The Do's and Don'ts of Incubation

Don't expect all eggs to hatch perfectly.

They will need to have been produced from healthy and virile birds.

Breeding Birds

Make sure that the birds you wish to hatch eggs from are fed on top quality layers poultry feed (if a breeders ration is impossible to buy). The feeding of this ration should commence at least six weeks before the first eggs are collected for hatching. If an ordinary ration is to be used, then provide multi-vitamins such as Stressless in their water during the breeding season.

Don't set all the eggs that are laid. Only select eggs which are the right colour, within the correct weight  for breed type, and especially well shaped and have a good quality shell. Remember to also keep the nest boxes clean at all times and to wash your hands before and after egg collections.

Don't handle the birds whilst collecting eggs.                                                                                                  If a breeding hen needs inspecting then do this after the eggs have be collected and stored.          

If the eggs need to be washed, then this should be carried out using water at blood temperature, adding a strong disinfectant to it such as Evans Vanodine V18, or Biolink Liquid Egg Wash. Immediately rinse the eggs off under cold running water and then allow them to dry out naturally in a wire basket or on the kitchen draining board.

Don't set eggs the same day they are laid.                                                                                                      Allow them to cool over night. Eggs may be kept for up to 14 days before setting in the incubator.               Eggs kept for hatching should be stored at temperatures between 12.7C - 18.5C (55F to 65F). 

If they are kept at temperatures exceeding 21C (70F) for more than 10 - 12 hours, they will start to incubate and then die off because of insufficient heat. The outcome to the naked eye will be that they will test as infertile.

Don't collect eggs just once a day. Collect them 2 - 3 times each day to ensure they are clean and able to cool off quickly. Cold eggs kept in storage should not be placed in the incubator as soon as they have been taken from storage. Take them out 8 hours earlier and place them next to the incubator to bring them up to room temperature.   

Incubator Rooms

Don't place the incubator in a spare room or outhouse without adequate heating and ventilation.

An Incubator room should be warm. i.e. 18.3C - 21C (65 - 70F).

Ensure that the room is secure and not too large.

No other animals should be allowed in the incubator room to prevent the possible risk of cross infection.    Place the incubator as far away as possible from the poultry flock.

Keep a Max/Min Thermometer in the room at incubator level and record the temperature once a day.

Don't place the incubator near the door, against the wall or in front of the window and keep the door shut at    all times. The incubator should be placed so that it has the benefit of an even controlled temperature. Hang an incubation chart near the incubator and record the incubator temperature as well as room temperature.  Also record how much water is added to the incubator and how often, plus the numbers of fertile eggs hatched as  well as those dead in the shell. Also seal and paint all the porous surfaces in the room so that it is easy to wash and sterilise.

Incubators and Hatching

No setting eggs should be kept in the incubator while hatching is taking place.

Eggs from the18th day (or four days before they are due to hatch) will normally require a little extra humidity. A great deal of humidity will also be given off  during hatching, adversely affecting the other younger eggs.    More important is the fact that 'chick down' in the incubator will block the shell pore's of the other eggs and any harmful bacteria present will be able to multiply unhindered, reducing the hatchability of each successive batch.

It is also very important that the incubator is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between each hatch.

Never use an incubator that has not been cleaned or sterilised

                                                        Hatching

One or two chicks may hatch out a day earlier than the majority.               Don't take them out, as the Incubator lid must not be opened until               the hatch is complete. 

Once the incubator lid or door is opened, the internal environment will       alter and considerably reduce the chances of  the rest of the eggs hatching successfully.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            On the 18th day (for bantam and hen eggs) remove all the eggs and test them                                                for infertility with a Candler. This involves shining  a bright light through each                                           egg. Those which remain black with a large egg space at the top, put back in to                                              the incubator, and remove the ones that the light shines through. This will give                                             you a better idea of the possible hatching numbers.

To count the 21days of incubation, don't include the first day, and therefore you must leave the hatch down until after the 22 day.

Taking the incubator hatch off in the morning is better than during the evening, as it  gives the chicks            a whole day to drink and feed before settling down for the night. The chicks whose hatches have been removed in the evening (even though the light may be left on all night for them to drink and feed) tend       to settle down immediately they are under the brooder and so lose valuable time in getting started.

Don't take them out of a warm room and put them out into a cold environment. Even though the overhead brooder may be the right temperature, Chicks will chill very easily during the first 48 hours and    at this  point are very vulnerable. 

Don’t help chicks out of their shells.

It is better to sterilise each new batch of hatching eggs the day after they have been set by using a good strong disinfectant spray such as S.P.R. Poultry Shield (left). These can then be used when the fertile eggs are replaced on the eighteenth day without any harmful affect.

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