Hatching Chicks

Over the last month I’ve gotten a lot of questions and I wanted to gather the answers all in one post for you all! Let me start off by saying, I’m a beginner. This is the first time I’ve ever hatched chicks. A lot of what I know and share here, I learned in the last month as we went.

I had ZERO clue what I was doing, I got the opprotunity to do it, thought it would be fun and just jumped right in. It’s times like these that I realize that yup, I’m an optimist, though I never would describe myself as such.

If this post doesn’t answer your questions–feel free to ask me!

How did you get eggs to hatch? Where did they come from? Did you buy the equipment?

We were super fortunate to have a connection to our local 4H club through a friend. They provided us with everything we needed. A binder filled with step by step instructions, 12 fertile eggs, an incubator with automatic egg rotator, starter feed, pine shavings for the bedding, a brooder (aka a place to put the chicks once they hatch) and a heat source (chicks need to be kept at around 95F their first week of life). We did end up buying more pine shavings.

Where do I get everything I need if I have to buy it on my own?

We plan to hatch chicks again so this is something I’ve been looking into. If you can’t borrow an incuabotr from someone who already has one (try local Facebook groups, especially if you live near farm country).

You can buy fertilized eggs online–just search “Fertilized eggs, Hatchery”. You can also check in with local farmers–if they have roosters, it’s likely their eggs are fertilized so you can ask to purchase eggs from them to hatch.

You’ll also need:

• Incubator/Automatic Egg Turner <–This isn’t the one we used, I linked the one we used above. But this is the one I want due to how big the viewing window is.
• Brooder
• Heat Source, don’t forget the bulb!
• Chick Feed, if you plan to keep the chicks, I would buy a larger bag, it will be cheaper that way!
• Feeder
• Water Holder –I suggest elevating this slightly to avoid the chicks making it messy with pine shavings.
• Something to line the brooder with, I suggest puppy training pads for easy clean up!
• Pine Shavings, this is to layer the brooder with. So puppy training pad, paper towels or newspaper then pine shavings!

As you can see, this can get a little pricey! If you are doing this as an educational experience with your kids, be sure to check out free options especially if you don’t plan to do this again anytime soon.

Where did you get the other 11 eggs from?

In addition to the 12 fertile eggs we got, we also took 4 eggs from our refridgerator and got another 7 from the woman we get our eggs from.

Did you just say from your fridge? Are the eggs I get fertilized? Is it possible I can crack open a chick?

Yes! I did! I know that sounds wild but as I mentioned above, we get our eggs from a farm and I felt confident that most of the eggs we get are fertilized aka the farm has roosters. If you get your eggs from a farm that has roosters, it’s likely that your eggs are fertilized as well. If you get your eggs from a grocery store it is HIGHLY unlikely that you’re eating fertilized eggs, meaning you couldn’t hatch a chick from an egg in your refridgerator. On top of that, even if by some chance the eggs were fertilized the refridgeration halts any and all development.

Of the four eggs from your fridgerator, how many hatched?

We candled our eggs on day 7, 10, 14 and 18. On Day 7 we discovered that one of the eggs was infertile (or never got very far in the development process) and another developed further along but was clearly not viable which we knew via the blood ring aka “ring of death”. On Day 18 we had two of our fridge eggs left. During the hatching time, one took FOREVER to hatch after it “pipped” but is alive and well. We named her Elsa. The other never hatched.

What’s a blood ring?

It’s a little ring of blood that signifies the chick stopped developing. Here’s what it looked like in one of our eggs

What does “pip” mean?

Pip is the first break in the shell that chicks make, it can take 12-24 hours and sometimes more after they pip for the chicks to hatch. Here’s a picture from our hatching:

Once the chicks hatched what do you do with them?

Due to the weather and our house, we kept the chicks in our bedroom. It was a smelly experience. It wouldn’t be my first choice, but since it was my only choice, it worked!

Was it time consuming?

Overall I would say no. It took minutes per day to take care of the eggs, we had an automatic egg turner in our incubator which was helpful. We just checked the temperture twice per day and filled the basin with water for humidity purproses. Once the chicks hatched, I would say it took me an hour per day to take care of them. I changed the bedding twice per day and checked/filled their food and water twice per day as well. Don’t expect to do much of anything on hatching day. It’s too exciting not to watch them hatch all day!

Where’s your coop?

Sadly, we don’t have one! We were never planning to keep these chicks though I not so secretly wished that maybe we would. All 12 chicks will go to live with my friend.

What kind of chickens are they?

This is the information I have on the black/yellow chickens. ” All hens are brown egg layer mixes. We have a polish rooster and an Americana rooster”. The yellow chicks are “broilers” which is a generic term for meat birds.

Meat birds?! Will you eat these chicks?

All 11 of the yellow birds will be eaten at some point, not necessarily by me but by their new owner. It’s odd because in just one week we have gotten attached to them but we also know that they will provide nurishment in uncertain times and until then, they will be loved on!

Have your kids said anything about eating eggs or chicken?

The kids were taken aback when we said that they yellow chicks would be food eventually. They were a little horrified but quickly got over it. One time Emilia (4), was eating chicken wings and spit it out and said she wouldn’t eat it anymore because it was chicken but then quickly got over it. They haven’t said anything about eatings eggs at this point though we did discuss that we were eating mostly fertilized eggs and if we should or shouldn’t!

I hope this was helpful for anyone who was curious or is thinking about hatching chicks! If you have any more questions, I’m happy to answer them! I’m still living on the chick hatching high, it was such a fun experience!