9 things to know about successfully HATCHING EGGS

1

You’ll need an experienced broody hen that will sit reliably, hatch, and look after the chicks. If you’re buying valuable, rare breed eggs, use a proven broody hen you can rely on rather than a young, untested one.

2

Have a back-up broody hen or hens in case something goes wrong with the first one.

3

Don’t put too many eggs under a broody or the eggs may get chilled. Six is enough for a bantam and 8-12 for a large hen.

4

Are you going to use an incubator? Is it a new incubator that you haven’t used before? Practise hatching some notso-valuable eggs first. This will help you learn how to manage humidity levels and fluctuating temperatures.

5

Are you ready for the statistical odds that you could hatch all (or a high proportion of) roosters? It would be bad luck to hatch all roosters, but it can happen. Over time, numbers will average out to 50-50, but individual clutches will vary. If you don’t want roosters, prepare for what you’ll do with them, eg cull them, eat them, sell them.

6

When you hatch a clutch of purebred eggs, you may get one or two superstars, or the whole lot could have poor conformation or colour. However, if you buy eggs from a breeder who aims for perfection with their stock and has had success at poultry shows, the chances of getting some good chicks are much higher than average.

7

A breeder may be able to give you an idea of the hatchability of the eggs, a measure of how many eggs are likely to hatch from a particular pairing (or pairs) of birds.

8

November-December is a good time to source hatching eggs as your broodies will be ready, there’ll be a large supply of hatching eggs, and the resulting chicks will get to grow through the warm summer months.

9

The cost of hatching eggs can vary quite a bit depending on the breed. Some are sold by the egg; others are sold as a set of 6 or 12 (or however

many you want).