Incubating bantam eggs? The same as standard eggs?

[mrl8810]

I’ve incubated standard eggs before and gotten a good hatch rate each time. I’m going to try bantam eggs now…I’ve done research and saw that most people get hatches between 19-20 days…which a lot of my chicks hatch at day 20. I usually keep my eggs on 100.5 and humidity for 45-50 for the first 18 days and then once lockdown happens I make sure that it’s around 60%…I’ve read though that with bantam eggs I need to have it at 99.5 or it could kill the embryo? Do I need to do things differently for the Bantams? Also i have a heat lamp right now but have read that the heat plate is safer? Thanks for any help.

 

[NatJ]

I think you can treat bantam chicken eggs the same as other chicken eggs for hatching. You might consider lockdown a day early (which would be good if they hatch early, but still fine if they hatch at the normal time.)

For brooding them, heat lamps work for bantams just as well as they work for bigger chicks. Make sure one area is warm enough, and make sure they have plenty of space to get away from the heat when they want to, and they will typically do just fine at picking a spot with the temperature they want at any given time.

I have no personal experience with heat plates. I have read that they are less likely to cause fires than a heat lamp, which could make them safer for people and for all sizes of chicks, but that is not something specific to bantams.

 

[CozyDia]

My first time incubating was with some bantam eggs and my batch hatched on day 19-20. I didn't use a separate thermometer, but my Brinsea always read 99.5F. I asked a similar question and the answer was that its the same as standard eggs.

I swapped from heat lamp to heat plate. They're definitely safer and easier to use in my opinion. I also liked that they promote a good day/night cycle compared to the 24/7 light from heat lamps. Personally, I like to use heat lamps for the first few days since it warms the entire brooder and allows the chicks to figure out where food/water is then after that I swap to the heat plate.

 

[Tonyroo]

Incubating Bantam eggs is the same for standard in all aspects through the process. Lockdown is on day 16 instead of the 18th.