Rules for incubating chicken eggs at home

The invention of such a useful device as a home incubator has significantly simplified the process of breeding poultry at home for farmers. All that is required to start a farm is choosing the right incubator, healthy eggs, and carefully monitoring the temperature.

Incubation of chicken eggs at home, although not a very difficult task, still requires significant preparation and familiarization with the rules before laying the material.

Choosing an incubator

When choosing a device for artificial hatching of eggs, one is guided by such criteria as:

• size and capacity;
• manual or automatic temperature control;
• egg turning method: manual or automatic;
• Possibility of connecting a backup power supply;
• cost of the device.

The most reliable incubators are those with fully automated processes, with battery power immediately available in the event of a power outage. These units are the most expensive, but they offer a 100% yield, provided the eggs are properly incubated.

Preparing eggs

Healthy offspring depend, first and foremost, on high-quality eggs. When selecting eggs, consider the following parameters:

1. The hens from which the eggs are taken, as well as the rooster in their company, must be healthy and strong.
2. When placing eggs in an incubator, select eggs of the same average size: small eggs will produce frail offspring, while overly large eggs have very thin shells, which is also unfavorable.
3. Carefully inspect for cracks, dents, folds or irregular shapes.
4. Eggs intended for incubation are stored at a temperature of 10-18°C, with the pointed end down.
5. The highest hatchability rate is observed from eggs whose shelf life does not exceed 5–7 days.
6. With each day beyond this period, the probability of obtaining offspring decreases.
7. The optimal age for chickens to produce healthy offspring is 1.5-2 years.
8. The bird's diet is also important. The less artificial feed and additives in the diet, the healthier the offspring will be.
9. The presence of microcracks, shifts, spots, and the location of the yolk can be checked using a device called an ovoscope.

Important modes

Temperature

Before placing the selected eggs in the incubator, they should be warmed to a temperature of +25°C. The incubator does not require preheating. The most favorable temperature for embryo maturation in the egg is considered to be between 37°C and 40°C. The maximum temperature at which the embryo will survive is +27°C minimum and +43°C maximum. However, these limits should only be allowed for a short period of time, otherwise the offspring will be underdeveloped.

Humidity

Another important parameter for a successful hatch: preventing the air in the incubator from drying out is achieved by allowing water to evaporate from a special reservoir at the bottom of the unit. Monitoring this regime is as important as monitoring the temperature. Optimal humidity levels are 50-80%, while the maximum acceptable levels are 45% and 85%.

Ventilation

Nature has arranged it so that the temperature at which a hen broods her chicks is regulated naturally. She instinctively knows when to ventilate the nest and how long to leave it. In artificial conditions, the nest should be ventilated starting on the 15th day, twice a day for 10-15 minutes.

Turning over

Another very important step is turning the eggs to ensure even heating. Under natural conditions, the hen performs this task independently.

In home incubators, the turning method depends on the device’s design:

• manually - each egg is turned over by hand;
• mechanical turning – the action is performed for the entire masonry at once using a special mechanical device;
• automatically - in modern expensive incubators, a special sensor monitors the time, performing the turning automatically.

The best time to turn the egg is every hour. If this isn't possible, you can extend the period to 4-8 hours, but be sure to do it at regular intervals.

Incubation periods

The hatching period for a chick in an egg is 21 days. In some cases, the hatching period may be extended by 1–2 days, but if the eggs haven't hatched by day 25, they should be discarded.

During its maturation, the embryo goes through 4 stages, which require special conditions.

1. Days 1-7Temperature: 37.8 to 38°C. Humidity: 60–70%. Turn the eggs every hour. At the end of the period, it's time to examine the clutch with an ovoscope. When candling, the germplasm and embryo will be clearly visible. Unfertilized or damaged eggs should be discarded.
2. Days 8-14The temperature remains the same, but the humidity is reduced to 45-50%. Turning can be done less frequently, at regular intervals of 4 hours.
3. Day 15-18The temperature and humidity remain the same as in the previous stage, and the frequency of turning can be increased to 6 hours. Ventilation becomes mandatory during this period. A thin, chick-like squeak can now be heard through the thin shell.
4. 19-21 days. The temperature is reduced slightly to 37.4–37.5 degrees, and humidity is increased to 70%. Ventilation and turning are stopped.

The hatched chicks are left until they are completely dry, and then all are taken from the incubator together.