Hatching your own chicks is, for many chicken keepers, the best moment of the year. With an incubator, you decide when to hatch and how many eggs to set, even without a broody hen. This collection includes the Covatutto 16L Digital incubator, the Covatutto automatic egg turner, the Zar Cudeyo Natal 20, an incubator from Hofman Animal Care in grey and transparent, the Gaun egg candling lamp, an LED candling lamp from Kerbl and perches for chicks.
How to choose an incubator
- Capacity: a small machine is ideal for a first hatch; a larger one, such as the Natal 20, if you hatch regularly or for several breeds.
- Turning the eggs: eggs must be turned regularly during incubation. If you do not do this by hand, choose a machine with an egg turner or add the Covatutto automatic egg turner.
- View and controls: a transparent lid lets you watch without opening; a digital display makes the temperature easy to read.
- Humidity: look at how you top up water and whether that can be done without opening the lid for long.
From egg to chick
A chicken egg takes about three weeks to hatch; bantam breeds are sometimes a day earlier. With a candling lamp, you look through the shell after about a week: a fertile egg shows blood vessels, an infertile egg stays clear. You remove those eggs so they do not go off. In the last few days, you stop turning and keep the machine closed, so the humidity stays up during hatching.
After hatching, the chicks move to a warm, draught-free brooding area with a heat source. Give them a small drinker and a low feeder; large ones are too deep and too high. You will find them in drinkers and feeders. A low chick perch helps young birds learn to roost early on.
Points to note
An incubator is best placed in a room with an even temperature, out of the sun and away from heating. Bear in mind that about half of the chicks will be cockerels; decide in advance what you will do with them. Keep young birds and adult chickens apart until they are big enough. More on choosing a machine is on comparing incubators. Also useful: nest boxes and perches, health and the complete chicken section.
Frequently asked questions
What do chicks need straight after hatching?
A warm, draught-free brooding area with a heat source, a low drinker and a shallow feeder. Keep them separate from the adult chickens for now.
Is an automatic egg turner really necessary?
Without a turner, you have to turn the eggs yourself several times a day. A turner takes over that work, even if you are away for a day.
What is a candling lamp used for?
To look through the shell and see whether an egg is fertile and developing. That way, you remove infertile eggs from the machine in good time.