Once a hen lays a clutch of morels, instincts take over. They constantly
fuss over them, adjusting them just so throughout the day and
rarely leaving the nest for more than a few minutes. Motherhood is
a big responsibility for a young hen—if she’s the least bit
neglectful, her babies will never hatch. Or worse, they may hatch
with deformities.
rarely leaving the nest for more than a few minutes. Motherhood is
a big responsibility for a young hen—if she’s the least bit
neglectful, her babies will never hatch. Or worse, they may hatch
with deformities.
Modern chickens, it turns out, are not always very effective
mothers. Whether it’s genetic or culture, who knows, but they get
distracted, other hens remove them from their nest, the rooster comes
by…there’s no shortage of things that can go wrong. For this reason,
most farmers and backyard chicken enthusiasts don’t trust
incubation to their hens, they take it upon themselves to do the
brood work instead. You can also buy day-old chicks and skip the
incubation process, but it costs more. Plus, why would you want to
miss out on an opportunity to experience one of life’s miracles?
Depending on how many eggs they accommodate and how
automated they are, Incubators run from around Ksh10000/= for the
homesteader, into the Hundreds of thousand shilling for
commercial scale incubators . With top-of-the-line incubators, you
put in an egg, close the door and out pops the chick three weeks
later. You can also go the DIY route, which saves money, but is
almost as much work as sitting on the eggs yourself. No matter how
fancy or jerry-rigged, all incubators must accomplish a few basic
things:
mothers. Whether it’s genetic or culture, who knows, but they get
distracted, other hens remove them from their nest, the rooster comes
by…there’s no shortage of things that can go wrong. For this reason,
most farmers and backyard chicken enthusiasts don’t trust
incubation to their hens, they take it upon themselves to do the
brood work instead. You can also buy day-old chicks and skip the
incubation process, but it costs more. Plus, why would you want to
miss out on an opportunity to experience one of life’s miracles?
Depending on how many eggs they accommodate and how
automated they are, Incubators run from around Ksh10000/= for the
homesteader, into the Hundreds of thousand shilling for
commercial scale incubators . With top-of-the-line incubators, you
put in an egg, close the door and out pops the chick three weeks
later. You can also go the DIY route, which saves money, but is
almost as much work as sitting on the eggs yourself. No matter how
fancy or jerry-rigged, all incubators must accomplish a few basic
things:
Temperature: The eggs need to be kept at 37.5 degrees C (99.5 degrees F) at all times;
just one degree higher or lower for a few hours can terminate the
embryo.
just one degree higher or lower for a few hours can terminate the
embryo.
Humidity: 40 to 50 percent humidity must be maintained for the
first 18 days; 65 to 75 percent humidity is needed for the final days
before hatching.
first 18 days; 65 to 75 percent humidity is needed for the final days
before hatching.
Ventilation: Egg shells are porous, allowing oxygen to enter and
carbon dioxide to exit; incubators need to have holes or vents that
allow fresh air to circulate so the fetuses can breathe.
Homemade versions usually involve some sort of insulated box—a
cheap Styrofoam cooler will do. An adjustable heating pad or a light
bulb on a dimmer switch will suffice for the heat source and a pan
of water with a sponge in it will make the air humid. Low-end
commercial incubators don’t amount to much more than this, but
the more you pay, the more automated the temperature and
humidity controls will be.
A high-quality thermometer and hygrometer (a device to measure
humidity) are the most important tools of incubation; cheap models
are usually not accurate enough. If you’re not working with an
incubator that has these instruments built in, opt for a combo
thermometer/hygrometer with an external display . These have a
sensor that goes inside the incubator with an LED screen on the
outside that shows the temperature and humidity readings without
having to open the incubator and ruin your carefully calibrated
environment.
One time-saving feature is a device to rotate the eggs automatically.
Much of the fussing that a hen does over her eggs comes from an
evolutionary instinct to constantly move them about. The finely
tuned ecosystem inside a chicken egg is kept in balance by
constantly changing the position of the egg. High-end incubators
have a built-in egg turning device, but there are also standalone egg
turners that can be placed inside a homemade incubator to do the
job. Or, you can rotate manually according to the instructions
below.
The incubator should be placed in a location with the least possible
fluctuation in temperature and humidity throughout the day—a
basement is ideal, a sunny window is not.
If you already have a flock of chickens that includes a rooster, the
majority of the eggs they lay will be fertile. Collect them as soon as
possible after laying and transfer to the incubator. If you don’t
already have chickens, find a friend or a nearby farmer who does
and ask if you can buy some fertile eggs. Some feed stores sell fertile eggs and there are many suppliers that sell eggs online.
The closer to home, the better the egg source. The jostling about and
fluctuations in temperature and humidity that occur during
transport are hard on the developing fetus. Hatching rates on eggs
straight from the coop are often in the 75 to 90 percent range; When picking eggs to incubate use those that are clean, well-
formed and full-size. Above all, do not clean the eggs—there is a
naturally occurring coating that is vital to the success of the
embryo. Wash your hands before handling and be as gentle as
possible, as the embryos are extremely susceptible to damage from
sudden movements.
Ideally, the eggs are transferred directly to the incubator, but it’s
possible to store them in egg cartons if needed. Kept at
temperatures between 15 and 18 degrees C and 75 percent humidity,
the development of the eggs can be delayed for up to ten days
without sacrificing the viability of the embryos. However, they
must be stored with the fat side of the egg pointed up to keep the
embryo alive.
It takes 21 days on average for an egg to hatch once incubation
begins. Before placing the eggs inside, turn on the heat source and
measure the temperature and humidity over a 24-hour period,
making adjustments as necessary to create the optimal
environment. If the humidity is too high or low, use a sponge with
more or less surface area to adjust it. Raise and lower the
temperature of the heat source in tiny increments until the
thermometer reads 37.5 degrees C (99.5.degrees F)
Once the incubator is functioning properly, it’s just a matter of
maintaining the environment until the chicks hatch. Place the eggs
on their side in the incubator, close the door and check the levels
religiously to make sure nothing goes askew. Water may have to be
added to the pan occasionally to keep the humidity up. At day 18,
add more water to boost the humidity level.
If you’re going to turn the eggs yourself, there is a standard method
to mimic the efforts of a hen
Draw an ‘X’ on one side of the egg and an ‘O’ on the other to
keep track of which eggs have been turned.
At least three times a day, gently turn the eggs over; more
frequent turning is even better, but the number of turns per
day should be odd (3,5,7 etc.) so that the eggs are never resting
on the same side for two consecutive nights. Experts also
recommend alternating the direction of turning each time—the
goal is to vary the position of the embryo as much as possible.
Continue turning until day 18, but then leave the eggs alone for
the last few days.
HATCHING
In the final days before hatching. the eggs may be observed shifting
about on their own as the fetus becomes active. The chick will
eventually peck a small hole in the large end of the egg and take its
first breath. It is normal at this point for the chick to rest for six to
12 hours while its lungs adjust before continuing to hatch. Resist
the urge to help with the hatching process—it’s easy to cause injury!
Once the chick is free from the egg, let it dry off in the warmth of
the incubator before moving it a brooder, where it will spend the
first weeks of its life.
They are then moved to the brooder
carbon dioxide to exit; incubators need to have holes or vents that
allow fresh air to circulate so the fetuses can breathe.
Homemade versions usually involve some sort of insulated box—a
cheap Styrofoam cooler will do. An adjustable heating pad or a light
bulb on a dimmer switch will suffice for the heat source and a pan
of water with a sponge in it will make the air humid. Low-end
commercial incubators don’t amount to much more than this, but
the more you pay, the more automated the temperature and
humidity controls will be.
A high-quality thermometer and hygrometer (a device to measure
humidity) are the most important tools of incubation; cheap models
are usually not accurate enough. If you’re not working with an
incubator that has these instruments built in, opt for a combo
thermometer/hygrometer with an external display . These have a
sensor that goes inside the incubator with an LED screen on the
outside that shows the temperature and humidity readings without
having to open the incubator and ruin your carefully calibrated
environment.
One time-saving feature is a device to rotate the eggs automatically.
Much of the fussing that a hen does over her eggs comes from an
evolutionary instinct to constantly move them about. The finely
tuned ecosystem inside a chicken egg is kept in balance by
constantly changing the position of the egg. High-end incubators
have a built-in egg turning device, but there are also standalone egg
turners that can be placed inside a homemade incubator to do the
job. Or, you can rotate manually according to the instructions
below.
The incubator should be placed in a location with the least possible
fluctuation in temperature and humidity throughout the day—a
basement is ideal, a sunny window is not.
If you already have a flock of chickens that includes a rooster, the
majority of the eggs they lay will be fertile. Collect them as soon as
possible after laying and transfer to the incubator. If you don’t
already have chickens, find a friend or a nearby farmer who does
and ask if you can buy some fertile eggs. Some feed stores sell fertile eggs and there are many suppliers that sell eggs online.
The closer to home, the better the egg source. The jostling about and
fluctuations in temperature and humidity that occur during
transport are hard on the developing fetus. Hatching rates on eggs
straight from the coop are often in the 75 to 90 percent range; When picking eggs to incubate use those that are clean, well-
formed and full-size. Above all, do not clean the eggs—there is a
naturally occurring coating that is vital to the success of the
embryo. Wash your hands before handling and be as gentle as
possible, as the embryos are extremely susceptible to damage from
sudden movements.
Ideally, the eggs are transferred directly to the incubator, but it’s
possible to store them in egg cartons if needed. Kept at
temperatures between 15 and 18 degrees C and 75 percent humidity,
the development of the eggs can be delayed for up to ten days
without sacrificing the viability of the embryos. However, they
must be stored with the fat side of the egg pointed up to keep the
embryo alive.
It takes 21 days on average for an egg to hatch once incubation
begins. Before placing the eggs inside, turn on the heat source and
measure the temperature and humidity over a 24-hour period,
making adjustments as necessary to create the optimal
environment. If the humidity is too high or low, use a sponge with
more or less surface area to adjust it. Raise and lower the
temperature of the heat source in tiny increments until the
thermometer reads 37.5 degrees C (99.5.degrees F)
Once the incubator is functioning properly, it’s just a matter of
maintaining the environment until the chicks hatch. Place the eggs
on their side in the incubator, close the door and check the levels
religiously to make sure nothing goes askew. Water may have to be
added to the pan occasionally to keep the humidity up. At day 18,
add more water to boost the humidity level.
If you’re going to turn the eggs yourself, there is a standard method
to mimic the efforts of a hen
Draw an ‘X’ on one side of the egg and an ‘O’ on the other to
keep track of which eggs have been turned.
At least three times a day, gently turn the eggs over; more
frequent turning is even better, but the number of turns per
day should be odd (3,5,7 etc.) so that the eggs are never resting
on the same side for two consecutive nights. Experts also
recommend alternating the direction of turning each time—the
goal is to vary the position of the embryo as much as possible.
Continue turning until day 18, but then leave the eggs alone for
the last few days.
HATCHING
In the final days before hatching. the eggs may be observed shifting
about on their own as the fetus becomes active. The chick will
eventually peck a small hole in the large end of the egg and take its
first breath. It is normal at this point for the chick to rest for six to
12 hours while its lungs adjust before continuing to hatch. Resist
the urge to help with the hatching process—it’s easy to cause injury!
Once the chick is free from the egg, let it dry off in the warmth of
the incubator before moving it a brooder, where it will spend the
first weeks of its life.
They are then moved to the brooder
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