Silly question about incubating.

[Billyj]

I am so looking forward to the day I can hatch my firs egg. Until then I am learning all I can about everything which means reading as many of these posts as possible. I have tried to incubate with no success. But I am working on that. Here is the real reason for my post.

Many people say they can's incubate or start until a certain date. Why is that? I told you it was a silly question. Is that because they don't want to, or what? I have my own eggs that I am trying to hatch so I always have eggs. The only thing I can think is that is when they are ordering them. Did I just answer my own question??

I am so new at the whole incubation thing and I am trying to learn.

Again sorry for the silly question.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Being in education, I was always taught that the only dumb questions are the ones not asked. If someone has to wait until a certain date, it could be because the hatcheries they are getting their eggs from don't start shipping out until a certain time of the year. That's my thought, but I could be wrong.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

the date all depends on where you will be putting the chicks after they hatch, if you incubate in Jan and lets say live in the Midwest like me but have no where but your house to brood, do you want chickens in your house till march, i have a shed for brooding, my babies are in the house till I know they are eating and drinking good then in the shed they go. it all depends on where you brood and what you tolerate

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

most people want to time their hatches for a certain holiday or for the weekends or so they have enough to sell for swaps/shows. and sometimes they want to have enough eggs from their girls to put in the incubator so they are not wasting space.

you also should take into account what type of incubator you have and the fluctuations of household temps. i've moved mine to the basement since the temp this time of year does not shift much. when i did it in my dinning room last spring i had considerable spikes and my dh was always fussing over the thing when i kept telling him to stop it.

 

[ranchhand]

Hi Billyj, I'm in Hollywood, SC.

Sometimes it's because of shipping dates, due to extremely hot or cold weather. Other times, it's because of household conditions. for instance, my best hatch ever was in February, when the house was closed tight and the central heat was keeping the temp and humidity in the hatching room steady. But, I had to brood them in the house, because the garage was too cold, and it was a mess.

Last hatch was not as good- I hatched in September, when the temp and humidity here swing wildly because the house wasn't sealed up. On nice days I opened the windows, and all that humidity came rolling in.

What's been happening in your previous hatching attempts? Maybe we can help?

This link is invaluable when learning about incubating and hatching. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=48726