![]() This placement will make it easier for the chicks to break through the shell when they are ready to hatch. Place your eggs gently on their side in the incubator, the larger, blunt end of the egg should be slightly higher than the pointy end. It’s now time to add your eggs to your incubator! Before placing your eggs, gently mark each side of your eggs with a symbol – ex. Run your incubator for a day or so to ensure it remains at the perfect incubating temperature, between 99-102º, and the perfect humidity, between 45-50%. ![]() Once you know you have enough eggs to fill your incubator or the desired amount you want to hatch, you’ll need to test your incubator to make sure it works properly. Continue doing this until you are ready to incubate your eggs. The easiest way to turn your eggs is to prop your carton on the side of the tote at a 45º angle and switch sides the next day. Rotating them between one side and the other is best, don’t flip them upside down. If you are storing your eggs for multiple days before incubating, you will need to turn your eggs each day to prevent the air sac from sticking to the side of your egg. Using a storage tote or similar container with a lid will make it easy to maintain the perfect conditions. You will also need to store your eggs in a cool, dry location at about 55º and 60% humidity. Storing them in an egg carton also helps protect them from being shook or damaged when adding more eggs. The opposite, blunt end of the egg contains the air sac which is crucial to your chick’s development. After collecting your hatching eggs, storing them in an egg carton with the pointed side down is best to achieve a healthy hatching egg. If you are waiting to have enough eggs to hatch, storing your eggs is the perfect option to collect enough to fill your incubator or restock your flock. When collecting hatching eggs during extremely cold (below 32º) or extremely hot (above 86º) weather, collecting them twice a day will preserve their quality and hatchability. To help determine which eggs are best for hatching, looking at a dozen eggs in an egg carton will make the odd shaped or sized eggs stand out. Incubating dirty eggs may contaminate your incubator causing poor hatching results. Overly large or small eggs often do not hatch well. Chicks often have traits that their parents had – ex. ![]() When determining which eggs you want to hatch, consider the temperament of the hen and rooster. To ensure all of your eggs are fertilized, make sure you only have between 7 to 10 hens per rooster. If you aren’t particular on which hen is bred with what rooster, collecting any egg will work. If you have a specific hen or hens you want to breed to one rooster, keeping them together but away from the rest of your flock will ensure your rooster only fertilizes those hens. To collect fertilized eggs from your hens, you must have a rooster. If you don’t already have chickens, you can purchase fertilized eggs to incubate and hatch at home! Hatching eggs from your own flock is a fun and cost-saving activity for you and your family. ![]()
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