Breeders of Rare Poultry !
Incubation
A group of newly hatched Black Copper & Wheaten Marans chicks.
Hydrometer Calibration: Mix 1/2 cup salt vigorously in 1/4 cup water. Pour mixture into a dry cup carefully as to prevent any of the solution from getting on the outside of the cup. Place the cup of solution in a large ziploc bag on a flat surface. Place new batteries in your hydrometer, turn it on and place it in the bag beside the cup of solution. Zip the bag shut carefully and wait 12 hours. Read the results of the humidity on the hydrometer before opening the bag. The hydrometer should read 75%. If it does not, read the hydormeter by adding or subtracting the result from 75% once it is in your incubator.
Example: If your meter reads 72%, you will know it is off by 3%. Once in the incubator, you will add 3% to the reading. The opposite applies if the hydrometer reads more than 75%.
A batch of newly hatched Welsummer Chicks from Rolling Acre Poultry
Gourd Art by
Lynnrae Troples
Waterfowl take a humidity level of 45 to 50% for 21 days and then 70% for the last 7 days
Incubation of poultry is really very simple if you think about the process in general. While man tries to mimic God's creation in using an incubator instead of a broody hen, His creation will never be perfected by man. The process of incubating eggs with an incubator can be made easy by following one simple realistic rule.
1. Treat the incubator as if it were a broody hen.
A. Only place eggs in an incubator that has been stabilized in temperature & humidity.
Like a hen, we allow them to sit for a while to see if they mean business on brooding.
B. Once you set eggs, LEAVE THEM ALONE! Sorry for yelling, but we cannot stress this enough. Do not handle or candle eggs frequently. As a matter of fact, HPBAA recommends that you just do exactly what you would do if you were setting a hen. Place the eggs in the bator and wait. You would not go out and check the eggs under a broody hen everyday.
1. Treat the incubator as if it were a broody hen.
A. Only place eggs in an incubator that has been stabilized in temperature & humidity.
Like a hen, we allow them to sit for a while to see if they mean business on brooding.
B. Once you set eggs, LEAVE THEM ALONE! Sorry for yelling, but we cannot stress this enough. Do not handle or candle eggs frequently. As a matter of fact, HPBAA recommends that you just do exactly what you would do if you were setting a hen. Place the eggs in the bator and wait. You would not go out and check the eggs under a broody hen everyday.
Incubation Ingredients:
1. Incubator: It does not matter what type. However, HPBAA recommends it be anything but a styrofoam bator.
2. Hydrometer: Calibrates the humidity in the incubator. HPBAA feels this to be the most important ingredient outside of the proper incubator. HPBAA also recommends that you calibrate the Hydrometer properly. Instructions on how to do this are located at the top left hand side of this page.
3. Eggometer Thermometer: The most accurate temperature measuring device found to measure incubator temperatures.
4. Egg Turner: Standard with most incubators. HPBAA does not recommend hand turning of eggs.
5. Aquarium Air Tubing: This tubing is to be cut to length that will not get in the way of the egg turner but yet reach the water reseviour of the incubator.
6. Syringe: This is to excrete water into the air tubing.
Jamie Miller of Rolling Acre Farm has been incubating eggs for 40 plus years. Jamie also specializes in the preservation and breeding of the Lowell Barber Line of Welsummers.
"It was a sad day when I lost my first batch of eggs and chicks by following the instructions that came with my styrofoam incubator. Experience has taught me that the Dry Incubation method is the best way to hatch chicks." HPBAA agrees that Jamie knows her stuff when it comes to incubation. A 95 to 100% hatch rate is pretty much the case with each setting of eggs that Jamie does. "I just think like a mother hen would and have spent lots of time studying the developement of chick embryos at different stages. Experimenting with temperatures and humidity and shedding a lot of tears has finally brought me to a place of consistency with my hatch rates." HPBAA now refers to Jamie as our Incubation Specialist. With a nickname of "Little Silkie" and the determination of a Silkie Hen, Jamie knows her hatching. You may ask Jamie questions regarding hatching. However, do not contact her if you want to debate. HPBAA nor it's founding members do not do drama, we do poultry.
Rolling Acre Poultry
Jamie Miller/Incubation Specialist
sisterjfm@aol.com
Incubator Temperatures:
Forced Air Incubators: 99.5 degrees
Still Air Incubators: 101.5 degrees
Egg IncubationTable:
Chicken: 21 Days
Turkeys: 28 Days
Guineas: 26 to 28 Days
Ducks: 28 Days
Geese: 28 to 30 Days
Incubation Instructions: The following instructions are for a standard Sportsman Cabinet Model Incubator and large fowl poultry eggs. Humidity levels and temperatures may vary depending on the type of incubator used and the type of eggs being incubated. HPBAA recommends that you throw the instructions that come with an incubator away. Seek only the advice of an experienced person in incubation. Following the instructions that come with the incubator is sure to result in disaster of hatching poultry.
Allow the incubator to stabilize for 48 hours at a temperature of 99.5 to 99.9 degrees and a humidity level of 38 to 42%. Getting a humidity level to stabilize at this level usually requires not adding water to the incubator in the beginning. Once the incubator is stabilized, place eggs in the egg rack with the pointed end down. It is not recommended that bantam poultry, waterfowl, turkeys, or gamebird eggs be set with standard large fowl poultry eggs. A full incubator usually results in a better hatch. Once the eggs are placed in the bator, shut the door and leave them alone. It is not recommended that you open the door until day 18. Fresh eggs should not explode in an incubator. If you must watch, get a clear door to view without opening the incubator. Once the eggs have been in the incubator for 12 hours, view your humidity. HPBAA recommends that you not allow the humidity above 48% or below 38% for the first 18 days of incubation. It is okay to allow the humidity to drop below 38%, leave it for a few hours, and then bring the humidity back up. There are two ways to bring humidity up. You can close off the vents on the incubator slightly or you can add water. To add water, insert the aquarium air tubing into a vent hole and into the water container. Make sure the tubing does not interfere with the mechanical workings of the incubator. Seal around the tubing and leave it inserted. This should be done prior to setting the eggs. Take some water into the Syringe and push it into the tube to get to the water container inside the incubator. The tubing should be capped off when not in use. On day 18, remove the eggs from the turning rack and place them on their side in the hatching compartment of the incubator. You may candle at this time if you wish removing any eggs that are not developing. Shut the door and allow the incubator to stabilize for an hour. Bring the humidity up to 48% and stabilize it there. On day 19, bring the humidity up to 50 to 52%. On day 20, bring the humidity up to 55 to 58%. On day 21, bring humidity up and stabilize it between 60 and 62%. Remember, you can bring the humidity up two different ways, so you may not always need to add water. Each and every time you make an adjustment to your incubator, always wait one hour, take readings, and adjust again if needed. Do not be alarmed at fluctuating temperatures and humidity during incubation around day 14 or during hatch. This is normal. DO NOT REMOVE HATCHED CHICKS! Sorry for yelling again. It is very important that you do not open the incubator during hatching for any reason. Doing so will kill chicks before they can get out of the egg. Chicks can stay in the incubator for up to 48 hours without food or water. Their chirping actually encourages the chicks that are still in the egg to hatch.
HPBAA strongly recommends Bill Worrell's
Dry Hatch Method
Allow the incubator to stabilize for 48 hours at a temperature of 99.5 to 99.9 degrees and a humidity level of 38 to 42%. Getting a humidity level to stabilize at this level usually requires not adding water to the incubator in the beginning. Once the incubator is stabilized, place eggs in the egg rack with the pointed end down. It is not recommended that bantam poultry, waterfowl, turkeys, or gamebird eggs be set with standard large fowl poultry eggs. A full incubator usually results in a better hatch. Once the eggs are placed in the bator, shut the door and leave them alone. It is not recommended that you open the door until day 18. Fresh eggs should not explode in an incubator. If you must watch, get a clear door to view without opening the incubator. Once the eggs have been in the incubator for 12 hours, view your humidity. HPBAA recommends that you not allow the humidity above 48% or below 38% for the first 18 days of incubation. It is okay to allow the humidity to drop below 38%, leave it for a few hours, and then bring the humidity back up. There are two ways to bring humidity up. You can close off the vents on the incubator slightly or you can add water. To add water, insert the aquarium air tubing into a vent hole and into the water container. Make sure the tubing does not interfere with the mechanical workings of the incubator. Seal around the tubing and leave it inserted. This should be done prior to setting the eggs. Take some water into the Syringe and push it into the tube to get to the water container inside the incubator. The tubing should be capped off when not in use. On day 18, remove the eggs from the turning rack and place them on their side in the hatching compartment of the incubator. You may candle at this time if you wish removing any eggs that are not developing. Shut the door and allow the incubator to stabilize for an hour. Bring the humidity up to 48% and stabilize it there. On day 19, bring the humidity up to 50 to 52%. On day 20, bring the humidity up to 55 to 58%. On day 21, bring humidity up and stabilize it between 60 and 62%. Remember, you can bring the humidity up two different ways, so you may not always need to add water. Each and every time you make an adjustment to your incubator, always wait one hour, take readings, and adjust again if needed. Do not be alarmed at fluctuating temperatures and humidity during incubation around day 14 or during hatch. This is normal. DO NOT REMOVE HATCHED CHICKS! Sorry for yelling again. It is very important that you do not open the incubator during hatching for any reason. Doing so will kill chicks before they can get out of the egg. Chicks can stay in the incubator for up to 48 hours without food or water. Their chirping actually encourages the chicks that are still in the egg to hatch.
HPBAA strongly recommends Bill Worrell's
Dry Hatch Method