Tips for hatching and healthy chicks.

INCUBATOR 

Your incubator should be set up and running at least 24 hours prior to setting your hatching eggs inside. This period will allow the environment inside of the incubator to stabilize and give you time to make any necessary adjustments before you place the eggs inside to begin the incubation period. 

Location is important! Locate your incubator in a room that maintains a constant temperature, is free from drafts, and away from windows and direct sunlight. Also, make sure that your incubator is located where children and pets will not bump or disturb it during the incubation period.

It takes 21 days to hatch chicken eggs. 28 days for duck and tureky. 28- 30 for peafowl. 26-28 for guinea eggs. In order for chicks to develop properly, you will need to make sure your incubator is equipped with a very accurate thermometer and hygrometer (to monitor the humidity).

CANDLE BEFORE HATCH

We normally use candling to see if eggs are fertile and watch the chicks develop. In this instance, however, you want to look for microscopic cracks in the egg shell that have happened during transit. Some cracks can be repaired, or even left in some cases, but badly damaged eggs should be discarded. Whilst a chick can still develop in a cracked egg, any breakage allows bacteria to get inside far more easily, resulting in dead embryos and eggs that could, potentially, transfer nasties to their incubating neighbours. Most mobile phones have a  light that is strong enough, but for a better look inside your eggs, you can use a candling lamp.

ROTATE

Rotating eggs is essential to ensure that developing embryos don't become stuck to the side of the egg. A broody hen naturally rotates them and in the incubator, we artificially replicate this by manually or automatically turning them. In shipped eggs, however, turning eggs too quickly can cause more damage than good. 

For the first three or four days, do NOT rotate the eggs. This allows further stabilisation of the egg sack and developing embryo. After this period, turning on the turner or manually flipping the eggs twice or three times a day is advised. 

💦KEEP AN EYE ON HUMIDITY

Getting humidity right for an incubation can be a complicated affair, with too much not allowing the air sac to grow, and not enough resulting in a trapped chick. In hatching eggs where the air sac often becomes 'saddled' (ie instead of a rounded shape, it looks like a horse saddle inside the egg) it's important to keep humidity a little higher. I've had many chicks with saddled airsacs hatch successfully. This is because I keep the humidity higher and therefore the air sac doesn't grow as large. With a saddled sac this means the chick doesn't become squashed at one end and unable to hatch.

Your brooder should be set up before you pick up your chicks. I suggest 24 a head of pick up to stabilize and monitor temp. The first week, your chicks will need to be kept at about 90-95 degrees (F). You can measure the temperature with a thermometer, but you should also pay attention to their behavior. If they are huddling together, that means they are trying to stay warm, and you should lower the heat lamp closer to them to supply more heat. If they are spread out, avoiding the area directly beneath the heat lamp, then it is supplying too much heat and should be raised so that it is farther away from them.

Heat lamps are very hot on the surface and can cause fires. Please be very cautious with how you use them, and anchor them securely so that they cannot fall onto a combustible surface. Please also check nearby combustible surfaces, such as wood, plastic or bedding material to make sure that they are not hot to the touch. If they are hot to the touch, then move the heat lamp farther away.

We use pine shaving as our bedding. Changed daily or twice a day. 

We feed a Medicated Game bird starter to our chicks. 

They must have access to fresh water 24/7. We add hydro hen to our water when chicks first hatch and anytime we move them.

Although there are many benefits to interacting with farm animals, it’s important to be aware that farm animals can sometimes carry harmful germs that can cause a variety of illnesses in people, ranging from minor skin infections to serious illnesses. One of the best ways to protect yourself from getting sick is to thoroughly wash your hands right after handling farm animals, their supplies, or anything in the areas where they live and roam.