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• Incubation

Incubation periods:

• Japanese Quail: 17 days
• Bob White Quail: 23-24 days
• Chicken: 21 days
• Pheasant: 25 days
• Guinea Fowl: 28 days
• Duck: 26 days
• Turkey: 28 days
• Goose: 30-32 days
• Muscovy: 35-37 days

Incubator: 

Locate the incubator in a room that is not affected by draughts, radiators or direct sunlight, ideally the room temperature should be about 21’c at all times. To incubate chicken eggs, the incubators temperature should be set at or close to 37.7 ‘c with humidity of 40%. For small incubators typically holding fewer than 200 eggs, it is easiest to use a small digital hydrometer  for monitoring the humidity. Ensure the incubator is sanitised priorto use to help prevent infection within the incubator. Run the incubator for a day to ensure the correctconditions are met and stabilised. Minor fluctuations will occur but it is necessary to try and maintain the temperature andhumidity for the first 18 days. There is a greater chance of hatching success if the humidity during the first 18 days is at or lower than 40% rather than higher. Duck eggs require a humidity of 50% throughout the first 23 days of incubation and an increased humidity of 70% during the final 3 days.

Eggs:

Eggs should be clean and free from cracks or deformity, deformed or dirty eggs are usually unsuccessful and can increase the probability of introducing infection into the incubator. If you do have a cracked egg it is possible to cover the crack with nail varnish to seal the egg from infection. This has been known to work but not worthwhile if you have plenty of eggs available. Eggs should always be allowed to cool for a day after being laid prior to being set, if eggs are to be stored they do not require turning in storage providing they are incubated within 10 days. The highest levels of fertility occur during the first 10 days after lay, fertility then diminishes gradually as they become older. However it is possible for eggs to be fertile even one month after lay, but only a small percentage would remain viable by this time. Eggs purchased through the post should be rested pointed end down for a day prior to incubation. When ready to incubate, place the eggs in the machine on a rack pointed end down or on their sides and record the date and time. Eggs should be turned at least twice a day.

Candling:

The incubator should be turned off before attempting the following tasks. By day 7 candle the eggs in the dark by shining a light, under the side of the egg. Either a small torch or a candler could be used. Look down at the side of the egg, if thin and long blood vessels can be seen emanating from a central spot (embryo) then the egg is fertile and should develop in to a chick. If nothing can be seen then the egg is clear and therefore infertile and should be thrown away. Embryos can also die early in the incubation this can be seen as a blood ring or a dark spot usually stuck to the inside of the shell with no blood system. 

Hatching:

By day 18 stop turning the eggs and then raise the incubators humidity to 60%. The incubator should not be disturbed or opened during the last days of incubation. By day 21 the chicks should hatch out. If chicks pip at the shell but do not hatch or if they die within the shell during the final days it is most likely due to a low average humidity and a low humidity during the last 3 days. If the chicks pip the shell and it is clear humidity has not been high enough, e.g. 60% for chickens then helping the chicks out can result in perfectly healthy, vigorous and well formed chicks. Importantly, although a shame, in most cases the chicks should not be given help, as this could lead to reduced vigour, weak and deformed generations of poultry. Once the chicks have dried off within the incubator it is necessary to move them to a container, electric brooder or room with a heat lamp. The height of the heat lamp should be adjusted until chicks are freely moving around and not clustered immediately under the lamp or far from it.

Broody Hens

Hens can go broody at any time during the laying season and will dark/shaded positions. However not all breeds  make good broodies because it is very much dependant on the genetic traits of the breed. Hybrid breeds generally make better broodies than purebred ones especially when particularly good brooding breeds such as the silkie are used in the hybridisation.
The following breeds go broody easily and generally make good sitters.

Asil	Frizzle	Modern Game	Scots Dumpy
Australorp	Houdan	New Hampshire Red	Silkie
Barnevelder	Indian Game	Norfolk Grey	Sultan
Brahma	Ixworth	North Holland Blue	Sumatra
Cochin	Jersey Giant	Old English Game	Sussex
Crevecoeur	La Fleche	Orloff	Wyandotte
Croad Langshan	Malay	Orpington	Yokohama
Dorking	Maran	Plymouth Rock
Faverolles	Marsh Daisy	Rhode Island Red

The Broody

A broody hen can sit for a very long time in a quest to hatch eggs. This can be at the detriment of her health and will often result in weight loss. Diarrhoea is also common place with broodies but is not of great concern. If a hen goes broody when not required it is possible to make her go off by keeping the hen in full light during the day, preferably within a cage with no shaded areas. The hen should be given food and water and left in this facility for at least 7 days by which time the brooding instinct should have passed. Small eggs from pheasants or bantams can be placed under smaller breeds of chicken or duck and medium to large egg can be placed under large fowl at a rate of up to 12 to a hen. It is important to recognise that the brooding ability of hens can vary. Some may not remain broody for the full 21 days and others may be clumsy and break eggs.

Condition

Firstly it is important to ensure the hen that it to be used is of a healthy weight for the size of the bird and should be in good condition with no lice. Hatching eggs
These are eggs that are from a breeding pen where cockerels roam with hens, hatching eggs are therefore believed fertile and suitable for incubation.

China eggs

It is advisable to use 3 or more china eggs of equal size to the hatching eggs and to place them under the broody or in a place o encourage broodiness this is done to ensure the hen accepts the eggs so no real eggs are wasted. Once accepted the china eggs should be swopped for the hatching eggs and this is best done when she is eating or drinking.

Accomodation

Broodies should preferably be placed on their own within a hut with enclosed run to prevent other birds from interfering with the eggs when the broody leaves them to defecate, feed, drink and dust bathe.
The nesting area within the broody house should be kept dark, nest boxes 12” x 12” 30 x 30cm are adequate and should have a wooden frame that help keep the straw in. The nest boxes should be filled with straw and perhaps even turf preferably with a hollow to ensure that the eggs roll to the centre when the hen rearranges and turns her eggs. Eggs that sprawl out of her reach will become chilled and the embryos will ultimately die.

Candling

Eggs can be candled on the 7th and 18th days and all clear eggs must be removed as by the 21st day when all fertile ones hatch the broody will be inclined to stay sitting on eggs that will never hatch. It is wise to have a spare broody hen to take over the eggs if the first broody gives up sitting.

Incubation Troubleshooting

Symptoms	Likely Cause
Air cell moves within the egg and does not stay in the broad end when candled.	Rough handling of egg such as when posted.
Dark blotches on the shell interior	Infection caused by old eggs or a dirty egg shell.
Blood ring seen within the egg when candled at 7 days	Incorrect or variable incubator temperature.
Yolk stuck to the interior of the egg shell when candled	Lack of turning in storage and incubation.
Poor fertility when candled at 7 days	Old eggs, more than 10 days old Poor or rough handling prior to incubation Infertile cockerel Large duck breeds benefit from swimming water to mate. Eggs set at the end of the season or very early in the year. Immature breeding birds less than 6 months old. Too many hens not enough cockerels. Ideal ratio of up to 1:7
High fertility but low hatchability	Inbred stock. Lack of vigour Poor nutrition in breeder diet. Incorrect incubator temperature. Lack of turning during incubation. Poorly shapedor sized eggs Genetic, such as the creeper gene in Scots Dumpys
Pipped shell, but no hatching	Low humidity during the hatch Eggs disturbed, incubator opened during hatching.
Crippled chicks	Inherited defect Poor nutrition in breeder diet. Lack of turning during incubation
Sprayed  legs	Slippery incubator/hatchery floor.
Chicks or ducklings struggling to hatch, sticky chicks	Low humidity during hatch. Should be 60% for chickens 70% or more for ducklings.
Chicks die within first week or two after hatching	Lack of vigour in the breed, competition with other breeds for feed, water and warmth Deformity Predation by rats, wild birds, dogs, cats, pine martins, foxes. Excessive heat, especially during the summer. Cold nights in the winter Draughts Suffocation from crowding Coccidiosis Bacterial enteritis Yolk sack infection

 

Packing Eggs

Eggs sent through the post are always at risk. Breakages, although rare can occur; a broken air sac within the egg from rough handling renders the egg useless. Eggs were never intended to be posted but good results do frequently occur. Providing the packaging is adequate and the stock is in breeding condition, good fertility should follow. Infertilities due to postage and poor results due to incubation method/lack of experience mean you should purchase at least one dozen eggs at a time. It would also appear that tougher shelled eggs from ducks and geese also travel better than chicken eggs.

What to bear in mind:

• Buy eggs from a reputable breeder it really will pay off.
• Be sure the eggs come from healthy, mature and active breeding stock.
• Ensure the breeding ratio is at an acceptable level. Cockerels and pullets can be put to a ration of 1:10. Cocks and hens are better off at 1:7 although breeding, pairs, trio, quartets and quintets are perfectly acceptable.
• Eggs should be 7 days old or less when sent. The fresher the better.
• Birds should preferably be fed a breeders ratio, to ensure the developing embryos have the best possible diet.
• Buy eggs during the spring or summer. Eggs bought very early in the year or during autumn are likely to have reduced fertility.
• Ask for eggs to be individually wrapped or packed in such a way so as to reduce vibration.
• Postage method does not really make much difference, if you are worried about postmen throwing the parcels, make sure the box is large enough that they wouldn’t bother. Light weight poly boxes are an invitation to play football.
• Do not over crowd the boxes with eggs, as this will only lead to breakages.

Cardboard packaging (the method we use)

Each egg is individually wrapped in bubble wrap or tissue paper and placed pointed end down into standard egg carton. The carton are then placed into a sturdy cardboard box and knuckles of paper are packed (not too tightly) all around the carton until the carton is set in place. The box is taped with parcel tape and two ‘Fragile-eggs’ labels are placed on the box, in clear view of the postman. Where possible, posting is carried out early in the week so you receive the eggs before the end of the week. The packaging is primarily manufactured from recycled materials and can be re-recycled.