Farm bird incubation

 So many things happening this spring at the Purdy Homestead

I purchased and incubator to hatch my own chicks, with many questions and awesome advise from a great friend, I do believe come the end of the month we will have CHICKS!!
I have many hens and a couple rooster and had a broody hen that hatched one chick which was killed just a few days after hatching so I will try it this way.

There are so many different way to hatch your own eggs. From the obvious, having a broody hen sit on them for 21 days to a heat lamp and of course the incubators. If you decide you want to hatch your own eggs you need to decide how much time you have to dedicate towards your eggs. If you as busy as I am this time of year a unit that has the automatic egg turner and circulated air fan kit might be best. When I decided to hatch my own this year I had no idea that eggs had to be turned 3-4 times a day at the same time each day. That was my main reason for the auto egg turner. The fan is so the temperature is uniform throughout the whole incubator. With a still air incubator the bottom of the incubator will be cooler than the top so it is even more important to turn the eggs on a ridge schedule.

If you do decide you have the time to turn them yourself then you might want to mark each side with a pencil so you know which side to turn them. On day 18 you want to stop turning the eggs so the chicks can position themselves for hatching.

Once you have found the incubator that fits your needs and you have brought it home. It's like Christmas morning opening the box even if you know exactly what's in it. You will want to find a good location to keep the incubator, basements work well basically you want somewhere where it will not be in directly sunlight and keeps a regular temperature without drastic frequent changes. Once you have found a location to keep the incubator you will want to run the incubator for at least 6-8 hours to get it set and make sure the temperature is set and stable. 99.5* F is your target temperature and humidity levels should be 55%- 60% while being incubated and 65% during hatching.

At five days in the incubator the eggs can be "candled." This can be done with a flash light, I found some foam tape around the top of the flashlight so the egg sits right on top for easy viewing. If the egg is viable and a chick is growing you will see views and a little black spot.

At day 18 you want to stop turning your eggs, or take them out of the auto-turner and set them on the metal mesh (I put paper towels down for easy cleanup). This is to allow them to position themselves for hatching.

Do not help the chicks hatch from the egg. If for some reason it does not hatch there is normally a good reason. Helping the chick can effect the chicks health and even kill them. After the chick is dry and fluffy (about 6-12 hours after hatching) the chicks can be removed from the incubator and placed in their brood box.

After each hatching you want to make sure to sanitize the incubator and turner. It is very important to
thoroughly clean the incubator.

Here is a list if Incubation Periods for different kind of birds.

Chicken 21 days
Ducks 28 days
Geese 28-33 days
Guinea 27-28 days
Muscovy Ducks 35 days
Ostrich 42 days
Peafowl 28-29 days
Swan 35 days
Turkey 28 days