Incubating and Hatching Chicks

Items You Will Need to Begin: Things to do before planning a project like this: Research incubating eggs. Figure a time when you can spend 21 days caring for the eggs. Get an incubator and eggs ready to incubate. The incubator needs to be cleaned with clorox and water. Eggs need to be fresh and not refrigerated. Mark eggs with X’s on one side and O’s on the other. This will ensure that all eggs get turned. The eggs will need to be turned 3-5 times daily. The incubator temperature needs to be regulated to 99.5 degrees. Prepare a brooder (a place for the hatchlings to stay). This needs to be away from drafts and complete with heat lamp, food, water and wood shavings on the floor of the brooder box.

Incubator This keeps the eggs at a constant 99.5 degrees and also keeps them safe (from cracking) and moist. The eggs will dry out if they do not stay moist. A cracked egg will not develop or hatch.

Marking the Eggs Mark the eggs with X’s on one side and O’s on the other! Remember: Turn them 3-5 times daily or the embryo will stick.

Make an Incubation Calendar This will allow you to keep track of hatching day.

Brooder Box A box with thermometer, wood shavings, heat lamp, and food and water. Remember – hatchings should not get a draft – if they are huddling together they are too cold. Keep a shallow water dish so chicks will not drown.

The Life Cycle of a Chicken

Bird Families Bird Families

Differences in Wild/Tame Birds Some birds cannot feed themselves after they hatch! These types of birds need their mothers to survive. Never try to incubate birds that require their mother!

Oviparous? Oviparous is a word that means egg laying animal. Who Lays Eggs? On the next slide – click on the pictures of oviparous animals.

Do I Lay Eggs?

What colors and shapes are eggs?

Parts of An Egg

Incubation Chart for Birds Incubation Periods (species and days required to hatch) Bobwhite Quail Chicken Chukar Partridge Coturnix Quail Ducks Geese (23-24) (21) (23-24) (16-18) (28) (28-33)   Guinea Muscovy Duck Pheasants Ostrich Swan Turkey (27-28) (35) (24-26) (42) (35) (28)

Watch a Chick Grow

Candling Eggs Candle each egg to see how much they have grown!

How does the Chick Breathe inside the Egg? There are over 17,000 Tiny air holes or pores in An egg shell! Look at the Air holes here --

Will All Eggs Hatch? There are many reasons why some eggs might not hatch. Here are a few: Not being turned enough. Temperature not adjusted well in incubator. Not moist enough. Infection.

Hatching Day is Here! Watch a Chick Hatch Hatching will take place after the # of days is complete. The first holes will appear – this is called “Pipping”. The chick uses its “Egg Tooth” to make the holes in the egg. Will take 2-4 hours to completely hatch! Watch a Chick Hatch

Egg tooth This is used to “cut” through The egg shell. It will fall off In a day or two.

Chicken Facts: A hen lays about 300-325 eggs per year. There are over 200 breeds of chickens. White shelled eggs are made by chickens with white feathers. Brown shelled eggs are made by chickens with brown feathers. It takes a hen 24-26 hours to make an egg. As a hen gets older, her eggs get bigger. A mother hen turns her eggs 50 times a day. An egg shell has 17,000 tiny holes in it. A hen must eat 4 pounds of feed to make a dozen eggs.

Chicken Riddles What is Snow White’s brothers’ name? Egg White Where do Hens come from? Hennessee What looks like ½ a chicken? The other ½!