — keep eggs warm and humid if possible.

Final tips

• Keep a log — small adjustments and results help you learn.
• Use an automatic turner and forced-air incubator if you want best consistency.
• Patience is key at hatch time — many things that look slow are normal.
• Learn from each hatch: note egg age, parent stock, incubator settings, hatch rate.