Anyone hatched chicken eggs in an incubator?

[Ferdie]

I would love to try hatching chicken eggs in our home. I know it is a challenging project because the eggs need to be turned several times a day and the correct temp/humidity in the incubator maintained. I was wondering if anyone has tried it and if you thought it was a worth while project.

I was going to start asking around to see if we can borrow an incubator. Does anyone know if the type of incubator is important? I know their are still air types and forced air types and small ones designed for at home use. Do you think it matters what type we get?

Would love your thoughts.

Thanks!

[ballzy]

I know someone who used an electric frying pan as an incubator. There was some trial and error to get the temperature and humidity at the right levels, but she did end up hatching 3 chicks successfully.

Colleen

[Hen Jen]

you might want to check with your local feed stores, the one we ordered our chicks from rents out incubators to people that want to hatch out eggs, she even takes back the chicks from families not set up to keep chickens, they just wanted the experience of hatching them.

we have a small flock, 4 hens and we brought them home 1 day old.

[Heather in the Kootenays]

It was fun but it was a lot of work. I also found it a bit stressful because they didn't all hatch and I felt like it was my fault - not being a good enough mom.

It was a good project though and they sure were cute.

[Doran]

It was fun but it was a lot of work. I also found it a bit stressful because they didn't all hatch and I felt like it was my fault - not being a good enough mom.

It was a good project though and they sure were cute.


Yep. This is usually my take on the whole concept. We didn't do it as a "project", per se, more as part of my job. It felt like a lot of work for not enough reward. And, if the kids had been expecting lots of chicks, they might've been disappointed. Our results (on more than one attempt) were quite poor.

It is a great learning tool. Just know these things: you need to prepare yourself and your kids for the possibility that some won't hatch, and some might hatch and not make it. You also need to know exactly what you're going to do with them if/when they do hatch.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Doran

[Ferdie]

Thanks for the advice and warnings. I'm didn't know that you could rent an incubator. We are in Texas and there are a lot feed store around so I'll make some calls today.

Thanks!

[Lady Katherine]

We tried, but none of the three hatched.

[Kelli in TN]

I did this with my older kids when they were younger.

We had 2 dozen eggs, acquired from a local feed store. I believe about half of them hatched.

We lived in a suburb at the time and we were wildly popular among the neighbors every time we brought our "babies" outside to play. When they got older we gave them to friends in the country.

Now I think I will send dh up to the attic to find that old incubator and see if it still works. My current crop of kids would LOVE this.

Thanks for mentioning it. You may have inspired me to do this project again!:)

[amy g.]

We tried once, and none of them hatched.

Then a friend told me to buy 3 thermometers and set the incubator to the temp that the majority of the thermometers read.

Almost all of them hatched!


The next week, I set a bunch of eggs under a broody hen. They all hatched, and then she raised them for us. I'm not sure we will be using our incubator again.