Hatching chicken eggs artificially may seem incredibly hard—but it isn’t. In fact, many chicken breeders and chicken owners would rather hatch their own chicken eggs, for a few very sensible reasons. Here are some of them:
- When a hen hatches the eggs, it does nothing but that—hatching chicken eggs. While this may seem rather fun for casual chicken owners, this isn’t the case for chicken owners who raise chickens for profit, whether for their egg or for their meat, or for other reasons.
- Hatching chicken eggs artificially ensures the safety of the eggs, since you will not leave the process to chance. This process is meticulous and you can do certain things to make sure everything is proceeding properly.
- Remember that while hens may be considered by some as the best chicken egg incubator, not all chicken breeds are adept in hatching chicken eggs. Some chickens are better at hatching chicken eggs than others. So if your hen isn’t exactly the perfect candidate to hatch the eggs, then the only option you have is to hatch them yourselves.
With those to consider, it is easy to see why hatching chicken eggs artificially is the best way to go. Here, you will only need a chicken egg incubator, the device that will facilitate the artificial hatching. There are two kinds of chicken egg incubators:
- The forced-air incubator, a more advanced device that can automatically turn the eggs and can hatch more eggs than the other type of chicken egg incubator.
- The still-air incubator does not turn eggs automatically, and can hatch fewer eggs compared to the forced-air incubator.
Needless to say, you are better off with the forced-air incubator. However, the still-air incubator or a custom-made one may be your only options if you cannot afford the forced-air one. You will have to spend more time with the chickens, though.
However, you do not simply put every egg your hens hatched in the incubator, since some of these eggs may already be damaged prior to hatching. Hatching these chicken eggs will only be a complete waste of time. Check the eggs for cracks, marks, or any sort of damages before hatching them. Choosing what eggs to hatch means you’re making sure every resource you have using is used properly.
When hatching chicken eggs, you have to keep note of the turning, the ventilation, the temperature, and the candling of the eggs and the cooling period for the hatching chicken eggs.
Hatching chickens eggs should be placed in an incubator set at the right temperature, which is 100 degrees Fahrenheit. To know the temperature, place the thermometer on top of the hatching chicken eggs since you are trying to find out the temperature of the hatching chicken eggs and not the incubator itself. This is why you have to occasionally adjust the temperature of the incubator to achieve the desired temperature.
You also have to turn the hatching chicken eggs at least once or twice a day, although this wouldn’t be a concern if you are using a forced-air incubator. Ventilation is also important when hatching chicken eggs, although, again, an incubator you bought commercially should have this problem already fixed. As for the candling, this is to ensure that every hatching chicken eggs you are handling are properly maturely; it is also a way to allow you to know which ones to dispose of.
Although many say that hatching chicken eggs naturally can produce certain benefits, hatching these eggs yourself is still the best way to go to ensure safety and health. You do not want to waste what was given to you, after all.
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