How to incubate chicken eggs in a simple incubator and hatch lots of healthy baby chicks

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Chickens in my garden

Chickens in my garden

Күн бұрын

The Top Hatch incubator has automatic turning rollers but is otherwise quite manual. Here are some tips about how to get the best out of such a simple incubator, so you have the best chance of hatching lots of healthy baby chicks.
- make sure the temperature is between 99 and 102 degrees F (that's 37 to 39 C)
- humidity - moderate but then raise it in the last three days before hatching
- plenty of fresh air because developing chicks need to absorb oxygen through the egg shell
- rest shipped eggs for at least a day before setting to incubate
- even with an automatic turner, turn and rotate the eggs.
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: 85
@IVOrganic
@IVOrganic 2 жыл бұрын
I've been watching dozens of these lessons as I am learning & nearing the final days of hatching my first 4 (out of 8) eggs. This lesson was by far the BEST I have seen! Thank you SO MUCH and keep up the GREAT work!! Charles :-)
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 2 жыл бұрын
Good luck 🙂 My best tip is to remember not to interfere - by far the majority of chicks will hatch successfully if given time. More are hurt by interference than are helped. But it can be very hard to just wait.
@barbarafelcan8012
@barbarafelcan8012 3 жыл бұрын
Love listening to your wealth of knowledge and explain handling of chick eggs so well! Thank you for all your videos.
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын
Thank you for saying so. It's great to hear that people find my videos useful.
@successmike
@successmike 2 жыл бұрын
How beautiful it is to witness new life at its very beginning.
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 2 жыл бұрын
It is probably my absolute favourite part of keeping chickens!
@musiquefrique
@musiquefrique Жыл бұрын
What a delightful and informative video! Thank you for sharing your wisdom and love 💕
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын
Thank you 🙂 Do check out some of my other videos - I have quite a few now 🙂
@ericopige1657
@ericopige1657 Жыл бұрын
Valuable lesson for me thanks mum
@justjewells1386
@justjewells1386 4 жыл бұрын
That was fascinating! I have never incubated eggs but your videos are better than an instruction manual. That was great. One day I might get an incubator and give it a try. Happy New Year to you ! J:o)++
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 4 жыл бұрын
Happy New Year to you too. I'm so lucky to be starting the new year with 11 new baby chicks!
@sereirymek7896
@sereirymek7896 4 жыл бұрын
Simply adorable chicks...l could watch them all day long. As always, your videos are precise and informative even though hatching chicks are not for me.
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 4 жыл бұрын
Chickens are wonderful but baby chicks are even more wonderful!
@shannonwells3736
@shannonwells3736 4 жыл бұрын
I just came across your channel from a top 10 small homestead youtubers video. So glad I did!! This was so informative. I plan on getting chickens this spring, I’ll have to upload a video of it to prove I did it right :)
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 4 жыл бұрын
Please do. I love watching other people's videos about chickens.
@karenhancock542
@karenhancock542 4 жыл бұрын
Well done! What a great show! Thank you! Happy New Year!
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 4 жыл бұрын
Happy New Year and thank you. My husband says my videos are improving.
@josealfaro9514
@josealfaro9514 2 жыл бұрын
Great job!! wonderful explanation I thank you.
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 2 жыл бұрын
You're welcome. Good luck for lots of baby chicks 🐥🐥🐥
@Jumping-equestrian123
@Jumping-equestrian123 Жыл бұрын
I am so exited to buy an incubator, I think i'm going to buy te Brinsea maxi 24 ex because it looks like it has an acurate rating. Can't wait to watch those chicks hatch! I have 7 chickens, 2 roosters and 5 hens ( i'm hoping to hatch more hens! ). My hens are laying eggs and I want to hatch them!
@mizanurrahman5800
@mizanurrahman5800 2 жыл бұрын
Briliant presentation, like it so much. Thank you.
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 2 жыл бұрын
Thank you! Do check out some of my other videos too 🙂
@VipinKumar-yp1qz
@VipinKumar-yp1qz 3 жыл бұрын
Thanks a lot, very simple very good, BIPIN from India,
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын
Thank you for saying so 🙂
@antoniodelitosr.5378
@antoniodelitosr.5378 4 жыл бұрын
Nice. Work
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 4 жыл бұрын
Thank you
@ClickinChicken
@ClickinChicken 3 жыл бұрын
wow!
@teresa-greeneyes3886
@teresa-greeneyes3886 4 жыл бұрын
So Cute
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 4 жыл бұрын
They are adorable when they're so tiny.
@briankrishna1736
@briankrishna1736 2 жыл бұрын
I’m learning so much from your methods, my favourite is the Brahma chickens. And I used your technique with buff whydotte. To create the colours patterns into that breed it’s working. You should do more video on real chickens with how you created amazing buff whydotte 🥰 it was super motivating
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 2 жыл бұрын
Thank you. Yes the Brahma are beautiful chickens. I'm glad you are having success with your breeding 🙂
@skgarcia8669
@skgarcia8669 3 жыл бұрын
I like your video
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын
Thank you 🙂
@carolineibanez841
@carolineibanez841 3 жыл бұрын
I want an incubator like that.
@sophiazablotskaya6881
@sophiazablotskaya6881 2 жыл бұрын
so cute
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 2 жыл бұрын
They are gorgeous, aren't they 🙂
@philippemboua9358
@philippemboua9358 2 жыл бұрын
Wonderful madam. I perceive and love your passion for what you do.
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 2 жыл бұрын
Thank you, what a wonderful thing to say 🙂
@lindaellin559
@lindaellin559 4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for your informative video! Just wondering how long you would leave chicks in the incubator for while waiting for others to hatch?
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 4 жыл бұрын
At least until they have dried off and fluffed up, which probably takes about an hour. If your incubator struggles to stay humid enough then leave them all while the others are hatching. 8 to 12 hours is certainly fine. Up to a day or more is also ok. I actually take mine out anywhere from 1 to 8 hours because I have no humidity problems and I like to get the stronger ones away from walking all over the slower ones.
@opryhill6552
@opryhill6552 3 жыл бұрын
Again this is so helpful! I was wondering if you could help me with a question from my latest hatch? It was my first time with hatching shipped eggs and some had detached air cells. I incubated them upright for the first week to reattached the cells and it worked. They continued to grow normally and on day 18 they the ones that survived were all well developed and moving. Not a single one hatched. I had 14 of my own backyard chicken eggs go into lockdown and all but two of those chicks survived and hatched normally. Any help would be so appreciated.
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын
Well I would only be guessing. If there was no problem from the incubator then that only leaves the health of the parents, age of eggs before incubation, chilling or heating before incubation or sudden temperature change on receipt, and physical damage during shipping. But I believe most of those would result in early embryo death rather than right before hatching. Obviously they did get shaken up during shipping. My best guess is that even with keeping the eggs upright for the first week, the embryo was malpositioned so right at the end the beak wasn't pointed into the air cell. They moved and were ready but couldn't take that first breath inside the shell. Incubating shipped eggs is typically less successful although I have had 11 out of 12 shipped eggs hatch on two occasions so it is possible. You have had a very disappointing outcome but I would urge you to try again, maybe from a different breeder in case it is a problem with the parents. Good luck 🙂
@opryhill6552
@opryhill6552 3 жыл бұрын
@@chickensinmygarden I definitely will keep trying! I love learning from you! I had one more question that I cannot seem to find an answer to. The eggs that the breeder sent were pullet eggs. Could that have played a role? I haven’t seen any information as to whether incubating pullet eggs is acceptable.
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын
Short answer - No. Quite a few people will say you shouldn't hatch pullet eggs but that's an over simplification. When chickens first start to lay they tend to lay quite small eggs for their breed for a while. It's not a good idea to incubate these first small eggs, just because they are small. Once the chicken starts to lay eggs of the expected size for her breed (obviously that's smaller for bantams etc) then the eggs are fine to incubate. (Most of the hens that lay the supermarket eggs are hatched from pullet eggs)
@CarolinaGirlCreationZ
@CarolinaGirlCreationZ 3 жыл бұрын
How often does a mama hen get off of her eggs to go eat, drink, and poo? Does she get up daily? I'm curious because you rotate your eggs around the incubator daily as you sad at around @8:20 in your video so I'm wondering if that is risky to do every day. I am absolutely loving your channel! I'm trying so hard to learn about chicken genetics because I pray to one day breed Red Orpingtons. Rhode Island Reds and English Buff Orpingtons are my most favorite breeds so far so I hope I can make it happen eventually. Thank you so much for your wonderful videos and for the time you take to answer newbie questions like mine.
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын
Yes mama hen usually gets up to eat drink poo etc once a day. And yes any time you touch the eggs there's a risk of contaminating or breaking them so you need to be very careful. But I find that my results are better if I do rotate them so I take the risk and take care.
@allclairesbears
@allclairesbears Жыл бұрын
Can you tell me about your candler? Did you make it or buy it? I've been using torches but I don't find them very satisfactory.
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын
Like most things, my husband made it. It's just a LED light set up in a wooden box with a round hole in the box. The only important thing is to make sure you have a bulb that doesn't get hot - therefore the LED.
@allclairesbears
@allclairesbears Жыл бұрын
@@chickensinmygarden thanks for that, and for the awesome posts that you do. I live in the North Waikato and it's nice to watch your videos and know that the things you are talking about will have relevance to my situation. 💙💚💙💚
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын
Hey, nice to meet another kiwi chicken keeper 🙂 Have a great day!
@dianeveilleux6452
@dianeveilleux6452 4 жыл бұрын
I have a couple questions if you don't mind. First, don't you get a high rate of roosters in your hatch, and if so, what do you do with them? What kind of chicks are they and do you still prefer what we call heritage breeds? Is the incubator available in the US?
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 4 жыл бұрын
Everyone gets about 50% roosters - a small hatch might be more one than the other but if you hatch enough the statistics will normalise. We don't eat our roosters but I know the people who buy them from me do eat them - I just ask that they are treated kindly as long as they live. These chicks are Barnevelders. And yes I do prefer the heritage breeds. I still keep a couple of hybrids but it is so sad when they die at such a young age (one just died last week aged only 3). I'm not sure if this incubator is available in the US. Try googling Black Chick incubator. But I'm sure there will be similar ones.
@jackcony9706
@jackcony9706 3 жыл бұрын
Very well explained. I liked your content. Well one question, Can I spray tiny amount of warm water on the eggs during the last 3 days of incubation ? Wondering if it may cause any damage to the eggs or it will be just fine.
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын
Thank you. I know you should raise the humidity for the last three days of incubation but spraying directly onto the eggs seems risky. Of course you don't want to introduce any contamination so you would need to use clean water, which of course you would do. But the main concern would be oxygen. The chick needs to get its oxygen through the shell (and it's demand for oxygen is highest towards the end of incubation and during hatching) so you don't want to seal up any of the pores in the shell with water. There are safer, easier and more lasting ways of raising the humidity (like putting a dish of water or a crumpled wet cloth in the incubator) but if you want to use spray, then either spray it just outside the incubator beside the air inlet or inside but not directly on the eggs.
@jackcony9706
@jackcony9706 3 жыл бұрын
Yep I agree on this. Thanks a lot :)
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын
You're welcome. I hope your hatch goes well 🙂
@jackcony9706
@jackcony9706 3 жыл бұрын
@@chickensinmygarden Well Yes my all 10 eggs hatched successfully. Well I made my own semi automatic forced air Incubator for $17 Dollars with a capacity of 12 eggs max. During Incubation I maintained optimum temperature with humidity and kept a close watch on varies aspects like air cell growth, chick's development, proper hygiene and regular rotation of eggs. From day 18th I increased the humidity and kept it in the range between 75 to 85%. The very first pipping started on day 19th and all chicks could successfully hatched out of their shell by the end of day 20th that is 31st October 2020. After 24hrs when I could see them fully dry and actively moving around I transferred them to their brooder where the optimal temperature is 37.7 degree C. They are happily feeding and moving around now. This was my very first ever hatching experience in an incubator and I thank you for all your valuable information. 21 days of hard work finally paid off . God bless you :)
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын
Congratulations! What a wonderful outcome! And a credit to you for all your careful attention and work. Since they are all happily pottering about, you will know what they look and sound like and you will be able to recognise if they are unhappy about anything. I always think once they are eating and drinking and pooping they have mastered all the essentials of future chicken life. You will be amazed at how quickly they grow and change and soon won't believe how they fitted into that egg shell. Having baby chicks is just the best! I'm so delighted for you!
@lydiafink3020
@lydiafink3020 4 жыл бұрын
What breed are the chicks?
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 4 жыл бұрын
These are Barnevelders.
@margiesnyder7086
@margiesnyder7086 6 ай бұрын
My chicks die in the eggs. At day 18 good,at day 21 dead .Fully developed,but with an food sac.No pips,very wet.My humidty was low before day 18,then I uped it to 65%.. What am I doing wrong?😢
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 6 ай бұрын
It's upsetting when that happens, I know. There are several possibilities, including problems with temperature, inadequate turning, ventilation or the eggs were just too old or not stored correctly before incubation started. If you haven't seen this video it might help kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bNmjbJSorqq0fYE.htmlsi=eAqhYRudOEjGLLOq You don't say how many eggs you have incubated - if it's just a few then this might be just bad luck. You don't say what kind of incubator you have - if it's not automatic I would suspect problems with the turning or other settings. I also think that sometimes it's a problem with the genetics or nutrition of the parent birds, so it might be worth trying a different source of eggs. I hope that's helpful.
@lifebeginsat190
@lifebeginsat190 3 жыл бұрын
I dont own chickens or any animals...but find this interesting...if you incubate your own eggs do you need to seperate the chicks when they get to breeding age and use a different rooster?...like is the same rooster considered inbreeding?...
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын
In poultry, breeding related birds together is considered no problem as long as you know that they don't have any recessive defects. In fact it is done so often to strengthen desired traits that it has a name - it's called 'line breeding '. It's more common to mate father with daughter than brother with sister because the rooster will by then be old enough that you know how healthy and robust he is, whether his full comb and wattles are straight, whether he sires healthy chicks,etc - he has proved himself, which the youngsters haven't yet.
@lifebeginsat190
@lifebeginsat190 3 жыл бұрын
awesome...thank you so much...and on a side note...I really enjoy your commentary and the sound of your accent or voice for that matter...haha...could listen to you all day...I really do enjoy your videos...thank you for sharing
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын
Gee thanks 😊
@anekhm5532
@anekhm5532 3 жыл бұрын
why is some of your chicks not standing up 😨.is it because they are just born.love your videos😊
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 3 жыл бұрын
They are resting. Like human babies, baby chicks spend a lot of time sleeping (and growing) 🙂
@danielyulianto683
@danielyulianto683 2 ай бұрын
Ukuran nya kotak tetas telur berapa...???
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 2 ай бұрын
This one is just big enough to fit 12 eggs inside, so about 30 x 30 cm.
@danielyulianto683
@danielyulianto683 2 ай бұрын
Penghangat nya pakai lampu apanya,, kalau pakai LED apakah tidak akan hangat,,kalau di Indonesia pakai bohlam lampu jarak lampu 15 cm ke telur
@danielyulianto683
@danielyulianto683 2 ай бұрын
Lalu tingginya berapa kotaknya tetas telur nya
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 2 ай бұрын
The heater doesn't use a lamp. It is heated by a fan heater.
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden 2 ай бұрын
Overall, the height is about 30cm, but the inside is about 20 cm high.
@jameswadas5366
@jameswadas5366 Жыл бұрын
Let's see now. a hen lays one egg a day and usually has a clutch of 9 or so. Does she check for humidity? Does she check for temperature? Obviously she does otherwise she wouldn't have a good hatch rate! really??
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын
Lol. She doesn't really "check for" temperature and humidity, she controls them with her own body - warm and moist 🙂
@shannonfbc1
@shannonfbc1 Жыл бұрын
Humidity isn't as important as it's cracked up to be dry hatching works just fine
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын
I have heard about "dry hatching" but don't know much about it. Where I live in New Zealand our humidity is not far from the ideal hatching humidity anyway.
@paulatudor691
@paulatudor691 Жыл бұрын
They sweat when on the eggs and if it’s to hot they get off a little while. The dirt like rangefree eggs hatch the best unless you have a bad thunderstorm with lots of rain . That moisture can cool the eggs off.
@chip63us
@chip63us Жыл бұрын
I like that model, looks like a toaster oven, thank you
@chickensinmygarden
@chickensinmygarden Жыл бұрын
The large clear door means I can see when the chicks are "cooked" 😀
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