In general - these are basics .... to give you an idea. But do check the hatch/raising chicks area - .... do your research before trying to hatch ....
to start - the eggs have to fertile - do you have a rooster ? If not, the eggs won't hatch.
Day one is the day that the eggs are "set" - or placed in the incubator at the proper temp and humidity. Otherwise, store them big end up, pointy end down, in a cool area - not more than 5-10 days. If you don't have an automatic egg turner, they will need to be turned manually about 3 times per day.
The temp needs to be a steady 99.5 degrees - and humidy is about 40-50% until the last few days. On day 19, you don't open the incubator and increase the humidity. Don't remove any chicks until they all hatch. They will be fine for a day or two while the rest continue to hatch.
You then place the chicks in a brooder - which is a box/area set up with newspaper, chick food, water and a heat lamp. Under the heat lamp the temp should read about 95 - and they need room to get away from the heat if so desired. Be sure the brooder is big enough to house them for about 6-8 weeks. They grow fast and will need a lot more room at the end then when the first hatch.
The heat lamp in the brooder is gradually raised once each week, gradually decreasing the temp under it by about 5 degrees per week. Once they are all feathered out, they are ready to move to their grower pen.
