Are you thinking about hatching eggs? The chicken egg hatching process is an exciting and rewarding endeavor. Whether you're hatching eggs from your flock of birds, adding new blood to your breeding program, or just getting started with poultry, incubating eggs is a rewarding foray into poultry raising. Learn more on Raising Chicken for Eggs
The suggested guidelines in this article are for incubating chicken eggs using an incubator at home. If you are incubating a different poultry species, make sure to adjust the requirements accordingly. For those hatching goose eggs, goose egg incubators provide the ideal temperature and humidity control, ensuring successful hatching and healthy goslings.
Setting Poultry Eggs
Fertile poultry eggs can be sourced from online hatcheries, local breeders, and breeder groups. When you purchase fertile hatching eggs, it is important to be aware that a 100% hatch rate is uncommon. As an expert quail breeder notes, "Too many variables are at play on shipped eggs, 100% would be a good hatch rate, but as low as 25% would be acceptable." Only incubate clean eggs.
Before incubating your eggs, learn more about how to hatch chicken eggs in an incubator and ensure that your incubator is working properly. The two most important factors in successfully incubating eggs are temperature and humidity.
Ideal Temperature and Humidity for Hatching Chicken Eggs
Maintaining a consistent temperature close to 99.5°F is critical. Temperatures above 101°F can be risky, and prolonged exposure to 102°F may damage or kill embryos. This is critical for maintaining ideal embryo development throughout the chicken incubation period. If you're using a Celsius-based incubator, keep the temperature around 37.5°C. Do not exceed 38.3°C, as higher temperatures may harm embryos, depending on the stage. Use a second thermometer to ensure the gauge is working correctly.
Humidity inside the incubator for days 1–17, humidity should be between 50 - 55%. Avoid exceeding 60% during this stage, unless a specific species requires it. Check the humidity of the incubator daily with a hygrometer and add water as needed. Avoid opening the incubator unnecessarily as this will lower the humidity.
During the final three days (days 18–21) of the chicken egg incubation time, reduce the temperature slightly to around 98.5°F (36.9°C) to account for heat from the growing embryos. Raise humidity to 60–70% to prevent chicks from sticking to the shell. These adjustments help signal to the egg that hatching is near and support successful emergence.
Why Consistent Temperature Matters
Maintaining consistent incubator temperature for chicken eggs is vital. Embryo death can occur if the temperature rises above 103°F for even a short period. A cooler temperature may delay hatching, while a hotter temperature may cause early hatching with reduced success. It is not uncommon for some chicks to hatch a day earlier or later. Allow for late hatchers by keeping viable eggs in the incubator for 1-2 days after day 21. After 1-2 days discard the unhatched eggs.
Monitoring the temperature for incubating chicken eggs daily using an accurate thermometer and hygrometer is essential.
Don't Forget About Ventilation
Ventilation is equally critical. As eggs are porous, proper airflow ensures oxygen exchange for developing chicks. Make sure eggs are oriented properly so that the air sack is on the fat end of the egg when chicks start to hatch.
Bonus Tip: Use Smart Incubators for Better Results
For those looking to hatch turkey eggs efficiently, turkey egg incubators provide precise temperature and humidity control, ensuring optimal hatch rates for healthy poults.
Also, for consistent and reliable hatching results, consider using smart automatic egg incubators designed to maintain optimal conditions effortlessly. Luckily, Hatching Time incubators all come equipped with the best technology on the market: temperature control, humidity control, ventilation, and alarms that alert you when parameters change.
The incubator should only be opened when necessary to avoid causing fluctuations in humidity and temperature. Do not sit your incubator where it will receive direct sunlight.
Turning Eggs
Once the eggs are set, the incubation process begins. An important part of this process is turning or rotating the eggs to mimic the behavior of a setting hen. Eggs must be turned by hand or with an egg turner to prevent the developing chick from sticking to the shell.
Eggs should be placed on their sides or in an egg setter tray, pointy end down. During the chicken egg incubation time, eggs need to be turned at least three times a day but not more than five times a day.
When turning eggs manually, mark them with an "X" on one side to keep track of their position. Use a pencil or sharpie to lightly mark the eggs. Take care not to crack or cause fractures on the eggshell. Turn your chicken eggs for eighteen days from the day the eggs are set in the incubator.
Candling Eggs
Candling is the process used to check on the progress of developing eggs. Candling is best accomplished by shining a bright light under an egg in a dark room. The light illuminates the inside of the egg, allowing you to see the developing chick within.
Eggs are candled on days 7 and 10 to remove any eggs that are unfertilized, not developing, or quitters. These eggs will be clear or have a ring of red within the egg. Discard any that are cracked, leaking, smelly, or not viable.
Do not keep the eggs out of the incubator for more than ten minutes. At eighteen days of incubation, the inside of the egg will be dark as the embryo takes up the majority of the egg at this stage.
Post-Hatch Care and Incubator Cleanup
Eggs go into lockdown on day eighteen. No more turning is required, and the humidity of the incubator is raised to 70%.
Chicks begin hatching around day 21. It usually takes five to seven hours for a chick to hatch, but it can take up to twenty-four hours. Leave the chicks in the incubator until the majority have hatched.
Once they are dry and fluffy, remove them and place them in a brooder. Your brooder should be set up and running at least twelve hours prior to the expected hatch. Dip their beaks in water to show them where to drink, and make sure they have chick grit in their feed.
If you have unhatched eggs, let the incubator run for another 1–2 days. Candle the eggs to check for signs of life. Clean your incubator thoroughly after use.
Quick Reference Table: Temperature & Humidity Guide
|
Incubation Phase |
Temperature (°F/°C) |
Humidity (%) |
|
Day 1–17 |
99.5°F / 37.5°C |
50–55% |
|
Day 18–21 |
98.5–100.5°F / 36.9–38.1°C |
65–70% |
Avoid Common Beginner Mistakes
Avoid common mistakes like setting the wrong temperature for hatching chicken eggs or forgetting to raise humidity during lockdown. These errors can reduce your hatch success significantly.
