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June 25, 2024

9 Things To Know BEFORE Incubating Fertile Hatching Eggs

The following info is all regarding our experience incubating fertile hatching eggs from chickens. This is the only poultry we currently keep. This info may vary with different types of poultry. This post contains affiliate links which may lead to a commission if purchased. Thanks for your support!

Things To Know BEFORE Incubating Fertile Hatching Eggs

While there is lots to know before incubating fertile hatching eggs, here are a few points that should not be missed.

  1. Temperature & Humidity Requirements
  2. The “Dry Hatch” Method
  3. A Good Incubator
  4. Lockdown
  5. Risks of shipped eggs
  6. Temperature can affect incubation duration
  7. Incubation forums & websites
  8. Shrink-wrap Prevention
  9. Emergency Intervention

Let’s dive into each one a bit more.

newly hatched chick after incubating fertile hatching eggs

Temperature & Humidity While Incubating Fertile Hatching Eggs

When incubating eggs, it’s important to monitor temperature & humidity. Like any internet subject, there is a lot of debate over the best temperature and humidity for incubating fertile hatching eggs. For us, we’ve had great success with the following approach.

Temperature & Humidity During Incubation
  • Humidity: 35-55%
  • Temperature: 100-100.5 degrees Fahrenheit
Temperature & Humidity During Lockdown
  • Humidity: 55-65%
  • Temperature: 99.5-100.5 degrees Fahrenheit

A quick internet search will reveal a range of these numbers, but this is what works for us. Depending on your incubator, climate, and eggs, the best temperature or humidity for incubating fertile hatching eggs may be a little different.

chick with head inside egg shell

The “Dry Hatch” Method

It’s worth noting that many people swear by the “Dry Hatch” Method. This is an approach to incubating fertile hatching eggs where no (or very little) water is added to the incubator during incubation. Rather, most wait until lockdown or hatch time to bump up the humidity. While we haven’t tested this method ourselves, some people say they get the best hatch rates this way. Since we’ve had pretty stellar hatch rates without using the Dry Hatch Method, my guess is that it has to do with individual factors, such as the surrounding environment.

A Good Incubator Matters

When we started off with fertile hatching eggs, we bought this cheap incubator off of Amazon. It did the job for a few weeks, but it stopped working right before the chicks were supposed to hatch. Not good! We rushed out and got this nicer incubator, which saved the day. I think we probably lost a chick or two due to the faulty, cheap incubator, but we’re lucky it wasn’t worse. Plus, the small incubator was definitely not big enough to house that many chicks once they hatched. Take my advice, and invest in a tried & true incubator right from the start. Hatching eggs are expensive, it’s not worth losing them! This one has been working fantastically for us.

machine for incubating fertile hatching eggs
This is the incubator we really like. I highly recommend getting a good incubator like this one right away.
brinsea 4250 incubator in white
Our Favorite Incubator

Lockdown

It’s important to be aware of “lockdown”, which is typically the last 3-4 days before chicks hatch. Conventional wisdom recommends putting eggs into lockdown around day 18. To put eggs in lockdown, remove the egg turner from the incubator, pump up the humidity a bit, and do not open the brooder until the eggs are hatched. This is to prevent fluctuations in humidity and temperature, which could make hatching more difficult (or even impossible) for chicks. The egg turner is to be removed to prevent injury to chicks after they’ve hatched, as well.

newly hatched chick

Risks Of Shipped Incubating Fertile Hatching Eggs

If you decide to have fertile hatching eggs shipped to you, know that there are a few risks which may affect your hatch rate. A few to consider are…

  • Seller experience & packing method
  • Weather during shipping
  • Seller integrity
  • Postal delays

Just to name a few! We’ve had great hatch rates, which I attribute largely to the fact that we so far have only ordered eggs from a seller within our own state. We also do not order eggs when the weather will be very hot, which may prematurely kick start incubation. Remember: when ordering shipped eggs, there are many factors outside of both yours & the seller’s control. If it’s possible to source eggs locally, this may be the best option.

candling egg on day 15
Candling can be an important part of checking incubation progress.

Temperature’s Effect On Incubation Duration

Even slight variances in temperature can affect the amount of time it takes chicks to hatch. For example, a temperature slightly higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit can cause chicks to hatch in less than 21 days, while temps under the target can result in 22-23 day hatches. For the most accurate temperature measurement, I recommend using multiple thermometers to get the best average. We like to use the incubator thermometer, these mini thermometers, and this remote thermometer. I know it seems like overkill, but you’ll be glad you have them!

mini thermometers
We use these mini thermometers to help ensure the most accurate temperature measurement.

Incubation Forums & Websites

I’ve always recommended joining online forums or websites specific to your area for chicken keeping. It’s worth giving it a try for incubating fertile hatching eggs, too. These can be.great places to get lots of info and feedback on your hatch setup, advice, etc.. Keep in mind, there will be a lot of conflicting opinions. But if something comes up during your hatch journey, it may be the place to get the advice to get you through. I really like BackyardChickens.com . Facebook groups can be a little… aggressive… but that’s another backup, too.

backyard chicken article about incubating fertile hatching eggs
BackyardChickens.com has a great article on incubation for beginners.

Shrink-Wrap Prevention

Many new chicken owners get hyper-focused on avoiding shrink wrapping baby chicks when incubating fertile hatching eggs. And for good reason! No one wants to kill a healthy chick because of user error. “Shrink wrapping” a chick is said to happen when the humidity drops too low while a chick is in the process of hatching. This can supposedly harden the egg shell and membranes to the point where the chick can no longer break free, and ends up suffocating. To avoid this situation, many people recommend never opening the incubator while chicks are hatching. Fluctuations in humidity and temperature can greatly increase this risk.

That said, sometimes the incubator must be opened. Our first hatch, we had one chick hatch 36 hours before any others — and we ended up opening the incubator to get him and a few other of the early hatchers out. Our second hatch, we had a chick start hatching before we even put them on lockdown! So we had to open the incubator to get the egg turner out. We just spritzed some water into the incubator to keep the humidity high, worked as quickly as we could, and prayed for the best. And it worked! So if you must open the incubator during hatch, just weigh the risks, mitigate risk where you can, and move as quickly as possible.

Emergency Intervention

On rare occasion, there may be a hatching chick who requires emergency intervention. This might come in the form of hatching assistance or life-saving measures after the chick has emerged. It’s important not to take hatching intervention lightly — make sure to read up on emergency assistance techniques before attempting. One common piece of advice is that emergency assistance measures may be taken when there has been a pip, but no chick, for around 24 hours. Even then, extreme caution should be used. It may be be possible to save a chick who wouldn’t otherwise have survived. However, this is where doing research before incubating fertile hatching eggs comes in handy.

new pip while incubating fertile hatching eggs

Incubating Fertile Hatching Eggs In Summary

It’s easy to get “analysis paralysis” when it comes to any new hobby. Incubating fertile hatching eggs is no different. I recommend reading a few articles, doing a deeper dive into subjects that are especially interesting, and watching a few videos on hatching eggs online. If you have a trusted resource in person you can interview, even better! But when push comes to shove, most will learn the most from getting their hands dirty and incubating fertile hatching eggs themselves. So don’t be afraid to get started!

This post contains affiliate links which may lead to a commission if purchased. We’re not experts, so we always recommend speaking to the pros for the best advice. Thanks for your support!

Posted In: Blog & Tutorials, Homesteading, Uncategorized · Tagged: best incubator for poultry, broody hen vs incubate machine, classroom pet ideas, egg laying hens, icelanding landrace breed, ideal humidity and temperature, incubating fertile hatching eggs, keeping backyard chickens, self sustaining homestead

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