I know nothing about hatching eggs and I feel like I'm missing something. Sounds like I could order a fertilized chicken egg. Or if I had a rooster (which I don't) I could use one on the eggs my girls have laid.
1. Don’t use an incubator. It’s counterintuitive for the specie. Can you imagine incubating chickens so much that a breeds hens forget how to mother? Well it happened. Thanks hatcheries! Good job humanity!
2. How many times have you looked under a hen and seen the large end up? Never. Quit looking under your hen - she knows what she’s doing. Good job humanity!
- they only need to be rotated constantly and kept warm - not hot.
3. How often do you need to spray way under a hen to control moisture? Never. Good job humanity!
Really appreciate the details of the process, and the links to get more specific info. Very well written and easy to understand. Thanks for taking the time to document the incubation process.
Well written and easy to understand. A good 101 on incubating eggs.
I would just add - do not have oils, hand lotion or other things on your hands/fingers as you manually handle the egg turning.
Greasing them up so to speak.
I also think that over humidifying the incubator is the greatest concern. A house usually is about 70 degrees humidity so the basic need is close to being met without adding too much water. if condensation forms on your incubator lid - do not add more until it is gone.
Just remember a chicken does not sweat so a broody hen unless she spits on the eggs is not going to be adding humidity. Not sure how this works in overly humid areas like the South or even the East Coast during the summer.
A hen can only do so much to regulate the heat and humidity of her brood.
This article tells all of the information of incubating and hatching eggs! I always new baby chicks were susceptible to drowning so I give them water in something small then in a couple of weeks get something bigger like a little dog bowl.