How to choose fertile eggs for hatching

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3 жыл бұрын

If you want to have the best chance of hatching lots of healthy baby chicks, you should think about what eggs to put under your broody hen or in your incubator. You want to consider aspects such as:
- characteristics of the breed and of that breeder's line of chickens and how they match what you want your chickens to be
- fertility and hatchability of the rooster and hens and health of previous chicks
- breeder nutrition
- egg size, and shape, presence of any cracks or odd inclusions
- cleanliness of the egg
- and how long ago the egg was laid.
Once you have chosen your eggs, they must be stored correctly to maintain their best chance of hatching. Look for my next video about how to store fertile eggs for hatching.
Here is the link I mentioned to KZfaq's video about how to get the notifications that you want about the channels that you are subscribed to:
• How to make sure you'r...
And here are links to my other videos that I mention:
- Your decision to have a rooster in your flock:
• Should you have a roos...
- How long do chickens live:
• How long do chickens l...
- How I select feed for laying hens:
• How I choose chicken f...
- All about roosters' role in the next generation of baby chicks:
• Roosters and breeding ...
- Different sizes of eggs:
• Eggs of different size...
- Can we hatch just female chicks?
• Can we hatch just fema...
Thanks for watching Chickens in my garden.
For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand
/ chickensinmygarden
Catch up with me on Facebook / chickensinmygarden

Пікірлер: 92

@vickyannpaintingwithoils Жыл бұрын

"Chances are if you end up with one chick, he is going to be a boy." Haha. Absolutely golden! You have got to be fun to hang out with. Have an amazing day!

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Thank you. You too 🙂

@saethman 3 жыл бұрын

Another brilliant video packed with top-notch advice AND explanations :)

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you you're very kind 🙂

@meninsilau 3 жыл бұрын

Another great video, thank you very much ... I'm waiting for the next topic. This channel deserve more subscriber. 👍

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I'm already working on the next one. I originally thought it could be part of this one but it got too big 🙂

@sherifebegu6260 2 жыл бұрын

I have a chicken with a rose comb and she went broody 4 times last year and hatched a lot of chicks. She is called Ambra❤. I love her so much

@chickensinmygarden 2 жыл бұрын

It is wonderful to have a hen who is a good broody and mother 🙂

@LewisHamilton44ever Жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden Ambra is about to go broody again❤I'm so happy for my girl❤

@pressedearth9492 2 жыл бұрын

You answered my question about waiting before incubating. Thank you so much.

@chickensinmygarden 2 жыл бұрын

Ah, all good then 🙂 Best wishes for your hatch

@shilohtolman7570 2 жыл бұрын

Lots of great information! Thank you very much for putting this out!

@chickensinmygarden 2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome. I like to share. And it's amazing how much there is to what seems so simple 🙂

@belindab4652 3 жыл бұрын

Another great and straightforward video 👍 I always get asked about the in’s and out’s of chooks, instead of talking their ear off I give them the basics and then refer to your channel, I’ve referred about 5-6 people and they find it really helpful 😎

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you that's very kind. I am always amazed at how much there is to learn and share about an apparently simple topic. Chickens are wonderful 🙂

@Addicted2Muzic94 Жыл бұрын

Great information! Thank you from Florida! 🌴 🐥

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Thank you, and greetings to you in Florida. Have a lovely afternoon 🙂

@cassandralyris4918 3 жыл бұрын

Lost one of my little chicks from my clutch of 12 this morning. He hatched with a twisted foot and was very small. Still, I miss the little guy. Your vids are really cheering me up today.

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

It is sad. Some lives are very short but they are all precious 💌

@purplethumb7887 Жыл бұрын

I'm a new subscriber and have been enjoying your information-packed videos very much. Thank you!

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much. I love making videos and sharing information - almost as much as I love chickens! Have a great day 🙂

@larrylewis3573 3 жыл бұрын

Dear Sheryl, I like your programmes very much. They are always very clear and informative. I also enjoy the aesthetics of your presentations, always pleasing to the eye and carefully thought out. Keep up your good work. I look forward to each video. Sincerely, Larry Clarence Lewis, Canada.

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

Hello Larry. Thank you very much for your kind and encouraging words. It is true that each video takes a lot of work but I enjoy doing them. Thanks for watching 🙂 Cheers Sheryl

@wildedibles819 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks

@cecilhunter8820 Жыл бұрын

Nice information ☺️ thank you ☺️

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Thank You 🙂

@carolkontur1442 Жыл бұрын

I just discovered your channel. I live in Columbus Ohio! You are very good with your information.

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Greetings to you in Columbus! I'm glad you found my channel. Hope you have a great day 🙂

@Unbw_TraayIN1T Жыл бұрын

Ohio🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨

@garyvee6023 3 жыл бұрын

I recently hatched 15/15 Silver Laced Wyandotte chicks for our first ever attempt at hatching with an incubator..., of course I didn't need that many. A couple of friends had been wanting a couple of pullets for their own flocks...., so I promised them they could have 2 each..., thinking I would get at least half girls...., I ended up with 10 roosters and of course I had promised the others away already, so out of the 15, I ended up with 1pullet, "waaah". ;( Lesson learnt.

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

!!!! What amazing good luck and then bad luck!

@lizxu322 Жыл бұрын

HAHAHA I'm sorry but I had the opposite problem...3 eggs out of 24 hatched, but all 3 were pullets. Which all drowned with the floods came earlier this year....sigh.

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Oh no! I'm sure there were many tragedies during those floods but sometimes the little things really sting our hearts

@boxelder9167 Жыл бұрын

It’s hard to believe that we live in a world where it’s necessary to tell people that in order to get a baby chick you need to start with a hen and a rooster.

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

I get some very surprising questions 🙂

@chris2790 Жыл бұрын

This is the least of what's going on in this twisted world.

@TheAnimalPapa 2 жыл бұрын

Like 201! Hi my friend, another great informational video! I learned a lot from this video! Hope you have a great weekend my friend! Take care and God bless you and your chickens! Animal Papa and Junior! 😎🐓❤️👍🙏

@chickensinmygarden 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you 🙂

@JD-dh7bk Ай бұрын

Last time I was hatching eggs, I did all the things, cleaned, checked egg size, etc. Trying my best to get a good hatch rate. I used an incubator that had good reviews. Only 8 hatched out of 21. This time I'm doing none of things. I'm letting my broody hen do the work. Not even sure how many eggs are under her. 😂 In 3wks from today I'll find out if lazy was a better method. Lol

@chickensinmygarden Ай бұрын

That will depend on your hen. An excellent mother hen will do better than 8 out of 21 😄 Best wishes for a great hatch!

@mystylangston4803 3 жыл бұрын

You are the best Chicken channel I've seen so far so I have a question. What egg incubator do you recommend?

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you 🙂 The incubator I use is an old Black Chick kzfaq.info/get/bejne/np6eg6SjxuC6e4E.html but I don't think they make this small one anymore. Temperature control is of course critical and I think you should get one with automatic turning. I haven't found humidity a problem and I haven't bothered with a hygrometer. I suggest you get one that takes about 12 eggs - any less and you risk hatching only one or two chicks (both of which will of course be boys!). Plus it's easier to raise one group of youngsters each season rather than trying to manage multiple groups of various ages (I have been able to manage because we had the space.) Your other consideration will be brand, and that will depend on what's available in your area. I chose the best available and have never regretted it. I hope that helps 🙂

@mystylangston4803 3 жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden ty for the quick response and I was planning to do larger hatches at a time and sell many of the chick's at diffrent stages. As well as considering quail but not like a lot of people do them I would rather scoop poo than have them on wire. Right now my flock is small but diverse. There are a few other types of birds I would also like to raise. Keep up the good advice and good content.

@jogagwapo Жыл бұрын

New subscriber her

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Do check out my video about storing eggs for hatching kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pNybe5BmrtOVh3U.html

@day3583 3 жыл бұрын

Love your video always;)’ can you turn on the captions, please?

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the compliment, and also for your request. The KZfaq stats seemed to indicate that not many people use the captions and so I had got lazy about uploading them but obviously the captions are useful to some people 🙂 so I will do them. Just out of interest, why do you like them? (I myself use captions when I want to watch something quietly and if it's in a foreign language that I'm learning) Thanks for watching my videos 🙂

@day3583 3 жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden just automatic english caption is fine! :) it won’t make you bothered, hopefully. Sometimes I watch the video at night without sound. And When I missed some word, it helps a lot(Because English is not my first language)! Also I found that your video is not top ranked when I search the chicken video though yours has the highest quality and useful information. I’m wondering you add the hash tag when you upload your video! Thanks a lot :-)

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

I have uploaded the transcript and it is processing the timings so should be available soon. I usually add some relevant tags but I know my videos seldom come high up the search list - even if the search text exactly matches my video title and channel name! I expect it's something to do with the search algorithm - top results are the ones that millions of people watch, and of course lots of people watch the videos that come up near the top of the search results, so it is all a bit self-perpetuating 🤔

@day3583 3 жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden When I tried to search your channel to see again before subscribe, even I searched with similar titel I remember, it was really hard!! I hope KZfaq encourages the informative and good video.

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for trying so hard to find me. The captions are now available on the video. Have a great day (or evening or whatever time it is when you read this)

@sherifebegu6260 2 жыл бұрын

My chicken is broody since yesterday and I am worried because I want to get the best eggs for her. The eggs are 2 days old and in a very good condition

@chelsrose2423 3 жыл бұрын

Question: If a standard breed pullet's eggs have been fertilized by a bantam rooster, would they have a better chance at fully developing? I have a few in the incubator about to hatch in a few days.. will let you know how they turn out..

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

I don't really know but it sounds likely. Do let me know 🙂

@lizxu322 Жыл бұрын

Hi I'm a new subscriber and I have a question...what are the pros/cons of having mutt or mix breed chickens?

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Welcome 🙂 I think it's rather a long answer but let's see. There are purebred heritage breed chickens And the commercial hybrids But you're asking about the back-yard random cross-breeds? I guess the biggest factor will be what they are crosses of, what's in the mixture. If it's a recent cross, for example the parents were heritage breeds and/or hybrids, then the offspring are likely to have a combination or compromise of the characteristics of the parents. So you might get a pretty looking bird that's a good layer. On the other hand there are chicken keepers who have maintained their own flock for many generations. Although they would probably describe them as mix breeds, in fact those chickens will have over time selected for certain characteristics - maybe good resistance to local parasites and diseases, or long reproductive life, or broodiness, etc. You would need the flock keeper to tell you about his chickens. Does that help at all?

@lizxu322 Жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden that is so helpful thanks! Im trying to do both and I think the latter, which is something I'd like to do one day as basically you're producing your own breed of chicken, but basically super rare as nobody else would have them, just unfortunately not recognised by any organisation. I love mutt chickens and how unique they can look - I suppose the only downside is that they fetch a lower price when selling than those purebreds. Thanks again, you're so knowledgeable and kind ❤️

@JUSTINandKADI 3 жыл бұрын

How do you see meat spots during candling? Can you tell if the chalaza is broken?

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

A meat spot just looks like a little dark blob in the albumin - very hard to see especially if the egg has a brown shell. No you can't see the chalazae. They are not dense enough.

@ScaryFear Жыл бұрын

There's a chicken shortage here in the US because of the high egg prices. I've had to resort to ordering hatching eggs to get the breeds I wanted. I got an incubator and am using a hen too. I have only one rooster and one hen of a particular breed. Blue Favuacanas. So I get one green egg a day from her. This is a problem as I can't get a full dozen in the time frame. I guess I can only collect and store six and then put them in an incubator because after 7 days things start to go down hill right? So that sounds like I'd need two incubators if I want a dozen when the next batch starts after the 7th day?

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

I would aim for 9 or 10 as a batch. Yes the first ones laid will have a lower chance of hatching because they are old but a low chance is better than no chance (which is what you have if you don't put them in). Take as much care as you can in storing the eggs before setting. You have the advantage of not having to ship the eggs anywhere. And since you have the parents you can make sure their nutrition is top notch - poultry vitamins would be a good idea.

@ScaryFear Жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden Aww thank you so much. I free range as well as give the normal feed to them, so they are getting bugs, rocks, sand, plants and treats. I will look into vitamins as well now. Thank you.

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Best wishes for a great hatch 🐥

@kimberlyd317 3 жыл бұрын

Any idea why a fresh egg would have a watery white even when it’s laid that day?

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

I believe it's something to do with the chemical makeup of the albumin - the protein molecules haven't yet cooled and set. When the white gets watery in an old egg it's because the albumin protein is breaking down.

@fatimafakih3024 3 жыл бұрын

Hello dear I have a broody hen, i found suddenly that her face turned from red to white near yellow..what should i do?!!

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

Goodness! I've never heard of such a thing! Maybe check inside her mouth - is it pale or nice and pink. If pale, perhaps she has been bitten by lots of mites. Check her nest box for mites.

@LewisHamilton44ever Жыл бұрын

I have a couple of eggs. Usually when I select the ones that I wanna put under my broody hen I candle them. When I did that today I saw some little tiny dots.I think they're air bubbles.

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Hmm. Tiny dots. I can't think what they might be. Maybe air bubbles if you candled them within hours of laying? I suggest you look again after resting them overnight.

@LewisHamilton44ever Жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden It's been like 2 days since they were laid and the one that was laid today didn't have those dots.

@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын

Well you just have to decide whether to include those two and watch how they develop, or open one and see what those dots are.

@LewisHamilton44ever Жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden Thank you so much for your advice❤

@fatimafakih3024 3 жыл бұрын

Hello dear.. My hen is less than 1 year old and she went broody, how many eggs should i put under her, i mean is 21 eggs to much for her?!!

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

Hello. Yes 21 is too many. Better for her to have just a few - maybe 4 or 6 for her first attempt. She has to move them around but not let any get cold on the edges of what she can cover. Just a few eggs will be easier for her to learn with. If she does well you can give her more next time. Best wishes for a successful hatch

@fatimafakih3024 3 жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden ok dear thank you very much..😍❤️

@dougbolt7458 3 жыл бұрын

A hen's egg should be fertile without a rooster, I believe you mean that you want a +fertilized+ egg.

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

Yes indeed that's what I mean

@ToxicVaccines_HivHoax 3 жыл бұрын

The way an egg turns in to a chick just by being kept under a certain warm temperature, reminds me of the miracle of life. Seriously, how does that happen??!! Keep an egg heated to a certain temperature and it turns in to a chick!! Amazing, and mysterious at the same time. We know that a fertile egg will turn in to a chick after a certain amount of time if kept t a certain warm temperature, but we humans with all our technological advances can not really explain why or how the egg transitions in to being a chick!!

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

Well this human (me) certainly finds it amazing and wonderful, how that tiny bundle of DNA molecules that is the nucleus or germinal disc divides and multiplies and differentiates into all the various tissues and organs that make up a chicken. It's one of the reasons I so love hatching eggs - having the opportunity to watch that development. There are of course scientists who specialise in Embryology who do know how it happens, in great detail, at both an anatomical and molecular level. Frankly the more details that I learn, the more amazing I find it 🙂

@ToxicVaccines_HivHoax 3 жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden - Unfortunately there aren't any scientists who know how or why it happens. A soul-less egg turning in to a live chick, is the same situation as with the beginning of life on earth. Neo-Darwinism tells us that life emerged from primordial soup, but there is no explanation as to how or why lifeless matter got transformed in to a live bacteria. Darwininism begins with a live micro organism that over time gets transformed in to other more advanced forms of live. Which in itself is complete nonsense theory if you ask me. All scientists agree that they do not know how life began, or begins in the case of an egg turning in to a live chick. Look up a documentary called "EXPELLED, No intelligence allowed" by Ben Stain, here on KZfaq.

@ToxicVaccines_HivHoax 3 жыл бұрын

@@chickensinmygarden - When an egg gets transformed in to a chick, literally a chicken soul moves in to habitable the egg that has magically transformed in to a chick. And of course the current scientific establishments deny the existence of souls. And so the world is in the dark about this key area of our being and existence.

@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын

Ah, now I understand you are talking about the soul. Biological scientists understand living organisms and how their bodies and organs and tissues grow and develop but science knows nothing about the soul. Those are big questions. Fortunately we can enjoy and be grateful for our chickens without knowing those answers 🙂🙏