How do you hatch eggs?

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Hello, I was wondering how do you hatch fertile eggs? All I know is there is an incubator involved! Haha! Thanks everyone!

 

[Cowgirl71]

Here's a good link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-hatch.html

If you have any questions after reading this let us know.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Thanks for that link it was REALLY HELPFUL! I do have some questions though. First question. They said...

Mark eggs, using a pencil, with an X on one side and an O on the other. Make sure to turn the eggs at least 3 times a day (turn an odd number of times a day).

Why do you have to mark the eggs? And what do they mean by 'turn an odd number of times a day'?

Make a hole slightly smaller in diameter than the egg through which light will pass. Place the egg over the hole, if a cloudy spot or mass is observed, this can be assumed to be a growing embryo. If the contents of the egg allows light to pass uniformly through it (it's clear), assume that the egg is infertile. If an egg is candled at 7 days or older and is absolutely clear, it is dead or was never fertile.

Do you have to candle eggs? And what do they mean by 'make a hole slightly smaller in diameter then the egg through which the light will pass' do you make a hole in the egg?

Thanks again!

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

I also have another question...
After you receive the first fertile egg do you put it in the incubator and then the next day you put the 2nd egg in the incubator? Wont they all hatch on different days? They will only lay 1 fertile egg a day, correct?

 

[smokeykk]

By turning an odd number of times a day, you guarantee that the egg is on the opposite side than the side it was on the day before. You don't have to put the eggs in right after they are laid, you could collect them over an amount of time and put them all in at one time. They will all hatch around the same day as each other. The embryo won't die right away if you leave the fertile egg out for a day or 2.

 

[Deanner03]

For hatching at home we'll hold eggs for up to a week. That way they all go into lockdown at the same time.

When you turn eggs by hand three times/day, the side that is up at night will be different on two consecutive days. Since that's the position they spend the most time in, you want it to vary night to night. You mark them so you know which ones have been turned when you're doing it (all x's up at once, or all o's up at once). Does that make sense?


ETA: I don't use a candler. I have an LED flashlight, and I cup it in my hand, and set the egg on top. Boy...that description was clear as mud.

 

[Cowgirl71]

sunny & the 5 egg layers :

Thanks for that link it was REALLY HELPFUL! I do have some questions though. First question. They said...

Mark eggs, using a pencil, with an X on one side and an O on the other. Make sure to turn the eggs at least 3 times a day (turn an odd number of times a day).

Why do you have to mark the eggs? And what do they mean by 'turn an odd number of times a day'?

If you plan to use an automatic egg turner you can skip this step. If you'll be turning them by hand you'll need to mark each egg so that you know when you've turned them or not. You know all of the eggs have been turned when all of them are "X" up or all of them are "O" up. You need to turn them an odd number of times per day so that they don't spend all night on the same side night after night.

Make a hole slightly smaller in diameter than the egg through which light will pass. Place the egg over the hole, if a cloudy spot or mass is observed, this can be assumed to be a growing embryo. If the contents of the egg allows light to pass uniformly through it (it's clear), assume that the egg is infertile. If an egg is candled at 7 days or older and is absolutely clear, it is dead or was never fertile.

Do you have to candle eggs? And what do they mean by 'make a hole slightly smaller in diameter then the egg through which the light will pass' do you make a hole in the egg?

Candling eggs is when you force a strong light through an egg, illuminating the inside. This way you can tell whether the egg was infertile, dead, or is alive and growing, without having to break the egg open (and so killing the embryo). Any eggs that are infertile will be quite rotten after 14 days or so at a hundred degrees, so it's best to remove them before they contaminate your good eggs. I myself don't cull eggs any sooner than 7 days for white eggs and 10 days for brown and blue eggs (white eggs are easier to see through).

Thanks again!

 

[Cowgirl71]

sunny & the 5 egg layers :

I also have another question...
After you receive the first fertile egg do you put it in the incubator and then the next day you put the 2nd egg in the incubator? Wont they all hatch on different days? They will only lay 1 fertile egg a day, correct?

You want the eggs all due to hatch at the same time (because hatching eggs require a higher humidity). It is also easier to brood chicks that are all the same age. You can keep eggs for hatching for up to 7 days with little-to no difference in how many hatch. You can incubate older eggs, but the rate will start dropping pretty steeply.

Do not wash or refrigerate hatching eggs. Hatching eggs are best kept at 50-70F.​

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Quote:
Yes that makes sense, what you are saying is you want all the O's facing upward at the same time. And all the X's facing upward at the same time, right?

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are getting a lot of good info, but I'll kick in a little.


Why do you have to mark the eggs? And what do they mean by 'turn an odd number of times a day'?
You do not "have" to mark the eggs, but if you are hand turning, that makes it easier to know that you turned them properly. You can buy turners that come with the incubators that do the turning for you. You sure do not need to mark the eggs if you have those.

The theory behind turning them an odd number of times a day is that if you are gone long periods of time, like to work, or if you sleep all night instead of getting up a few times to turn the eggs, the eggs do not always wind up on the same side for that long period of time. Deending on when you turn them, you do not "have" to turn them an odd number of times, but if you have one long period in there where you donpt turn them,. it does help some people. If you turn them six times a day, every four hours, that is better than turning them three times a day at irregular intervals. You just "need" to set your own schedule but realize you do not want them to be on the same side most of the time. Depending on your household's schedule, someone may be able to turn the eggs four times a day every six hours. That is not a bad schedule.

Do you have to candle eggs? And what do they mean by 'make a hole slightly smaller in diameter then the egg through which the light will pass' do you make a hole in the egg?
No, you do not "have" to candle the eggs. Candling is great to see what is going on inside the egg. It is really interesting. Plus, if an egg is not developing or shows signs of having a bacterial infection, you can take it out of the incubator. If bacteria get inside the egg, they can multiply and cause the egg to explode, which can mess uo the other eggs and infect them. You can also catch the ones that have bacteria by sniffing the eggs, say once a day when you turn them. You can tell when an egg is going bad.

After you receive the first fertile egg do you put it in the incubator and then the next day you put the 2nd egg in the incubator? Wont they all hatch on different days? They will only lay 1 fertile egg a day, correct?
You need to collect all the eggs you want to hatch and start them the same day. If you read this article, it gives great information on how to store the eggs for incubation.

Texas A&M Incubation site
http://gallus.tamu.edu/library/extpublications/b6092.pdf