Talking chickens: the chicks arrive

In my last post we considered how to source eggs and what to consider before setting out on hatching your own chickens. This time we’ll have a look at some of the things you need to do before, during and after the hatch.

Chicken eggs take 21 days to develop and need precise conditions to be able to develop at the correct rate and successfully hatch. It may seem like a simple case of the hen sitting on the eggs to keep them warm for the period of time it takes for the egg to reach hatching stage, but pick up the manual for an artificial incubator and take a look at the temperature and humidity settings, not to mention the simulated movement of the eggs by the hen using a mechanical turning mechanism. You’ll soon start to realise that the hen has an incredible ability to regulate the nest conditions to provide the optimum conditions. In fact it could be said that her shuffling mass of fluffy feathers create conditions that are extremely difficult to simulate using artificial methods.

When using a broody hen it is in most cases better to leave her to get on with the job and not interfere, but if using an incubator there are a couple of things you can do during the process that can save you time, and potentially money.

Once the eggs are set for hatching, the cells within the egg begin the process of division. Development during the first five days would only be visible if the egg were to be broken open (which obviously would be the end of the chick) but after that stage it is possible to view the development by using a process called candling”. As the name suggests, a light source is held close to the egg so the contents of the egg can be seen through the shell. Candling is best done seven to 10 days after setting and will enable you to establish not only which eggs are developing but which are either fertile or in some way defective. Then you can remove the infertile eggs or eggs which have stopped developing (often referred to as early death in shell or EDIS). If dud eggs are left they run the risk of going bad and exploding in the incubator which can ruin the entire batch.

Candling is best done in the dark and ideally with a light source that doesn’t generate any heat. There are custom-built candlers on the market which can be very useful, but being a tightfisted Yorkshireman I made my own by using a high-powered LED pocket torch: I added the rubber eye cup off an old pair of binoculars to the end and it works a treat (It also means I can still use it as a torch).

Candling for the first timer can be a bit of daunting task, particularly if you have no real idea of what you are looking for. Sites on the internet offer advice on what to look for (a spider, a daddy-longlegs, veins) but sites like The Poultry Keeper offer some excellent photographic images of what to look for.

Handle the eggs carefully and, while the period of time out the incubator for the eggs should be kept to a minimum, don’t rush. If it’s possible, remove the tray of eggs from the incubator in its entirety and put the lid back on the incubator while candling the eggs. That way the conditions within the incubator can remain fairly constant. You can candle a few days later to double check if you weren’t sure the first time around, but any later on and the egg mass will have become so dense that the contents will simply look black, so it won’t be possible to discern between a chick and a bad egg.

The next major stage if using an incubator will be day 19, when the chicks will start moving into position ready for hatching. It is at this point the eggs should no longer be turned and any bars holding the eggs in position need to be removed. Your incubator manual will tell you precisely what to do for that model. It’s also at this point you need to put your brooder box together.

Newly hatched chicks need to be kept indoors in an open topped box or pen. They also require a heat source in the form of a heat lamp or electric hen (a heated plate on legs which the chicks gather under). The will also need feed in the form of chick crumb and a shallow drinker – because despite their incredible ability to fend for themselves within hours of hatching, they can fall in a large drinker and drown. It’s also important to ensure the floor of the brooder is non-slip: chicks can be a little uneasy on their legs at first and a slippery floor can cause splayed legs or sprains. Lining the floor of the brooder with corrugated card provides a simple cost effective solution.

Day 21 should mark the beginning of the hatching process (though some chicks can make an appearance during day 20) which at first will be a faint cheeping from the incubator. This is when the chick has broken into the air sac in the egg and is readying for the next step – pipping. The chick will begin to break through the shell, working its way around the egg before eventually pushing itself free. Probably the best bit of advice I can give at this stage is SIT ON YOUR HANDS. Do not be tempted to open the incubator: you will mess up the humidity within it which in turn will impact the hatchability of the eggs. Do not interfere with eggs as they hatch. Do not be tempted to help the chick out by picking off bits of the shell, because you could cause a “bleed” and damage the chick. Do not be tempted to help the chick out of the shell, it needs to push the shell away itself for the leg tendons to stretch, so tipping the chick out can cause leg problems for the bird. Just sit and watch, and more importantly marvel at what you are witnessing.

Newly hatched chicks will look wet at first. They will be tired after their exertions and will usually sleep as they dry off, in fact they can do an excellent impression of mass death, all laying there looking lifeless. They are perfectly fine to remain within the incubator for 24-36 hours after hatching as they will be living off the yolk they absorbed during the incubation process. By this time most of the eggs will have hatched and by day 23 you can move the lot into brooder. Within days, pin feathers will begin to appear on the wing tips and the fluffy down begins to be replaced with feathers. So begins the process of maturing, only this time it’s more like 21 weeks instead of 21 days.

Next month : Growing the brood on

This post is part of a regular series on poultry keeping from Andy Cawthray, a self confessed chickeneer who writes for a number of magazines, provides talks & courses on keeping poultry at home and shares his experiences on his personal blog TheChickenStreet.