Chicken deseases
Now you see why Popcorn was named Popcorn.
First things first - eggs should hatch in 21 days, give or take couple, after the hen has begun to "set" or incubate them.
Before putting your eggs into an incubator, plug it in and make sure the temp is steady at 99.5 degrees. I use a thermometer and a hygrometer (which measures humidity) in my incubator. Hygrometers can be purchased quite cheaply at a cigar shop, Radio Shack and I believe even Walmart. You want 50% humidity for day 1-18, then 70-80% for the last few days.
Mark eggs, using a pencil, with an X on one side and an O on the other. Make sure to turn the eggs at least 3 times a day (turn an odd number of times a day). You cannot skip weekends - you might get deformed chickens or none at all. You must keep adequate moisture in the incubator at all times. A couple of small paper cups or a pie pan (with water in them) will do nicely for your moisture supply. Or, just follow the directions that came with the incubator.
Note: Some people report good success and excellent hatch rates with no-turn hatches. I happen to enjoy the personal connection and turn them myself.
Incubators
An incubator keeps the eggs uniformly warm and moist,
as it would be under a hen's tummy. If you're going to
buy one, there are lots of options, depending on capacity,
features (auto-turning and such).
Fertility and Candling
Natural fertility is rarely 100% - it may vary from 55%
to 95% with season, condition and type of birds. You might
be safe to expect that 50% to 75% of the fertile eggs
will hatch. Eggs that aren't fertile, or if incubator
conditions are too far off won't hatch.
Fertility of eggs cannot be determined before incubating them. After 2 to 3 days, white-shelled eggs may be candled to see if embryos have developed. Cracked or damaged eggs usually do not hatch and often develop odors - they should be removed when detected.
Uniformly colored or white-shelled eggs may be candled by placing a light bulb under a box or can. Make a hole slightly smaller in diameter than the egg through which light will pass. Place the egg over the hole, if a cloudy spot or mass is observed, this can be assumed to be a growing embryo. If the contents of the egg allows light to pass uniformly through it (it's clear), assume that the egg is infertile. If an egg is candled at 7 days or older and is absolutely clear, it is dead or was never fertile.
:) :) :) :)
aww! she's so cute
Incubators
An incubator keeps the eggs uniformly warm and moist,
as it would be under a hen's tummy. If you're going to
buy one, there are lots of options, depending on capacity,
features (auto-turning and such).
Fertility and Candling
Natural fertility is rarely 100% - it may vary from 55%
to 95% with season, condition and type of birds. You might
be safe to expect that 50% to 75% of the fertile eggs
will hatch. Eggs that aren't fertile, or if incubator
conditions are too far off won't hatch.
Fertility of eggs cannot be determined before incubating them. After 2 to 3 days, white-shelled eggs may be candled to see if embryos have developed. Cracked or damaged eggs usually do not hatch and often develop odors - they should be removed when detected.
Uniformly colored or white-shelled eggs may be candled by placing a light bulb under a box or can. Make a hole slightly smaller in diameter than the egg through which light will pass. Place the egg over the hole, if a cloudy spot or mass is observed, this can be assumed to be a growing embryo. If the contents of the egg allows light to pass uniformly through it (it's clear), assume that the egg is infertile. If an egg is candled at 7 days or older and is absolutely clear, it is dead or was never fertile.
Turning
Turning 3 times a day seems to be adequate for chicken
eggs. Turning is essential in the early stages. For the
last 3 days of incubation when the bird is preparing to
hatch, do NOT turn. If not turned to a fresh position
frequently during the early stages, the developing embryo
touches the shell membrane and sticks to it causing abnormal
growth. Turning the egg aids these movements within the
egg, and mimics what a mother hen would do naturally.
Temperature
A fresh egg takes up the temperature of its surrounding,
but as development proceeds the embryo generates its own
body heat. By hatching time, it has an internal temperature.
Chicken eggs should incubate at 99.5 degrees. The embryos
are extremely sensitive to overheating; if the temperature
strays beyond 103 degrees for any length of time, the
embryos may be damaged or die.
What to do With Hatched Chickens
Do not be in a hurry to take chicks out of the incubator.
Gallinaceous birds, such as chickens, quail, and pheasants
survive up to 3 days without feed or water. The yolk of
the egg is drawn through the navel into the stomach of
the baby bird before it hatches. That provided enough
nourishment for the transitional period from the time
the bird hatches, fluffs out, gains strength and becomes
active enough to go out and seek food. Chicks continue
to grow and develop in the incubator, before they receive
food. Of course, they do not gain weight, but they do
gain in stature, activity and use of their faculties.
They will instinctively be interested in drops of water, each other's toes, and other objects of possible experimentation. Do not assume from these evidences of interest that the chicks are hungry. It is simply nature's way of experimentation, exploration, and learning of the young. In general chicks are taken from the incubator after 24 hours. No harm is done if they are not taken out for 48 hours after they hatch.
