hatching eggs - lots of wondering!

[fostermom55]

I can't help but wonder how chicks ever hatch under a hen when we have to be so careful with the incubator? This year I hatched 2 chicks from 7 eggs in my little incubator. My broody hatched 2 chicks out of 11 eggs. Then watching her with the chicks, they are running around when it is 60 degrees out. Why are we keeping the brooder so warm? And another totally off question - do roosters improve their fertility rate? I have watched him , he is only a year old. Often he doesn't hit the mark. That is why I have such a low hatch rate. When my hen decided to brood I put fresh eggs under her from all my other hens. The 2 that hatched in the incubator were from different hens than the ones my broody hatched. So how do sellers that sell fertilized eggs know they are really fertile? Of all my eggs that didn't hatch only 1 had a chick that quit, the rest weren't fertile. Sorry for such a wandering post!

 

[hysop]

Hens were created with the instinct to know to turn the eggs and keep the eggs a certain temp.

Although chicks are walking around in 60 degree weather I feel like their momma is like a recharge for keeping warm. They run to her to warm up and once they’re warm enough they can wander freely until they begin to get cold again.

Hens give off a lot of heat!

I think it depends on the breed of rooster and how many hens he has. Some roosters can only keep 6 hens fertilized while other breeds can keep 12 fertilized.

Checking for fertility is a way to know and be able to sell fertilized eggs. My 6 month old cockerel once fertilized my first batch of eggs and I only knew because my white hens had a black spot and it came from him! I didn’t have black hens or black roosters from that pen.