Now is the time to pull out and check your chicken incubator for spring chicks. Here in Canada I store mine through the winter in its original box and pull it out again in March – right before I begin saving or shopping for fertilized eggs.
If you don’t own own one there is no better time to shop the incubators for sale category in the country store. Within a months’ time the selection will be fewer and the prices likely a little a higher so you can beat the rush and get a great deal now. While you’re there you’ll likely find a massive amount of eggs to incubate as well. I love clicking through all the pages and seeing the types of birds other country minded folk are raising at home and having success with.
Why Own A Chicken Incubator?
There are actually several reasons why you’d want to own an egg incubator. My main reason, for instance, is when I need to replenish my flock but I don’t have a broody hen. Usually we keep a few bantys around as a good Bantam hen will nest and hatch any other chicken’s eggs, but this fall we were hit a few times by a family of hungry weasels. Each time I caught one of them I thought I was done with them but two days later I was hit again. The chicken incubator can also be leant to the school or even used as a really good home schooling lesson if you have children.
Although egg incubators are most commonly used at GoodByeCityLife to hatch chicken eggs I’ve also used mine to hatch out other poultry. We’ve done ducks, guineas, quail and geese here but the right machine could also be used for emu and ostriches if you’re so inclined. Furthermore, reptile eggs, if you have them and sell them to a local pet store, hatch equally as well.
Successful Hatches
The top three considerations to ensure you have a successful hatch rate are:
- good egg quality,
- a good incubator, and
- proper incubating conditions.
If you are hatching your own hen’s eggs you can start collecting them one week before your machine arrives. Store your collected, fertile eggs in a cool and slightly humid area. The temperature and humidity are ideally 55 degrees Fahrenheit and 75% humidity. Personally I put mine in a bucket of moist straw and keep them in our basement. Place them in the straw with the wide end up and cover with more straw. Don’t store them for more than a week and remember to rotate them on their axis daily.
When you’re ready to put them in one of the egg incubators allow them to sit on a counter of your room for 30 minutes or so until the chill is out of them while you set up the machine.
With the right equipment and supplies, the process is practically hands-off. You merely need to record the date (in and hatch date) and keep an eye on temperature and humidity levels and before you know it you’ll have a fresh batch of healthy chickens in your coop.
