How To Incubate Eggs?

[ChickenGirl555]

I'm thinking about taking a few fertile polish mix eggs from my flock next Spring, and hatching them for fun, to see what they're like (And to hopefully keep a girl or two). My friend has an incubator she's willing to lend me since she works at a child care center, so she can lend it to me to borrow for hatching one batch of eggs. I've researched simple things, like turning them, what to do when you candle, and discarding bad eggs, but I've never really researched anything about temperature or moisture. I don't know what the incubator looks like or what size it is, I've just heard about it. I don't know the brand or anything, but might ask about those things soon.

So I'm wondering what's up with humidity and temperature, and really everything about hatch less than a dozen eggs. This wouldn't be for selling or breeding, just seeing how cool it would be to hatch chicks, and especially polish from my own backyard. My polish I have now are still chicks, that's why I'm waiting for next Spring, but there's guaranteed one boy in the batch, and I have an idea who it is...

Really, what is EVERYTHING I need to know about turning, even the stuff I mentioned, I'd like a recap and lots of info, to make sure I actually want to do this. The eggs would just be from my backyard, so it's not like they are super important or expensive. I can always get more.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

In all honesty if you have Polish you'll likely be able to put eggs under a brooding bird next spring. Certain breeds have a propensity to brood, Polish is one of them.

With some breeds/lines you'll have a harder time breaking the brood to get the girls back to laying than you would trying to find an easy way to hatch chicks. When a bird starts to brood she'll stay on the nest all day and night. Get off once or twice a day to poop and eat then back to the nest. She'll be flattened right out on nest and give you some upset screech and squaks if you get near her. They also start to pull lower chest feathers to line the nest with and expose skin where she'd be sitting on eggs. Once you see this behavior you should attempt to break it right away if you aren't planning to hatch chicks. Cage method is best. If you want chicks then take eggs from her everyday and collect eggs you want to hatch. Once enough eggs put under her all at once. Mark them for easy identification as new eggs will get laid in her nest and she will also grab eggs from other nests to put under her. Check everyday and remove the non marked eggs for eating.

Hatching, brooding and integrating chicks is suddenly as easy as collecting eggs, marking them and putting under the broody hen. She does everything else and it's a joy to watch her rear the young.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

In all honesty if you have Polish you'll likely be able to put eggs under a brooding bird next spring. Certain breeds have a propensity to brood, Polish is one of them.

Many people tell me that polish is one of the least broody breeds...I have 2 buff opringtons and neither have gone broody yet...They might even incubate them next year. I'd much prefer a broody, but just in case I can't, I want to learn about incubating.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Huh, my mistake then. Thought they would brood.

If the incubator is still air (no fan) the incubate at 101.5 F temp measured at top level of eggs. If forced air (fan) then incubate at 99.5 F. There will be a temperature swing to the cycle of heat element turning on and off. To tighten up the range add heat sink to the incubator. An incubator full has all those eggs to hold temp and make for short temp range, with few eggs adding stone or capped water bottle or what have you for heat sink will tighten up the temp swing.

Eggs should be turned as many times a day as you can. Auto turners make it easy but for first hatch manually turning the eggs is fine. Keep eggs in open carton so upright and tilt the entire incubator. A thick book like getting use of your Bible under one side then move to other side to tilt "turn" the eggs. Do this as often as you can each day for at least 14 days.

With humidity your controlling water loss in egg. You want water (weight) loss during incubation and that grows the air cell in fat end of egg. You'll find 25-35% RH will get your air cells the right size. Prior to hatch, late day 18 or into day 19 up your humidity to 70% RH. Low humidity at hatch will cause the membrane and album in shell to dry out when the chicks externally pip. They'll get glued/stuck and need assistance and you really want them to get out of shells themselves. 70% humidity ensures they wont get stuck.

When candling to see growth and discard quitters day 10 take note of air cell size, adjust humidity if needed so egg loses the proper weight/water.

 

[oregonkat]

Read Sally Sunshine guide to incubating:https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...y-sunshine-bantychooks.1046313/#post-16038469