Broody Hen Coming Off The Nest

“I’ve had a broody chicken sitting on eggs for over two weeks. Today she has been off the nest all day. Will the eggs still hatch if she goes back to sitting?” ~ Anne Thanks for the question, Anne. My answer is, “Maybe.” There is a possibility that the eggs will be fine if your…

Continue Reading →

Hatching Chicken Eggs Part 4 – Preparing For The Hatch

This week we’ll prepare for your chicks to hatch. If you have more than one setting in the incubator, meaning more than one batch of eggs at different stages in the incubation process, you’ll need to move the eggs on day 17 to another incubator to prepare for them to hatch. If all your eggs…

Continue Reading →

Hatching Chicken Eggs Part 3 – Selecting, Setting & Candling

I’m excited; it’s time to set your eggs! In 21 days or so, you’ll have chicks! Prepare your incubator by heating it to the manufacturer’s recommended temperature and a relative humidity of 58 to 60%. Adjust the vents if necessary. You’ve been storing eggs selected for this purpose. It’s time to select the freshest, best…

Continue Reading →

Hatching Chicken Eggs Using Incubators – Part Two

So you’ve chosen your model and you have your incubator. You’ve decided where to locate it and you’ve thoroughly cleaned it. Now is the time to make sure everything is working properly before you set your eggs. You’ll remember from last week that there are two types of incubators; still-air and forced-air. Each type will…

Continue Reading →

Hatching Chicken Eggs Using Incubators

This week in our “Basics” series, we’ll talk about chicken egg incubators and what type would work best for you. There are incubators available for sale that will handle whatever needs or future plans you may have. They can handle anywhere from a few eggs up to 75,000. There are kerosene or oil models available…

Continue Reading →

Hatching Eggs Using Broody Hens

I hope you all had a great week, let’s get started talking about broody hens. The easiest way to hatch eggs is to let your hen sit on them. She keeps them at the perfect temperature and naturally incubates them. When a hen decides that it’s time to start a family, it’s called going broody.

Continue Reading →