It’s finally time to try out that new incubator! Try to contain your excitement if you can… oh never mind… this is chickies; go ahead, let your excitement erupt. It’s okay.

At any rate, let’s get some eggs on their way to being chicks! Here are our 10 Steps to healthy hatching… ♥

Step #1: Read through your incubator’s operation manual to be sure you’re familiar with all of it’s functions and features.

Step #2: Power up your incubator and get it warmed up. Depending on the model, it may take hours to heat up the housing to the point where the internal temperature and humidity is stable. Try to be patient though; allowing your incubator to warm up completely and stabilize gives you the best opportunity to check the settings and recalibrate the incubator if necessary.

Step #3: Adjust the settings for a healthy hatch. Most incubators have preset incubation cycle settings. If possible though, please reset your incubator as follows…

• Day 1-17 = 99.3 to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and around 43% humidity.

• Day 18-21 (also known as “lockdown”) = 99.2 degrees Fahrenheit, and 52% humidity. Contrary to popular belief that your lockdown humidity should be around 65% to 70%, our experience has shown us that humidity that high often causes late embryo death or “unhealed naval” at hatch. Both of which are NO fun.

Step #4: After adjusting the settings, let your incubator’s temperature and humidity re-stabilize. The next step is optional, but HIGHLY SUGGESTED. And that is to check your incubator’s temperature and humidity with an external thermometer / hygrometer (and recalibrate if needed). For the longest time we struggled with “unhealed navals” (a condition which is often fatal for the chick). And where I thought I had done my due diligence by checking our machines with a cheap external thermometer / hygrometer, come to find out, these cheap little units were VERY inaccurate and likely the cause of our issues. And unfortunately, you can’t trust the factory calibration on incubators… even very good incubators! My theory is that the ambient temperature and humidity at the factory where your incubator was manufactured, is likely not the same as inside your house. The result: an incubator that runs either hot or too cool, too dry or way too humid. All of which can have a dramatic impact on the health and hatchability of your chicks.

Step #5: This may seem a little out of order here, but it’s important to prepare for the chicks and not forget how crucial their first little steps are ♥ So! Your next step is to make a non-slip hatch mat for your incubator. The material we use now I pretty much swear by as it’s completely eliminated 99% of the “spradle leg” cases we were having. I know…you’re curious now, right?! Okay, so what it is, is the non-slip shelf liner (the rubbery, bumpy material you can get as a roll at Walmart).  Simply cut it to fit the floor of your incubator, then set it aside for lockdown. This stuff is amazing too as you can machine wash it, then air dry, and it’s as good as new for your next hatch!

Step #6: Check to be sure your egg turner is working properly. This is super easy to test! Simply take a store bought egg, mark one side, place it in your incubator mark facing up, and observe if the mark is moving. This test may take a couple hours, as most incubators only turn the eggs once an hour. Your patience will pay off though, as eggs that are turning properly have much higher hatch rates ♥

Step #7: Now you are ready to set your fertile hatching eggs!  Remove your test eggs from the incubator and mark your fertile eggs in the same manner as your test eggs.  Place your fertile hatching eggs into the incubator as explained in the manual for your incubator (each machine has its own guidelines for which way to set the pointy end of the eggs). Close the lid or door on the incubator, and simply monitor the eggs for proper turning and replenish water as needed.

Step #8: The fun part!  “Candle” your eggs at day 7, and then again on day 14 to check for developing chicks.  You’re looking for distinct veins on day 7, and an actual chick (or dark shadow) bouncing around on day 14.  Please look for reference photos online if in doubt; there are a lot of great photos and charts of chick development out there!  If there are eggs with no signs of development, please discard those eggs in an outside trash bin (they can get really stinky due to the extended heat exposure!).

Step #9: On the last 4 days of incubation (day 17), remove your eggs from the incubator and set in a soft, warm, safe place temporarily.  Remove any egg turning devices and place the non-slip hatch mat into the bottom of your incubator.  If your incubator does not automatically stop turning the eggs at Day 17 (or 18 for some incubators), you will need to manually turn the egg turner off now. Then place the eggs back in the incubator on the non-slip mat, put the lid back on and be sure it’s seated properly without any gaps.

Step #10: If your incubator doesn’t automatically increase the humidity for these final 3 to 4 days, OR, it does… but is higher than our recommended 55%, you will need to manually adjust your incubator’s humidity to 55% now (this humidity increase is to soften the shells and help the chicks break out easier).

Congratulations! You’ve completed our 10 Steps to healthy hatching!! The only thing left, is to be sure the incubator lid stays closed tight for these last 3 to 4 days and watch the eggs for signs of chicks hatching! ♥