How to hatch and incubate eggs?

[ChickarooMydoo]

So lately we've been thinking about getting a rooster! but we want it to mate with the other chicken we have so we can get baby chicks and not have to buy them can we get some help on what to do to hatch the eggs and tell if an egg is growing a baby thanks!!!!

Thanks,
Sincerely, ~~ChikarooMydoo

 

[HuskerHens18]

What kind of hens do you have? You could either let the hens hatch your eggs or buy an incubator and do it yourselves.
After you get a rooster you should wait about a week to give him time to do his work. Then most of the eggs your hens lay will be fertile.
To check if your hens are laying fertile eggs, crack one open in a bowl and see if the yolk has a tiny white bullseye. That means it's fertile.
When you collect eggs you want to hatch, put them in an egg carton with the eggs fat end up, or on their sides. Turn them 3-5 times a day, they can last about 10 days without being sat on or incubated. After 10 days they will lose the chances of growing a chick.

If a hen is broody, then she will sit on them and not leave the nesting boxes, only to eat, drink, and poop. You can use fake eggs to try and encourage them to go broody (then you replace the fake eggs with the ones you collect if a hen begins sitting on them and staying).
Or, you look at incubators. You'll have to do some searching to find the kind you like. I use a Farm Innovativors 4250, a lot of people use hovabators or brinsea I believe. It depends on your budget.

You should wait about 5 to 10 days to candle them, take an LED flashlight and hold it up to the fat end of the egg. By day 10 you should definitely see movement and dark spots. There are plenty of really good "charts" to see what they should look like.

It takes 21 days for an egg to hatch if everything went well. If you have more questions feel free to ask anyone!

 

[WVduckchick]

Browse the threads here, and check out the Learning Center.

Here's a great beginner's guide
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-beginners-guide-to-incubation.73350/

 

[ChickarooMydoo]

What kind of hens do you have? You could either let the hens hatch your eggs or buy an incubator and do it yourselves.
After you get a rooster you should wait about a week to give him time to do his work. Then most of the eggs your hens lay will be fertile.
To check if your hens are laying fertile eggs, crack one open in a bowl and see if the yolk has a tiny white bullseye. That means it's fertile.
When you collect eggs you want to hatch, put them in an egg carton with the eggs fat end up, or on their sides. Turn them 3-5 times a day, they can last about 10 days without being sat on or incubated. After 10 days they will lose the chances of growing a chick.

If a hen is broody, then she will sit on them and not leave the nesting boxes, only to eat, drink, and poop. You can use fake eggs to try and encourage them to go broody (then you replace the fake eggs with the ones you collect if a hen begins sitting on them and staying).
Or, you look at incubators. You'll have to do some searching to find the kind you like. I use a Farm Innovativors 4250, a lot of people use hovabators or brinsea I believe. It depends on your budget.

You should wait about 5 to 10 days to candle them, take an LED flashlight and hold it up to the fat end of the egg. By day 10 you should definitely see movement and dark spots. There are plenty of really good "charts" to see what they should look like.

It takes 21 days for an egg to hatch if everything went well. If you have more questions feel free to ask anyone!

here is a photo because you asked what hens we have! chickens and chicks no rooster yet! two baby chicks are gonna have like feathers on their feet i forgot what they're called!

 

[HuskerHens18]

here is a photo because you asked what hens we have! chickens and chicks no rooster yet! two baby chicks are gonna have like feathers on their feet i forgot what they're called!

They're so cute! looks like you have a really neat variety!