![]() Remove small eggs produced by pullets or older hens as these typically hatch smaller, less vigorous chicks. Don’t use any eggs that are oddly shaped, have wrinkled shells, have cracks, or are abnormal in any way. In addition to selecting only the cleanest eggs for hatching, select eggs that are “normal” in shape, size, and color for the breed you are hatching. SAVE “NORMAL” EGGS FOR STORING & HATCHING The best method to ensure your hatching eggs are clean is to have fresh bedding such as straw or pine shavings in your coop and nest boxes and collect the eggs several times each day to ensures your eggs will be clean and soil-free. Just before laying an egg, the hen adds a protective layer called “bloom” or cuticle to the outside of the egg. This coating seals the shell pores, helps prevents bacteria from getting inside the shell, and reduces moisture loss from the egg – all designed to make the egg last longer and hatch better. ![]() However, hatching eggs should not be washed because that removes the protective “egg bloom”. If bacteria enter the egg, they can cause it to rot, and explode during incubation thereby contaminating the remaining incubating eggs. When gathering eggs, there is no reliable method for determining the sex of the chicks prior to hatching, so the best you can do is to figure on about 50% each of hens and roosters, and plan accordingly.Ĭhicken egg incubation temperature and humidity are ideal for the growth of bacteria, so it is essential that eggs collected for hatching are clean. However, eggs that are mailed may be subjected to heat, cold, and bumps that reduce egg viability and hatch rates. If you can’t find a flock that you can collect fertile eggs from, they can be ordered by mail or online from hatcheries and breeders. ![]() You can’t tell when collecting the eggs whether they are actually viable (although after setting the eggs for incubation, you can candle them to see if they are developing), so collecting eggs from mature younger birds in the springtime is a good practice. No matter how old, chickens are also generally more fertile in the spring than any other time of the year. If you have access to a flock producing fertile eggs, remember that young hens and roosters are usually more fertile than older chickens. It’s unlikely that eggs from the grocery store are fertile because roosters aren’t usually kept with the hens producing them, so don’t plan on hatching eggs from the store. So, you need to find a source of eggs (of the breed desired) where a rooster or roosters have mated with the hens and produced fertile eggs. In order to hatch chicks, the eggs used must be fertilized by a rooster. A hen instinctively selects conditions that are best for storing her eggs, and it’s essential that we mimic her behavior and handle eggs in a way that promotes (rather than weakens) the future development of chicks once incubation commences. The eggs should all be placed for incubation at the same time so that the chicks will develop and hatch together. It’s natural for a hen to collect eggs for several days before beginning to sit on them (which is when the dormant embryos within the eggs begin developing), so we can copy nature and collect eggs for several days before placing them in an incubator or under a broody hen too. Follow these simple practices for collecting and storing them to assure viable eggs and healthy chicks. ![]() It’s very important to handle eggs correctly prior to incubation to insure a good hatch. A 50% or below hatch rate is considered low, 75% about average, and 90% is considered good. ![]() It can also vary greatly based on whether an incubator is used or whether the eggs are hatched by a broody hen. Who doesn’t love watching fluffy baby chicks as the days get warmer and sunnier in spring? Children, in particular, like to participate in hatching and are both fascinated and delighted by the process.īut, hatch rates (the percentage of chicks that successfully hatch) can vary dramatically depending on the practices used for collecting and storing the eggs prior to hatching them. Hatching your own eggs can be more fun and economical than buying chicks, so chicken keepers often hatch eggs to increase flock size, replace older hens, add hens of new breeds, or just for the joy of spring babies. So, regardless of whether you want to collect and hatch eggs by putting them under a broody hen or in an incubator, spring is the prime time of year for doing it. It’s when flock egg production picks up, hens start going broody, outdoor temperatures start warming, and new babies of every variety are being born. Springtime is a natural time of year for collecting and storing chicken eggs for hatching. ![]()
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