Thursday 3 May 2012

What you should know if you plan to hatch chicken eggs at home.

1) What materials do I need if I want to hatch chickens?

2) Where should I get the eggs from? Can i just buy eggs at the grocery store or take them out of my fridge and try to hatch them? Why or why not?

3)  How long does it take to hatch chickens, at which temperature should I keep the eggs?

4) What should I do as the chicken hatch, can I help the chicks crack their shell?

5)  What should I do after the chicks have hatched, where should I keep the6?

6)  Is it worth raising your own chickens? Why?

11 comments:

Maia said...

If you are going to hatch chicks, the materials you need are:
Fertilized eggs
An incubator
Water- to keep the incubator moist.
A thermometer- to tell what temperature it is inside the incubator.
You should get the eggs from a farmer that has roosters. You cannot buy eggs from the store and hatch them because they most likely won't be fertilized and you can't hatch eggs that has been in the fridge because they are too cold and probably frozen. The reason you cannot hatch eggs from the store is because they need to be fertilized by a rooster.
It takes about 21 days to hatch chicks. You should keep the temperature at 99.5 - 103 degrees.
As the chicks hatch, Do NOT help them. They are still attached to the egg so if you help them they may get ripped from the shell, causing them to bleed and die.
After the chicks have hatched, lower the temperature to 95 degrees. Wait till they are dry and fluffy before you move them. Once they are ready to get out of the incubator, put them in a box/tub that they can't get out of. They can go without food or water for 2 days. But once you take them out of the incubator, place food and water for them. It is very worth while to hatch chicks, because, it is a fun experience and you can learn lots.

-Maia

Lily said...

1. If you are going to hatch chickens you will need an incubator, a thermometer, water to the chicken eggs.

2. You will have to find fertile eggs. which means you will have to buy them at a farm and not a store, if you buy them from the store they will not be fertile.
Do not keep them in a refrigerator for it will freeze the chicken inside.

3. It takes about 21 days for the chicks to hatch. The temperature should be around 99-103 at all times.

4. When the chicks come out of the shell be sure not to help peel away the egg, by doing so you will injure and kill the chick inside.

5. Once the chicks have hatched wait until they are dry then you can move them. Keep in a plastic bin or a tub. Keep a heat lamp above them, make sure you have water and food. Lay out wood chips or shredded paper. When you give them water make sure you make the water shallow for if it is deep the chicks might drown.

6. It is definitely worth raising chickens. They can give you eggs and meat and they are also good company.

-Lily

maeve said...

1.If you want to hatch chicks you will need a working thermometer, an incubator, water so your eggs have moisture and of course chicken eggs.

2.You should not try to hatch store-bought or random eggs in your fridge. They will not hatch because they are not fertile. You can get fertile eggs from a farm or a person who has a rooster and chickens.

3.It takes about 21 days to hatch chicken eggs. The temperature should be around 99-103 degrees when the eggs are in the incubator.

4.You should never help the chick get out of the egg. When the chicks are hatching don't touch them. If you do you would most likely kill or seriously injure you chick.

5.When the chicks hatch don’t touch them right away. They could get sick. Once your chicks are dry and fluffy you can touch and handle them. Then you can move them to a box, bin or tub. You should put wood chips or shredded paper on the bottom of the box that you use. Also don't forget to put food and water in the box or bin. The chicks can last at least 2 days in the incubator without food or water.

6. It is definitely worth raising your own chicks. It is not hard, and the chicks are very cute when they are born. You can get eggs from them or meat. Also it is a very fun experience.

-Maeve

Anonymous said...

The chickens are nice, though they tend to be alot of work. If your interested in hatching chickens, then you have to be careful! The eggs can break easily, like any other normal egg you buy. A cracked egg is one that will not hatch a chick succesfully. Unless, of course, you have a farm or you grow chickens yourself, then you dont have to worry. But you cant just buy an egg from the store and incubate them, you have to have a fertilized egg. A fertilized egg is an egg that is made by a rooster and a hen. Hens can lay non-fertilized eggs without a rooster, but they wont produce chickens. Also, if you DO have a fertilized egg, then dont put them in the freezer or fridge! If you do, then the little chick embryo will die of coldness. But thats not all. You need to have all the right things before you can incubate them. And have them prepared too. Know what and what not to do. You have to have an egg turner, unless your going to turn them yourself. If you are, then you should put an X on one side and an O on the other so you can tell if you turned them or not. You have to turn them atleast 3 times a day. Another good thing to know is to be patient! Some people arent patient so they try to help the chicken get out of the egg, but doing this they actualy kill the chicken. If you see a chicken hatching, DO NOT HELP THEM! Its better to just wait. The chicken will get out on its own. Also, leave the hatched chick inside the incubator untill they are dry and fluffy. Once they are, then you can gently move them into the box/tub that has some shredded paper, sawdust or things that are similar. You have to have water for them, but you have to put marbles or something so if the fall in, they wont drown. Also have chicken feed and a heat lamp to keep them from the cold. make sure the lamp is secure and that it will not fall. Then make shure no little ones have access to the place you are keeping them, or atleast dont let them touch the chicks. Espacially right after their born. Wait untill they are older and stronger. Then you van have fun raising your own chickens! :>

~Adriana

Anonymous said...

it was very fun doing work on the chickens we made a panflit and we got to hold the chickens and stuff we watched them hatch and we got to learn about just encase if we want to hatch our own chickens my faviorte part was holding the chickens (kie)

Anonymous said...

first you have to neeed some stuff you could buy a thermometer incubator and some water you have to set the temp to 99.5 degrees you can never help the chickens get out of the eggs and u got to give them water every few hours and make sure u dont unplug anything or when the chickens first hatch dont hold them or anything just leave them in there for a day or two so they can dry and then u can hold them but not for to long because they will get cold very quick so u have to hold them for only a bit.and they will hatch in about 19-22 days and a few will die. (kie)

Anonymous said...

You need straw for bedding, Marbles for in the water so the chicks dont drown, vitimsns, bird feed and a heat lamp.
No, you can not buy them from a store, because the egg needs to be fertile by a male chicken. Other wise it will just be egg for eating.
t takes about 21 days, and you need to keep the temputre at 95 degreese.
No, do not help the chicks hatch your hands, and the chicks are fine when they are hatching. Keep them in a large contaaner high enough so they cant get out, with a heat lamp. ou will have fun and it is a great experience, watching the chicks is really fun.
It is fun and an amzing experince watching such cute animals hatch.
-Kelsey

sam said...

) What materials do I need if I want to hatch chickens?
egg hete lamep incubater
2) Where should I get the eggs from? Can i just buy eggs at the grocery store or take them out of my fridge and try to hatch them? Why or why not?
get them form chickens
3) How long does it take to hatch chickens, at which temperature should I keep the eggs?
21 days
4) What should I do as the chicken hatch, can I help the chicks crack their shell?
do,t help the egg
5) What should I do after the chicks have hatched, where should I keep the6?
a box weth a hete lamp
6) Is it worth raising your own chickens? Why? yes it is

Anonymous said...

you need an incubater straw or shreded paper for bedding and a cardboard box with a heat lamp and maybe some marbles and vitamins so they dont drown
and no you can not by the eggs from the store because the egg needs to be fertile by a male chicken other wise it will not hatch.
it takes 21 days for chickens to hatch and the tempature should be at 95 degrees. and no should not help the chickens hatch because you could damage there wings or whatever.and you should keep them in a cardboard box with shreded paper and a heat lamp above them. and it can be worth raising chickens if you have a chicken coop and you like dealing with chickens and harvesting eggs... -taio

sam said...

What materials do I need if I want to hatch chickens?
Egg heat lamp incubator
2) where should I get the eggs from? Can I just buy eggs at the grocery store or take them out of my fridge and try to hatch them? Why or why not?
Get them form chickens
3) how long does it take to hatch chickens, at which temperature should I keep the eggs?
21 days
4) what should I do as the chicken hatch; can I help the chicks crack their shell?
Don’t help the egg
5) what should I do after the chicks have hatched, where should I keep the6?
A box with a heat lamp
6) is it worth raising your own chickens? Why? Yes it is

Anonymous said...

1)To hatch chinkens the first thing you need is a incubator. Also you need something to tell what the temperature is, to make sure it's not too hot or too
cold for them to hatch properly.You also need a egg turner that makes sure the eggs get heat on all sides. after they are hatched,you must leave them in the incubator for at least 1 day because it hurts the chicks if you handle them to much.You also need food and water for the chicks. It would be a good idea if you put marbles in their water so they don't drown.You also should get a box with a heat lamp with hay when they hatch it also could be shreded up paper,sawdust or materials like that.

2)You should get your eggs from a farm that has fertile eggs. In order to get fertile eggs you must have a roster and a hen. Don't get eggs from the store or in your own frige because they won't be fertile and you must have fertile eggs or it will be impossible to hatch.

3)for the first 18 day you need to have the temperture about 50 percent relative humidity and 60 to 70 percent for the last three days.It will take about 21 days to hatch. if they dont hatch, give them a little more time and there is always going to be some that don't survive.

4)You must not help the chicks hatch