Incubating & Hatching Eggs for the first time - A few questions!

[tviss711]

Hi there!

I am a fourth grade teacher, and each year we study birds. I always thought it would be fun to hatch eggs in class, and this year we added a rooster to my flock and based on what I'm seeing from the eggs I consume he is doing his job well. I have read through the sticky thread about incubating and it was very, very helpful. I am still left with a few questions and perhaps some tips from others more experienced with this than I! I like to over plan and try to know what I'm up against as best as I can before I do something like this. It feels a little intimidating for me but I think it would be such an awesome experience for my students to watch eggs develop and hopefully hatch.
NOTE:
I will not do this if I cannot find homes for the chicks BEFORE they even begin incubating. I can't keep them myself, so I want to know they have a place to go before I even start, otherwise it's not worth it to me. It sounds like it will not be difficult though, as many students in my class and at my school keep large flocks of chickens.

A couple things I've gathered so far please correct if I'm wrong on any of these notes or if you have a better suggestion:

- The Brinsea Mini incubator seems to be the best choice for appropriate size and reliability, I would likely need the advanced for the automatic egg turning feature as I will not be coming in on the weekends to turn eggs, nor do I think I could do this well on a regular school day. I am OPEN to other suggestions for small batch incubators, perhaps an equally reliable incubator at a bit of a lower cost if anyone knows of another brand that is also of good enough quality for this type of thing. The Brinsea does seem a bit expensive but again I would want to give the eggs the best chance of survival.

- Choose eggs that are 7 days old or younger to incubate

- Place them pointy end DOWN

- Candle at regular intervals and then lock down on day 18. No more turning after this.

Some questions I'm left with:

Suggestions on how to choose good eggs for a decent hatch rate? What traits to look for in the egg, other than a nice tear-drop shape and no cracks?

What kind of hatch rate can I reasonably expect from 7-10 eggs in the incubator?

Any general advice or personal tips/tricks with incubating/hatching?

I know most chicks are hatched out in the spring. Is this necessary or preferred? I also know some people have hens that go broody at random intervals in the year. I'm just wondering if there is a purpose and benefit to waiting for spring to hatch out eggs, and if I should plan for that as well. Does it have to do with them having their first molt during a preferred season, or is it kind of arbitrary?


AND not totally necessary but out of curiosity from those who are experienced with the genetics of mixing breeds, here is my next question:

I will be collecting from my own flock which consists of the following:
1 Buff Orpington Roo (all will be 50% BO) DAD
HENS:
2 Speckled Sussex
1 Buff Orpington
1 Silver Laced Wyandotte
1 Rhode Island Red
1 Golden Sex-Link
1 Barred Rock

Most of the eggs look the same but there are a few that I can identify the hen, namely my Silver Laced Wyandotte, my Buff Orpington, and my Speckled Sussex's. I think it's a little arbitrary to try and choose by breed as they will all be backyard mix, but my question would be are any of these combinations able to be sexed at hatch? Do any of those hens mixed with a Buff Orpington roo produce a sex-linked trait? It would be nice to be able to sex them from hatch so I don't end up sending all the roos to one home (lol!) but I know that's not necessarily a possibility, nor is it a deal breaker. I'm not a genetics expert but I was just curious if anyone had experience with these combinations before I stick them in the incubator!

Any of the combined should prove to be decent layers if they are hens (right?), and hopefully any cockerels produced could be decently sized meat birds if the future owners did not desire to keep them in their flock permanently. My Buff orpington roo is really big, as are most of my other ladies aside from the Rhode islands and one of my Speckled sussex.

ANY and ALL advice welcome. If I do this, I just want to be as prepared as I can be and give each egg the best shot at hatching!
Thank you for reading!!

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

hatch rates depend on a wide range of factors. you might get none, you should get 5 or 6 or 7, and you would be very lucky to get all 10.

in terms of eggs, you should look for average ones. not too long, but not too round. not too big, but not pullet size eggs.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hiya!

I applaud you! This is so great for the kids!

I would start here. This article should explain everything.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-beginners-guide-to-incubation.73350/

I have four incubators, three are Brinseas which have auto humidity. If that Brinsea you're looking at has auto humidity, then that is important for the nights and weekends you won't be there. I would never purchase another incubator that doesn't have a water pump or auto turning on it.

What traits to look for in the egg, other than a nice tear-drop shape and no cracks?

I hatch them all from my silkies, even those tinier ones from newer hens, and they hatch. If in doubt, crack a weirder one open and see if it's fertilized. There should be a white dot with white circle around it, like a "target".

I know most chicks are hatched out in the spring. Is this necessary or preferred?

Here in Wisconsin and the upper U.S., most of us stop hatching around August until around February. The reason is that if I have new chicks now in October, they can't go outside for a month, and they can't go in the coop where other chickens will pick on them, so where are they going? Now, we need to hook up a cozy coop heater in a grow-out pen for them, and that might not be warm enough in December/January. It inconvenient to have small chicks over winter. Trust me, if I could get away with it, I'd have my incubators running 12 months out of the year! People wouldn't buy them in the winter anyway, though, unless they have an appropriate setup for it.

If you're in a warmer state, when you hatch is not that big of an issue.

 

[tviss711]

Hiya!

I applaud you! This is so great for the kids!

I would start here. This article should explain everything.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-beginners-guide-to-incubation.73350/

I have four incubators, three are Brinseas which have auto humidity. If that Brinsea you're looking at has auto humidity, then that is important for the nights and weekends you won't be there. I would never purchase another incubator that doesn't have a water pump or auto turning on it.





I hatch them all from my silkies, even those tinier ones from newer hens, and they hatch. If in doubt, crack a weirder one open and see if it's fertilized. There should be a white dot with white circle around it, like a "target".


Here in Wisconsin and the upper U.S., most of us stop hatching around August until around February. The reason is that if I have new chicks now in October, they can't go outside for a month, and they can't go in the coop where other chickens will pick on them, so where are they going? Now, we need to hook up a cozy coop heater in a grow-out pen for them, and that might not be warm enough in December/January. It inconvenient to have small chicks over winter. Trust me, if I could get away with it, I'd have my incubators running 12 months out of the year! People wouldn't buy them in the winter anyway, though, unless they have an appropriate setup for it.

If you're in a warmer state, when you hatch is not that big of an issue.

Thank you for this! I am in California so we do not see harsh winters ever. That is good to know! I will wait obviously until we start our unit on birds to start the incubation process and that will probably be closer to spring anyway. Thank you for the tips that is super helpful! I will go with the brinsea to be safe I want to be able to be gone for a day or two and not worry about the eggs! Sounds like that is the incubator of choice from what I can gather!

 

[Ridgerunner]

My first thought is to contact your county extension service and see if they can help. Sometimes they help teachers with this, maybe with a curriculum or even an incubator. I think it is worth a phone call.

- The Brinsea Mini incubator seems to be the best choice for appropriate size and reliability, I would likely need the advanced for the automatic egg turning feature as I will not be coming in on the weekends to turn eggs, nor do I think I could do this well on a regular school day. I am OPEN to other suggestions for small batch incubators, perhaps an equally reliable incubator at a bit of a lower cost if anyone knows of another brand that is also of good enough quality for this type of thing. The Brinsea does seem a bit expensive but again I would want to give the eggs the best chance of survival.

There are a lot of incubator makes and models that have recently hit the market. I don't have a good feel for how good any of those are. Brinsea has a good reputation as being reliable but any of them need to be calibrated to make sure they are operating at the right temperature and humidity.

- Choose eggs that are 7 days old or younger to incubate

- Place them pointy end DOWN

- Candle at regular intervals and then lock down on day 18. No more turning after this.

Yes.

Count the days correctly. They do not have a day's worth of development the second they are put in the incubator. When counting say "1" the day after they go in the incubator. An easy way to check your counting, the day of the week they go in the incubator is the day of the week the 21 days are up. More on that later.

Suggestions on how to choose good eggs for a decent hatch rate? What traits to look for in the egg, other than a nice tear-drop shape and no cracks?

Choose eggs average for the size the hen lays. No unusually small or large ones. Different hens lay different sized eggs. You are looking for what the hen normally lays, not an average size for your flock.

Choose clean eggs. A little light dust isn't bad but avoid eggs with splots of mud or poop on them, even if dried. Do not wash eggs or remove the bloom. Bloom is a protective coating the hen puts on the egg as it is laid, meant to keep bacteria out. You do not want that bloom compromised.

What kind of hatch rate can I reasonably expect from 7-10 eggs in the incubator?

Realistically anywhere between 0% to 100%. Don't count your eggs until they hatch. The professionals typically get 90% hatch rate, we often get less. But I've had 0% and I've had 100% with my own eggs.

Any general advice or personal tips/tricks with incubating/hatching?

Start your eggs on a Wednesday for a school hatch. The 21 day thing is a target. It is not unusual for eggs to hatch as much as 2 days early or late so you want the kids to watch the hatch. The chicks can last 72 hours or more after they hatch since they absorb the yolk before hatch. You can leave them in the incubator that long before you have to take them out.

If you cannot access the school on weekends to take care of the chicks you might want to start a day earlier so the hatch will be over earlier. You might chat with your principal about this.

I know most chicks are hatched out in the spring. Is this necessary or preferred?

Chicks can hatch any time of the year. It is convenient for many of us for them to hatch in spring or summer so they are well-grown by the time bad weather comes around. But you can hatch them at any time of the year as long as you can care for their needs.

Does it have to do with them having their first molt during a preferred season, or is it kind of arbitrary?

No. They will go through juvenile molts but the main reason for the molt is the days getting shorter in the fall. I could go into greater detail but don't worry about the molt.

AND not totally necessary but out of curiosity from those who are experienced with the genetics of mixing breeds, here is my next question:

I will be collecting from my own flock which consists of the following:
1 Buff Orpington Roo (all will be 50% BO) DAD

With a Buff Orp rooster you will get

HENS:
2 Speckled Sussex

Sort of a soft red color. Should be solid red, no speckles.

1 Buff Orpington

Buff Orp with Buff Orp gives you Buff Orp

1 Silver Laced Wyandotte

These will be red sex link chicks. The girls will be red and the boys will be white.

1 Rhode Island Red

Same as Speckled Sussex

1 Golden Sex-Link

Some shade or light red or buff

1 Barred Rock

Black Sex Links. The male chicks will have a head spot at hatch and will feather out barred. The females will not have a head spot and will feather out solid black. At least that is the theory. Often, if you have black and buff mixed the chicks often have either random feathers of yellow or orange or even spots of yellow or orange. This can be a fun cross.

Any of the combined should prove to be decent layers if they are hens (right?), and hopefully any cockerels produced could be decently sized meat birds if the future owners did not desire to keep them in their flock permanently.

Yes.

 

[tviss711]

My first thought is to contact your county extension service and see if they can help. Sometimes they help teachers with this, maybe with a curriculum or even an incubator. I think it is worth a phone call.


There are a lot of incubator makes and models that have recently hit the market. I don't have a good feel for how good any of those are. Brinsea has a good reputation as being reliable but any of them need to be calibrated to make sure they are operating at the right temperature and humidity.





Yes.

Count the days correctly. They do not have a day's worth of development the second they are put in the incubator. When counting say "1" the day after they go in the incubator. An easy way to check your counting, the day of the week they go in the incubator is the day of the week the 21 days are up. More on that later.


Choose eggs average for the size the hen lays. No unusually small or large ones. Different hens lay different sized eggs. You are looking for what the hen normally lays, not an average size for your flock.

Choose clean eggs. A little light dust isn't bad but avoid eggs with splots of mud or poop on them, even if dried. Do not wash eggs or remove the bloom. Bloom is a protective coating the hen puts on the egg as it is laid, meant to keep bacteria out. You do not want that bloom compromised.


Realistically anywhere between 0% to 100%. Don't count your eggs until they hatch. The professionals typically get 90% hatch rate, we often get less. But I've had 0% and I've had 100% with my own eggs.


Start your eggs on a Wednesday for a school hatch. The 21 day thing is a target. It is not unusual for eggs to hatch as much as 2 days early or late so you want the kids to watch the hatch. The chicks can last 72 hours or more after they hatch since they absorb the yolk before hatch. You can leave them in the incubator that long before you have to take them out.

If you cannot access the school on weekends to take care of the chicks you might want to start a day earlier so the hatch will be over earlier. You might chat with your principal about this.


Chicks can hatch any time of the year. It is convenient for many of us for them to hatch in spring or summer so they are well-grown by the time bad weather comes around. But you can hatch them at any time of the year as long as you can care for their needs.


No. They will go through juvenile molts but the main reason for the molt is the days getting shorter in the fall. I could go into greater detail but don't worry about the molt.


With a Buff Orp rooster you will get


Sort of a soft red color. Should be solid red, no speckles.


Buff Orp with Buff Orp gives you Buff Orp


These will be red sex link chicks. The girls will be red and the boys will be white.


Same as Speckled Sussex


Some shade or light red or buff


Black Sex Links. The male chicks will have a head spot at hatch and will feather out barred. The females will not have a head spot and will feather out solid black. At least that is the theory. Often, if you have black and buff mixed the chicks often have either random feathers of yellow or orange or even spots of yellow or orange. This can be a fun cross.


Yes.

Thank you SO much for all of this info!! I may see if I can try and select eggs from my barred rock as well as my Wyandotte because that would be really nice to be able to sex them from hatch! This was wonderful info and I feel much more prepared to try this this year. Thank you especially for the Wednesday tip, I would not have thought of that myself but it makes so much sense. I’m blessed to have access to my classroom whenever I need it so I’ll probably be in the weekend before expected hatch date and after to check on the chicks. Once they’ve hatched I’ll feel more confident as I’ve raised chicks before but I’ve never hatched my own out!

Thanks so much!!