questions on hatching eggs

junior67

Free Ranging
Jan 29, 2021
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I haven't hatched eggs since I was a child so many many years ago...... So I have some questions. I want to (hopefully) hatch some splash cochins. I have a blue cockerel and a blue pullet. They are both almost 11 mo old (on the 8th). The pullet just started to lay on March 3rd so has only laid 2 eggs so far (one Thurs and one today). I have some chicks ordered from my local feed store that will be here April 15/16 so about 6 weeks........

now for my questions. How long should I give my pullet time to lay and get the eggs a bit bigger (first was small at about 45g todays was 53g which seems to be around where my other Cochins are that has been laying since Oct)?

I was hoping someone would go broody and would hatch and raise them so I didn't have to buy an incubator since I won't be hatching all the time. But where I have chicks coming in 6 weeks should I just go with in incubator if noone goes broody in the next couple weeks so all the chicks are the same age or just wait and see if anyone goes broody this spring sometime? I will only be keeping 2 that I hatch and finding home for any others (giving them away most likely). so not sure if that makes a difference.

How long do I collect her eggs before I try to hatch them and do I just store them on the counter or what?

Any other information that can be helpful is great since I am sure I have more questions that i am not thinking of right now.

oh and right now I have 3 Cochin pullets (different colors), 2 light Brahma's, a Salmon Faverolles, and an EE. so hopefully a chance at least ONE of those will decide to go broody. LOL They are all 11 mo and 4 of them just started laying in the last 2 weeks. the other 3 have been laying since Sept/Oct.
 
I haven't hatched eggs since I was a child so many many years ago...... So I have some questions. I want to (hopefully) hatch some splash cochins. I have a blue cockerel and a blue pullet. They are both almost 11 mo old (on the 8th). The pullet just started to lay on March 3rd so has only laid 2 eggs so far (one Thurs and one today). I have some chicks ordered from my local feed store that will be here April 15/16 so about 6 weeks........

now for my questions. How long should I give my pullet time to lay and get the eggs a bit bigger (first was small at about 45g todays was 53g which seems to be around where my other Cochins are that has been laying since Oct)?

I was hoping someone would go broody and would hatch and raise them so I didn't have to buy an incubator since I won't be hatching all the time. But where I have chicks coming in 6 weeks should I just go with in incubator if noone goes broody in the next couple weeks so all the chicks are the same age or just wait and see if anyone goes broody this spring sometime? I will only be keeping 2 that I hatch and finding home for any others (giving them away most likely). so not sure if that makes a difference.

How long do I collect her eggs before I try to hatch them and do I just store them on the counter or what?

Any other information that can be helpful is great since I am sure I have more questions that i am not thinking of right now.

oh and right now I have 3 Cochin pullets (different colors), 2 light Brahma's, a Salmon Faverolles, and an EE. so hopefully a chance at least ONE of those will decide to go broody. LOL They are all 11 mo and 4 of them just started laying in the last 2 weeks. the other 3 have been laying since Sept/Oct.
I'll do my best to help answer some questions!

Firstly, I'm not super familiar with what egg size is appropriate for a Cochin. However, definitely would not recommend using their first 'small' eggs. If they're getting more normally sized, you're good to go i'd think. I believe some breeds are different when it comes to egg sizes when they just start laying. Some take a few weeks to get bigger eggs, some get bigger eggs right away.

You can collect her eggs for up to a 1 1/2 weeks before deciding to put them all in to incubate. I've even done 3 week old eggs before, but fertility begins to drop after 1 week. I've read before other users having similar experiences. You can simply store them in your house, just make sure it's not overly warm inside.

If you are collecting eggs for over a week, I recommend putting them in some kind of an egg tray, and rotating the eggs about once a day to avoid getting the yolk stuck to a side of the egg. (You can prop one side of the egg tray to do this, and just switch the sides about once a day). Don't know if that part is entirely necessary, but I've read about doing it and I've been doing it personally.

I recommend that you do not rely on your hens to go broody. Having an incubator gives you the chance to be in control of when you start things and takes away the chances of mishaps happening in the nest box. I love using broody hens, but you can't force them to go broody.

If anyone can fact check my stuff, I'm totally open to it!! Hehe.
I've been incubating chicks for well over 3 years now. So far so good!
 
How long should I give my pullet time to lay and get the eggs a bit bigger (first was small at about 45g todays was 53g which seems to be around where my other Cochins are that has been laying since Oct)?
Eggs seem to get bigger fairly fast as first, and then much more slowly after that. I can't tell how many days it takes, but I know at least one way to tell:

Save each day's egg in a carton on the counter, and every week or so take out the ones that look obviously smaller. Eat them, and keep the "big" ones. At some point, they will all be close enough to the same size that you can't easily recognize "small" ones-- so you might as well try hatching the ones that are that size.

(Or you could do the same thing by weighing the eggs, and making a list or chart of the weights. When they level out, that's probably big enough to hatch.)

have some chicks ordered from my local feed store that will be here April 15/16 so about 6 weeks........

But where I have chicks coming in 6 weeks should I just go with in incubator if noone goes broody in the next couple weeks so all the chicks are the same age
That's what I would do.

To get the timing right:
The chicks you buy should hatch about 3 days before you receive them.
(Arrival April 16, hatch day probably April 13)

From that hatch date, count back 3 weeks. That's when to set the eggs in your incubator.
(Put your eggs in the incubator March 23, but start running the incubator empty on March 22 to check that the settings are correct.)

From that setting date, count back at least one week, and possibly up to two weeks. That's when to start collecting eggs that you want to hatch.
(Start collecting eggs any time after March 9, and definitely collect by March 16)

Eggs are most likely to hatch if they are less than a week old, but some older ones will probaby hatch as well, so you will have more total chicks.

I suggest you write on each egg the date it was laid.
Then when you are ready to put them in the incubator, think about how many chicks you really want, and how many extras you want to set (because they may not all hatch, and may have uneven genders). Then set that many of the freshest eggs, and eat the rest.

do I just store them on the counter or what?
Yes, that can work.

It's supposed to be better if you store them a little below room temperature but above refrigerator temperature, but room temperature can work well enough. The less time you store them, the less picky they are about temperature.

If you do store them on the counter, make sure no-one eats them!
But they should still be safe to eat after more than 2 weeks on the counter, so you can eat any that you do not choose to set in the incubator.

Any other information that can be helpful is great since I am sure I have more questions that i am not thinking of right now.
Here's a review of a few basic points about using an incubator:
Run it for 24 hours before you put the eggs in, to make sure conditions are right.

Temperature needs to be right. Use another thermometer to check, in case the incubator one is wrong. If the temperature is correct before you add egggs, but low right after you add them, do not adjust it. Give the eggs 24 hours to warm up before you decide about adjusting the temperature.

Turning needs to happen regularly for the first two weeks or so, and quit before the eggs actually hatch.

Humidity needs to be more-or-less right during incubation.
You can check that by candling after a week or so, and looking at the size of the air cells. The eggs lose moisture, so the air cell gets bigger, and it is supposed to reach a certain size by the time the chicks hatch. But it does not have to be the perfect humidity for every hour of every day, so long as the average works out right by the end. (There are various charts on the internet showing the correct air cell size for various stages of incubation.)

Humidity does need to be higher during hatch. It naturally goes up because of the wet chicks, but you may need to add more water as well ("more" as compared with what it needed during incubation.)

Chicks can take a long time to go from the first pip to actually hatching. It is best NOT to help them, for at least 24 hours after they first make a hole in the egg. Even after they make that first hole, they spend a long time absorbing the yolk-- and helping too soon can kill them. So patience is very important, even though it is very hard.
 
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I'll do my best to help answer some questions!

Firstly, I'm not super familiar with what egg size is appropriate for a Cochin. However, definitely would not recommend using their first 'small' eggs. If they're getting more normally sized, you're good to go i'd think. I believe some breeds are different when it comes to egg sizes when they just start laying. Some take a few weeks to get bigger eggs, some get bigger eggs right away.

You can collect her eggs for up to a 1 1/2 weeks before deciding to put them all in to incubate. I've even done 3 week old eggs before, but fertility begins to drop after 1 week. I've read before other users having similar experiences. You can simply store them in your house, just make sure it's not overly warm inside.

If you are collecting eggs for over a week, I recommend putting them in some kind of an egg tray, and rotating the eggs about once a day to avoid getting the yolk stuck to a side of the egg. (You can prop one side of the egg tray to do this, and just switch the sides about once a day). Don't know if that part is entirely necessary, but I've read about doing it and I've been doing it personally.

I recommend that you do not rely on your hens to go broody. Having an incubator gives you the chance to be in control of when you start things and takes away the chances of mishaps happening in the nest box. I love using broody hens, but you can't force them to go broody.

If anyone can fact check my stuff, I'm totally open to it!! Hehe.
I've been incubating chicks for well over 3 years now. So far so good!
Thank you!

So far she has laid 3 eggs. One on Thurs, then Sat and today. Thurs was 45g so little. Yesterday was 53 today 52. I am not sure what size a cochin normally weighs but I have one other Cochin that has been laying since I think Oct and while she slowed down she laid all winter and hers are 48-53g. and hers started small at high 30's.

My house is normally around 65* so not really warm so hopefully that will be ok. They are stored pointy side down right?

and by rotate just side to side do you mean?

I know I can't force someone to go broody but was thinking maybe someone would later in the spring. I don't HAVE to hatch out these eggs now, but was thinking it may be good to have these ones the same age as the ones I am getting from my feed store instead of 2-4 months younger....... hmmmmmm Not sure what is better. to have a mama to get them in with the rest of the flock or just to brood with the other babies and have them all go in with the rest of the flock that way........
 
Thank you!

So far she has laid 3 eggs. One on Thurs, then Sat and today. Thurs was 45g so little. Yesterday was 53 today 52. I am not sure what size a cochin normally weighs but I have one other Cochin that has been laying since I think Oct and while she slowed down she laid all winter and hers are 48-53g. and hers started small at high 30's.

My house is normally around 65* so not really warm so hopefully that will be ok. They are stored pointy side down right?

and by rotate just side to side do you mean?

I know I can't force someone to go broody but was thinking maybe someone would later in the spring. I don't HAVE to hatch out these eggs now, but was thinking it may be good to have these ones the same age as the ones I am getting from my feed store instead of 2-4 months younger....... hmmmmmm Not sure what is better. to have a mama to get them in with the rest of the flock or just to brood with the other babies and have them all go in with the rest of the flock that way........
I think the house being around the 60s should be fine! That's roughly the temp of our home too. I am still regularly incubating and theyve been doing just fine when sitting at a 60ish room temp.

Yes, pointy side down, blunt end up🙂

How do I explain this.. yes, side to side, but if you have them in an egg tray/carton, just prop one side up, and the next day just alternate and prop the other side up. Hope that makes sense!

That decision is completely up to you! If I was able to brood everyone at the same age with a mama hen, I would probably lean towards that and have her raise them. I think it's also easier to integrate a same age group of chicks in with the flock, instead of having 2 different groups. But that's more personal decision than anything else. Good luck with what you choose to do 👍
 
Eggs seem to get bigger fairly fast as first, and then much more slowly after that. I can't tell how many days it takes, but I know at least one way to tell:

Save each day's egg in a carton on the counter, and every week or so take out the ones that look obviously smaller. Eat them, and keep the "big" ones. At some point, they will all be close enough to the same size that you can't easily recognize "small" ones-- so you might as well try hatching the ones that are that size.

(Or you could do the same thing by weighing the eggs, and making a list or chart of the weights. When they level out, that's probably big enough to hatch.)




That's what I would do.

To get the timing right:
The chicks you buy should hatch about 3 days before you receive them.
(Arrival April 16, hatch day probably April 13)

From that hatch date, count back 3 weeks. That's when to set the eggs in your incubator.
(Put your eggs in the incubator March 23, but start running the incubator empty on March 22 to check that the settings are correct.)

From that setting date, count back at least one week, and possibly up to two weeks. That's when to start collecting eggs that you want to hatch.
(Start collecting eggs any time after March 9, and definitely collect by March 16)

Eggs are most likely to hatch if they are less than a week old, but some older ones will probaby hatch as well, so you will have more total chicks.

I suggest you write on each egg the date it was laid.
Then when you are ready to put them in the incubator, think about how many chicks you really want, and how many extras you want to set (because they may not all hatch, and may have uneven genders). Then set that many of the freshest eggs, and eat the rest.


Yes, that can work.

It's supposed to be better if you store them a little below room temperature but above refrigerator temperature, but room temperature can work well enough. The less time you store them, the less picky they are about temperature.

If you do store them on the counter, make sure no-one eats them!
But they should still be safe to eat after more than 2 weeks on the counter, so you can eat any that you do not choose to set in the incubator.


Here's a review of a few basic points about using an incubator:
Run it for 24 hours before you put the eggs in, to make sure conditions are right.

Temperature needs to be right. Use another thermometer to check, in case the incubator one is wrong. If the temperature is correct before you add egggs, but low right after you add them, do not adjust it. Give the eggs 24 hours to warm up before you decide about adjusting the temperature.

Turning needs to happen regularly for the first two weeks or so, and quit before the eggs actually hatch.

Humidity needs to be more-or-less right during incubation.
You can check that by candling after a week or so, and looking at the size of the air cells. The eggs lose moisture, so the air cell gets bigger, and it is supposed to reach a certain size by the time the chicks hatch. But it does not have to be the perfect humidity for every hour of every day, so long as the average works out right by the end. (There are various charts on the internet showing the correct air cell size for various stages of incubation.)

Humidity does need to be higher during hatch. It naturally goes up because of the wet chicks, but you may need to add more water as well ("more" as compared with what it needed during incubation.)

Chicks can take a long time to go from the first pip to actually hatching. It is best NOT to help them, for at least 24 hours after they first make a hole in the egg. Even after they make that first hole, they spend a long time absorbing the yolk-- and helping too soon can kill them. So patience is very important, even though it is very hard.
Thank you for all the information!!!!

Her eggs seemed to start out bigger than my other cochin but that one started in Oct so was 4 month or so younger. The one that I want to hatch has only laid 3 (thurs, Sat and today) and they were 45, 53 and 52g. My Cochin that started in Oct started around high 30's and are now still 48-53g....... so seems like this girl is already up to what one that has been laying for 4 months lays.

I weigh, date and put the chickens initials on all my eggs so it will be easy to tell how big each one is. I also have an app that I enter then into.

my house is kept around 65* I do have an unheated basement but that can get really cold depending on how cold it is outside. LOL

Thank you for the dates to start everything! that is a HUGE help! hmmmmm so earliest to start collecting would be Wed and she will have only been laying for just under a week. I am not even sure how often she will lay yet. My other one used to lay for 2-3 days then a day off then 2-3 days. so collecting for 2 weeks I would probably only have 8 or so eggs tops from her. so I would probably just try to hatch them all. with the 2 blues I have a 50% chance of blue, 25% black and 25% splash and I would like to keep 2 splash pullets. the rest I would have to re-home so it may take a couple of hatches to get them. LOL


Thank you for the incubator points. It scares me that I will mess up the temp or humidity or something else. It all seemed so much easier when I was a child and just watched them and helped candle them. haahaa!!!!! I didn't have to worry about temp or humidity. The one I am looking at has a turner in it so that should be fine right? then you turn that off the last week or so?


I am not sure if I want to try to use an incubator and hatch them now with her only laying for week from her first egg till I start collecting (so probably only lay 4 eggs or so before I start collecting ones to hatch) and then brood any that hatch with the ones that I get from the feed store. I am brooding them in the coop so hopefully integration is easier than if I brooded inside........ Or if I want to wait and see if anyone decides to go broody once it gets warmer and hatch them then and let a mama brood and integrate them. But then they may be 2-4 mo younger than the other ones I get.......
 
I think the house being around the 60s should be fine! That's roughly the temp of our home too. I am still regularly incubating and theyve been doing just fine when sitting at a 60ish room temp.

Yes, pointy side down, blunt end up🙂

How do I explain this.. yes, side to side, but if you have them in an egg tray/carton, just prop one side up, and the next day just alternate and prop the other side up. Hope that makes sense!

That decision is completely up to you! If I was able to brood everyone at the same age with a mama hen, I would probably lean towards that and have her raise them. I think it's also easier to integrate a same age group of chicks in with the flock, instead of having 2 different groups. But that's more personal decision than anything else. Good luck with what you choose to do 👍
Thanks. Ideal would be if someone would go broody in a few weeks, but highly doubt that will happen. Then I can let her hatch them and maybe add the babies in when they come so they can all go together. Leaning to just getting an incubator and hatching the eggs in there to hatch out around when I get my others so I can brood them together. Just in case noone goes broody at all this year...

If I waited then mama would integrate any she hatched so I wouldn't have to do that twice, BUT if noone goes broody then I would end up having to do it twice. I am brooding in my coop so hopefully integration will go pretty easy....... fingers crossed!!!
 
my house is kept around 65* I do have an unheated basement but that can get really cold depending on how cold it is outside.
65 should be fine for the eggs you want to hatch.

My other one used to lay for 2-3 days then a day off then 2-3 days. so collecting for 2 weeks I would probably only have 8 or so eggs tops from her. so I would probably just try to hatch them all. with the 2 blues I have a 50% chance of blue, 25% black and 25% splash and I would like to keep 2 splash pullets. the rest I would have to re-home so it may take a couple of hatches to get them.
Those numbers sound right. Yes, it might take a couple of hatches to get them.

If you are hoping to use a broody hen to hatch, you can just collect eggs all the time, and keep them in a carton at room temperature. Every day, add the new egg (if she laid), and take out any that are "too old" (1 week or 2 weeks or whatever you decide. Eat those one.) Then when a hen goes broody, you have a clutch all ready to give her. And if another hen goes broody a few weeks later, you'll have another clutch ready to give her too.

Thank you for the incubator points. It scares me that I will mess up the temp or humidity or something else. It all seemed so much easier when I was a child and just watched them and helped candle them. haahaa!!!!! I didn't have to worry about temp or humidity.
Once you get the temperature right, you can mostly leave it alone (check, but don't keep changing it.) Depending on your climate, you may not even have to add water to get the right humidity (people in the desert always have to add water, people in humid places almost never do, people in between might or might not.)

The one I am looking at has a turner in it so that should be fine right? then you turn that off the last week or so?
That sounds right to me.
It's common to remove the turner on day 18, but a day or two earlier does no harm.

When counting days of incubation: the day you put them in is day zero.
The next day is day one (because they have been in for one full day.)

I am not sure if I want to try to use an incubator and hatch them now with her only laying for week from her first egg till I start collecting (so probably only lay 4 eggs or so before I start collecting ones to hatch) and then brood any that hatch with the ones that I get from the feed store.
Decisions can be hard! I don't know what is best.

But since you're tracking the egg weights anyway, you can just keep those eggs at room temperature until you make up your mind. The weights might make it clear one way or the other. Once the weights have leveled out, I don't think there's much reason to wait longer. But if the egg size keeps increasing, it probably would be better to wait longer before setting her eggs.
 
65 should be fine for the eggs you want to hatch.


Those numbers sound right. Yes, it might take a couple of hatches to get them.

If you are hoping to use a broody hen to hatch, you can just collect eggs all the time, and keep them in a carton at room temperature. Every day, add the new egg (if she laid), and take out any that are "too old" (1 week or 2 weeks or whatever you decide. Eat those one.) Then when a hen goes broody, you have a clutch all ready to give her. And if another hen goes broody a few weeks later, you'll have another clutch ready to give her too.


Once you get the temperature right, you can mostly leave it alone (check, but don't keep changing it.) Depending on your climate, you may not even have to add water to get the right humidity (people in the desert always have to add water, people in humid places almost never do, people in between might or might not.)


That sounds right to me.
It's common to remove the turner on day 18, but a day or two earlier does no harm.

When counting days of incubation: the day you put them in is day zero.
The next day is day one (because they have been in for one full day.)


Decisions can be hard! I don't know what is best.

But since you're tracking the egg weights anyway, you can just keep those eggs at room temperature until you make up your mind. The weights might make it clear one way or the other. Once the weights have leveled out, I don't think there's much reason to wait longer. But if the egg size keeps increasing, it probably would be better to wait longer before setting her eggs.
Thank you for all the great advice! I hate making decisions like this. haahaa. But true I do weigh all the eggs and mark hers so I just won't eat hers until they have been around a week or two and then figure out what I am doing. right now unless her egg size changes I will probably incubate them and see how it goes since I will already have the brooder set up in the coop then anyways. and as a bonus my girls (17 and 19) will get to learn about chicks hatching and growing in the eggs. :)
 

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