incubating eggs in a week what can do for my hens to keep there eggs heathly

[chickenmama109]

hi i have a flock of 10 1 rooster 9 hens and im going to start incubating in a week and would like to know what i can do to keep my flock and the eggs good and heathly and temp should the incubator be and what humidite should it be and i see poeple on here saying that on the hatch date they hear there chick pip what does that mean im going to be incubating acouple brown chicken eggs and 1 white chicken egg all tips on inncubating are welcomed and thanks to all

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

You could try a search for articles on incubation, there are many! Or you can also search threads, to get discussions on the topic.
Or start with the learning center. Lots of info on many topics.
Hope this helps, sorry I can't be of more help, I'm still learning too!

 

[sylviethecochin]

Before you gather eggs for setting, make sure your hens have all of the essential nutrients readily available--I generally add riboflavin and vitamin E to mine's water before I gather eggs for setting because I know that's a deficiency in their feed. (Riboflavin is the most common vitamin deficiency in poultry feed.) Vitamin deficiencies. You can use a low-iron bird nutrition supplement if you don't know. They're available at Wal*mart and most pet stores. It's not absolutely vital, I once lost an entire clutch, so I'm careful.

When you gather eggs, you should find nice-looking ones, not big, not small, and no deformities of the shell. Store them in a cool, damp, clean place at between 45 and 70 Fahrenheit for less than fourteen days. (a week is ideal. Viability rapidly declines after ten days.) You can also check for fertility by cracking the eggs open and looking for a blastoderm.

Temperature depends on the sort of incubator you're using. Still-air requires higher heat because the air isn't being moved around and there's uneven heat distribution. 100-101.5 is ideal. Forced air uses a lower range, between 98.5 and 100. Whatever you do, use two thermometers, calibrate using ice and boiling water, if you can, and never trust the thermometer they send you to be correctly calibrated. Too high of heat causes too fast of growth, too low of heat causes delayed growth.

Humidity should be between 40 and 50 for the first two and a half weeks of incubation, and between 60 and 80 for the last three days (lockdown) Too high of humidity causes large, soft-bodied chicks and drowning in the shell, and mal-positions. Too low causes small chicks and "shrink wrapping" which is when a chick is restrained by the internal membrane, which has dried and now holds the chick in place so he cannot move to pip.
Judging humidity by air space

Internal pipping is when a chick breaks the inner membrane of the egg. External pipping (or simply "pipping" is when a chick breaks the shell. You may see movement and, if you hold the egg to your ear, hear peeping and tapping. You are not supposed to hold the egg to your ear because that involves opening the incubator which breaks the rules of lockdown. Note that this rule stops very, very few people.

Candling eggs.

Beginner's guide to incubation.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

 

[Star and eclipsa]

I only clicked on this to say that it's 'their' not 'there' in the title

 

[chickenmama109]

Before you gather eggs for setting, make sure your hens have all of the essential nutrients readily available--I generally add riboflavin and vitamin E to mine's water before I gather eggs for setting because I know that's a deficiency in their feed. (Riboflavin is the most common vitamin deficiency in poultry feed.) Vitamin deficiencies. You can use a low-iron bird nutrition supplement if you don't know. They're available at Wal*mart and most pet stores. It's not absolutely vital, I once lost an entire clutch, so I'm careful.

When you gather eggs, you should find nice-looking ones, not big, not small, and no deformities of the shell. Store them in a cool, damp, clean place at between 45 and 70 Fahrenheit for less than fourteen days. (a week is ideal. Viability rapidly declines after ten days.) You can also check for fertility by cracking the eggs open and looking for a blastoderm.

Temperature depends on the sort of incubator you're using. Still-air requires higher heat because the air isn't being moved around and there's uneven heat distribution. 100-101.5 is ideal. Forced air uses a lower range, between 98.5 and 100. Whatever you do, use two thermometers, calibrate using ice and boiling water, if you can, and never trust the thermometer they send you to be correctly calibrated. Too high of heat causes too fast of growth, too low of heat causes delayed growth.

Humidity should be between 40 and 50 for the first two and a half weeks of incubation, and between 60 and 80 for the last three days (lockdown) Too high of humidity causes large, soft-bodied chicks and drowning in the shell, and mal-positions. Too low causes small chicks and "shrink wrapping" which is when a chick is restrained by the internal membrane, which has dried and now holds the chick in place so he cannot move to pip.
Judging humidity by air space

Internal pipping is when a chick breaks the inner membrane of the egg. External pipping (or simply "pipping" is when a chick breaks the shell. You may see movement and, if you hold the egg to your ear, hear peeping and tapping. You are not supposed to hold the egg to your ear because that involves opening the incubator which breaks the rules of lockdown. Note that this rule stops very, very few people.

Candling eggs.

Beginner's guide to incubation.

thanks i will read that beginners guide and merry christmas to

 

[chickenmama109]

You could try a search for articles on incubation, there are many! Or you can also search threads, to get discussions on the topic.
Or start with the learning center. Lots of info on many topics.
Hope this helps, sorry I can't be of more help, I'm still learning too!

thanks

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Roosters as well as hens should both have a complete breeder feed for 6 weeks or longer before any eggs are set aside to hatch and nix any and all human provided "treats". Treats are only good for making the flock husbandman or husbandwoman feel good about his or her treatment of their hens. Human provided treats have nothing in common with good chicken health. In addition eggs should all be held at 45 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit and at 40% or higher humidity before they are given to a setting hen or assigned to an incubator. Don't bother setting eggs older than 15 days. Eggs should be stored in dark places and turned at least once per day but never 2, 4, 6, or 8 times. Turning 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 times per day is acceptable. Keep all eggs destine to hatch away from machinery or any other sources of heat, light, or vibrations. Fat roosters don't father many chicks, and the same is true for fat hens producing many healthy chicks. If you are unconcerned about the paternity of your chicks keep twice as many roosters as the rules say, but swap out all the roosters once every 7 days so that your roosters can recharge their sexual batteries.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Roosters as well as hens should both have a complete breeder feed for 6 weeks or longer before any eggs are set aside to hatch and nix any and all human provided "treats".

@chickengeorgeto can you elaborate on what a "complete breeder feed" consists of?
I have seen this mentioned in other posts by various people, but...I'm not a nutritionist, so a little more information would be great