HOW DO I HATCH MY OWN CHICKS

[Rettarain2]

I was thinking to take some of my ladies eggs and making babies .
How long do they incubate? What do I need to do?
Will my ladies take it upon themselves to "brood " is it? Is brooding when they sit on a nest to hatch young?
I am SO very new at this. My leghorns and Isa Browns are fairing well in this polar vortex we are experiencing .However, I noitice a bit if frostbite on their combs. Getting 4 eggs out of my normal 7 so they are happy I guess.
Anyway, thought to start some chick making for easter babies.
WHAT DO I DO??????

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

 

[LRH97]

If you want to use your birds to hatch the babies (which is what I do) they will need to go broody. The peak season for this is Spring, but it's pretty much whenever they feel like it (I had one go broody around Christmas last year). Going broody is when a hen enters an almost dormant state, she eats and drinks a lot less and concentrates on hatching those eggs. She'll get up about every 20 or so minutes to move around and go to the bathroom (watch out, broody hens leave HUGE and smelly "presents"!) I've never had a Leghorn go broody before, but with your ISA's, there might be a chance. Incubation time is about 21 days, give or take a few. When one of my hens goes broody, I keep her in a dog crate in the barn, separate from the others to reduce stress on her and to ensure safety of the chicks when they hatch. As for eggs, I've always ordered fertile eggs. If you want to hatch your own, then the more roosters you have, the more fertile your eggs will be.

 

[Farmer Viola]

Hi, please check the 2 links in my signature for information on hatching