Duck Mad

Learn How To Incubate Hatching Eggs

Success in producing strong, healthy game fowl, for sale, begins with the development of healthy embryos. The incubation process for hatching eggs is of paramount importance in this development. It can mean the difference between excellent hatching results and poor hatching results. Poor hatching results cost you time and money.

If you plan to raise game fowl or bantam chickens, you want to incubate properly. This will ensure a hatching with few ruined eggs. The more healthy embryos you have the more hatched game fowl you have to sell as pets or show animals.

What should you do to ensure proper incubation of hatching eggs? The following steps will aid your incubation process. If applied, they will help you produce the greatest amount of chickens for sale. When gathering eggs for incubation, do it on a daily basis. Perform this three times a day. If the outside temperature is greater than 85F then gather the eggs five times a day.

Choose only quality eggs from healthy breeders. Choose varied eggs not related to one another such as siblings and such. Do not choose eggs that are too large or too small. Small eggs result in small chicks; too large eggs do not hatch properly. Discard cracked or otherwise damaged eggs from the incubation pool. Also, remove eggs with very thin shells.

Choose clean eggs. Do not wipe eggs or rub them as the protective coating rubs off along with any grime. In addition, germs can enter through the egg pores into the egg with rubbing. Cool eggs should warm gradually before placement in an incubator. Warming to room temperature is advisable. Too much condensation develops on the egg with a quick temperature rise. This could lead to disease.

When incubating you can choose a ‘Still Air’ or a ‘Forced Air’ incubator. The still air incubator is smaller and has no fan to circulate air. The forced air incubator uses a fan system. A still air incubator has an entry base for fresh air. This cool air enters after the warm air rises and escapes out of the incubator.

The forced air incubator relies on the fan for cool air. The still air incubator needs a temperature of 102F. The forced air type needs a temperature of 100F. Both types need consistency of temperature, higher or lower fluctuations are not desirable.

Fluctuations of temperature result in ruined eggs. Constantly monitor temperature, and oxygen flow. Make sure oxygen flow does not disrupt temperature stability. Monitor and control the humidity in the incubator. Humidity that is too high or too low affects shell and subsequently embryo development. The amount of successful hatches is in direct correlation to proper humidity levels.

Eggs in a still air incubator need turning, gently, four to six times a day. Eggs in a forced air incubator are subject to automatic turning by mechanism. There are also semi-automatic models where you turn a lever several times a day. The eggs turn in the tray but you do not touch the eggs with your hands.

Do not skip days (for example weekends); eggs require consistent turning. If turning manually, you can mark the eggs with a pencil. Mark with an X on one side and an O on the other. This will allow for same amounts of turns per side. Have the incubating eggs in the proper normal position, with the large end a little higher than the pointed end. You do not want the embryo in the wrong position with the head towards the narrower end.

Proper incubation of hatching eggs will result in healthy chickens for sale. Remember that proper sanitation, temperature, ventilation, humidity, and turning are vital to game fowl hatching success.

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