As far as food production, they are prolific egg layers (providing approximately 300 eggs yearly).  Quail eggs are packed with such high levels of minerals, vitamins, and compounds that many prefer quail eggs over chicken eggs.  For meat purposes, they fatten up easily and are ready to butcher around 6 weeks after hatching.

By the fall of 2018, our small flock of fourteen quail was laying eggs, mating, and living a happy life… but it wasn’t easy getting to that point.  Even though quail normally start laying at around two months of age, it was five months before we saw our first egg.

Our First Six Months Raising Coturnix Quail

Raising Quail in June

If you read my article on raising American Guinea Hogs, you know my husband and I were given a collection of farm animals as a wedding gift.  Seven Coturnix Quail (ages unknown) were part of that collection.

As acquiring them was unplanned, we did not have quail-specific housing.  We placed them in a huge (8 x 8 on-ground dimensions, 6 feet in height at the apex) arched poultry tractor with waterers and feeders. A tarp protected them from the rain.

I had read they liked grass, so the tractor was moved to an overgrown patch of land close to the house.  Within moments of releasing them into the tractor, they put their ground-dwelling and camouflage skills to use and disappeared into the tall grass and weeds.

The first few days they scurried away from me whenever I entered their hut, but after a few days they caught on that I was their food and water source.  From that day forward, as soon as they heard/saw me coming, they would make themselves visible.  They made a variety of little noises, including a loud “crowing’”  Their sheer cuteness and gentle demeanors won me over.

They were fed a blend of 24% protein chick starter, wild bird seed, and mealworms.  They also had access to any insects that crawled or flew in their area.  Water was always available.

Raising Coturnix Quail in July

This is when I began waiting for quail eggs.  Unsure of their sex—and being very confused at how to sex them—I simply waited.  I had only seen two of them “crowing” and mounting the others, so I assumed we had two males and five females.  All month, every day, I checked the grass for eggs.  All month, every day, there were no eggs.

A very dark and rainy month, I spent ample time hanging with them in their hut.  I was eager for eggs, but despite the lack thereof, I still enjoyed them.

By the end of the month, all the tall grass and weeds were matted down in their hut, giving them nowhere to hide.  We dug up patches of weeds and long grass from other parts of the property and transplanted them into the quail hut.  This made the quail very happy.

Raising Coturnix Quail in August

Needing the quail hut/poultry tractor for a heritage-hog maternity pen, we needed to move the quail.  Larry built them a smaller, movable tractor.  It was perfect.  I moved it every few days with the 4-wheeler to allow fresh grass and sunlight.  The sunlight was very sparse, however, as New England was still experiencing more than normal rainfall.  The movable tractor was covered much up the time.

After researching possible reasons why our quail were not laying, we decided that—due to rain and being covered—they probably were not getting enough light.  We learned they needed at least fourteen hours daily.  Sometimes up to eighteen hours if fourteen still wasn’t enough!  They were not getting even close to that in their current setup.

With so many other pressing projects needing attention on the homestead, I decided to wait until colder weather to move the quail to an above-ground brooder near a power source.  Once moved, a light could be placed inside.

Raising Coturnix Quail in September

Even though the lack of quail eggs was on my mind, I was still smitten with them.  So smitten, that even though I had not even tasted a quail egg (yet), I wanted more quail.  I joined an online buy/sell/trade poultry group in my area.  Within a couple of weeks, I had a potential swap set up.  A breeding pair of our young Bourbon Red turkeys would be exchanged for a batch of Coturnix quail.

The good news: by mid-September, I was the proud mama of sixteen six-week-old quail!  Larry built them their own movable tractor.  These newcomers were an assortment of colors and personalities.  Many ate right out of my hand.  Names were chosen for them.  I was even more crazy about quail.

The bad news:  an experienced quail breeder informed me why the seven other quail were not laying eggs, and why they would never lay eggs.  First off, he believed they were older, most likely nearing the end of their short two-year lives.  Second, they were all male.  Every single one.  Males.

Raising Coturnix Quail in October

We had twenty-three quail, two quail tractors, but still zero quail eggs.  The weather was still rainy but now had turned very cold at night. Due to a late turkey hatch, we only had one above-ground brooder I could allot to quail.  Larry had no time to build another one.  After much thought, I decided to say goodbye to the original seven male quail.

It was emotionally difficult to say goodbye to them, but as far as processing poultry—the easiest we had ever done.  They were cooked the next day.  They were delicious.  We now had three reasons to raise quail: for eggs, for a fun addition to the homestead, and meat.

The weather got even colder as the month progressed (single digits!), so the quail structure was moved into the basement—which maintained an average temperature of fifty degrees.   The sixteen remaining quail would now be indoors until spring.

Raising Coturnix Quail in November

Having them indoors was fun.  Between the quail, the dog, and our three new kittens, I would have more company this winter during storms and long, cold nights.

The wire floor of their house was lined with empty feed bags and topped with ample bedding straw.  Two small chick-waterers and three food bowls were placed inside.  Two bowls held food, while the third contained crushed, dried eggshells.

I had read that many people offered them dirt/sand to bathe in, but I decided to wait until I saw what kind of mess they made with the straw and food.  We kept the overhead light on in that basement room from approximately 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

After a week, there were still no eggs.  Were these all male, too?  The person who hatched these quail told me that he believed there to be two to four males and the rest female.  I believed him.  He had been hatching, breeding, and raising quail for a long time.  What was I doing wrong?

We left the light on for twelve hours to see if that helped.  I even added a string of holiday lights to their structure.  We waited.  Still no eggs.  Then Larry installed a light fixture inside the roof of their house and screwed in a 60-watt bulb.

Within three days it happened.  On November 12, I found the first quail egg!  That evening we found another one.  The remainder of that month we were blessed with many quail eggs.  I cooked with them and hardboiled them.  They were the perfect size for lunchboxes.  They were delicious!

We collected so many that I began thinking about incubating some eggs.  After reading they only took seventeen days to hatch, I was sold on the idea.

Raising Coturnix Quail in December

On December 3, we placed ten quail eggs in the Brinsea Mini II incubator. The correct temperature and humidity levels were programmed on the incubator.  As quail eggs are a quarter the size of most chicken eggs, some of the holders held two eggs.  Larry did not like this set-up, so he ordered a small egg insert.  It arrived four days later.  The quail eggs were transferred to it.  Then we waited.  As the incubator rotated the eggs itself every two hours, our only job was to add water to the external reservoir when needed.  Unlike other poultry we have hatched, lockdown came quick.  On December 16, the egg rotator was removed.

Four days later we woke up to rocking eggs.  Leaving for work that afternoon was difficult but probably a good thing, as I was checking on them hourly all morning.

After work, we expected to see baby quail, but they still hadn’t hatched.  However, the eggs rocked even harder when Larry talked to them, encouraging them to come out.

At 2:46 a.m. I awoke to the sound of peeps (the incubator was in the room next to the bedroom).  Our first quail had hatched!  Three of them.  By morning, an additional three hatched.  By lunch, three more (dark ones) graced us with their presence.  Only one more to go.

The darker-colored lunchtime babies concerned me.  Two of them had severe spraddle/splayed legs.  The third one had curled toes.  After they dried sufficiently in the incubator and were placed in the brooder, they were closely monitored.  Since their mobility was erratic, they were brought to food and water every one and a half to two hours.  They cried much of the time.

The splayed-leg chicks showed no noticeable improvements by dinner, so bandage leg-hobbles were affixed to both.  Attaching hobbles to baby quail is not an easy task; it was a lot harder than larger birds I have experience with.   The curled-toe chick was getting around, so no further measure was taken.

For twenty-four hours the splayed-leg quail cried, flailed, and appeared to weaken.  I made the decision to cull them the following morning at sunrise.  It was a difficult task, but I did it.

The seven baby quail in the brooder were fed 28% wild-game starter-crumble mixed with scrambled quail eggs.  An electrolyte/vitamin powder was added to their water.  Our new radiant heater worked very well.  It was kept at the lowest height.  They were energetic and fun to watch—zooming around the brooder—in and out of the radiant heater.  Egg Number Ten was still in the incubator.

After six days, Number Ten still did not hatch so we disposed of it.  Incubator sanitized and put away, we now focused on the new little flock of seven Coturnix Quail.

The babies were very aware of us and our whereabouts. They had really bonded with Larry.  Whenever he began talking (anywhere in the house) they would call out to him.  They would quiet when he responded.  When he interacted with them in their brooder, they went nuts.  Zooming around, hopping on top of the radiant heater to get closer to him, and peeping up a storm.  Larry was the official quail daddy.

The dark curled toe chick developed wry neck.  We gave it a blend of vitamin e oil, selenium, and electrolyte/vitamin water via an eyedropper.  We hoped for the best, but, sadly the poor little critter drowned in a half-inch of water.

Now we were left with six healthy baby quail.  By ten days they were growing their adult feathers, flying straight up (almost out of the brooder!), eating and drinking a lot, and outgrowing the box they were in.  It was time to move them to their next housing.  They would live inside until spring and then move outside with our other fourteen adult quail.

I already have plans in my head for a large, walk-in, screened quail-sanctuary outside.  I already have the sunniest spot picked out. I already know which quail I want to breed again.  I also know that I want to add jumbo quail to the mix.   I just need to wait until winter ends.  Then I can really go quail crazy!

Hatching Plans for Baby Poultry: A Hatching How-To

Surrogate Mother Hens

The post Quail Crazy: Raising Coturnix Quail on the Homestead appeared first on Homestead.org.

There are many kinds of incubators, but all will be either still air, without a fan; or forced air, with a fan.  The perfect internal temperature for the eggs is 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit.  It can fluctuate a little, but not much.  Embryos will die at 103°F.  With forced air, the temperature should be 99.5°F.  For still air, 102°F at the top of the eggs.  The temperature will vary; the top is warmer than the bottom.  The temperature inside the eggs would be very close to 99.5°F.

The bare basics, regardless of incubator type, are these:  You keep the eggs warm for 21 days.  The first 18, eggs need to be turned several times a day.  Humidity should be around 45-50%.  On day 18, stop turning them, increase the humidity to 55-60%, and wait for them to hatch.

The most common home-use incubators are Styrofoam.  I’ll use those for reference.  They’re available at farm supplies, big-box stores, and online.  Fan kits change still-air incubators to forced-air incubators.  This eliminates hot and cold spots, and reduces temperature variations.  If your incubator does not have a fan, you’ll also need to rearrange the eggs periodically.  This way, they all get moved in and out of warmer spots and cooler spots.  Hens do this all the time.  A little temperature fluctuation is fine, if none are too hot, and none get too cool for too long.

Turning the eggs keeps the embryos from sticking to the shell and becoming deformed or injured.  Automatic turners slowly tilt eggs from side to side, 24/7.  They’re essential if you can’t be home to tend the eggs.  Make sure larger eggs won’t hit anything (like the fan housing) as the turner changes position.

For hand-turning, lay the eggs on their sides, and roll them from one side to the other.  Mark one side of the egg with an “X”, the other with an “O”.  Place them with the “X” up, then when you turn them, put the side with the “O” up.  Turn at least 3 times a day, 5 is better.  You can turn more often, but not less.  Pick an odd number of turns per day.  That way, the side left up overnight will alternate each day.  Don’t crowd them, there should be a little space between eggs.

Another way is to put them in an egg carton (big end up, always) with the carton top removed.  Use carton top as a tray under the other part, so it’s more rigid.  Put a prop under one end so the eggs are tilted.  To turn them, move the prop to the other end so the eggs tip the other way.  This tilts the eggs almost as far as a turner.  Push the tops over toward the low side, so they tilt as far as possible.

Eggs won’t always stay the way you want them to on that wire screen that comes with the incubator.  They roll, and sometimes they won’t stay put with correct side up.  I put a layer of non-slip mesh shelf liner (this is optional) in the bottom.  You can bunch it up just a tiny bit next to an egg that wants to roll, to keep it in place.  It’s also a shock-absorbing surface, which helps protect the eggs if you drop one.  The thicker mesh, with larger holes, is best.  It provides better padding, and the larger holes provide better air flow.  Since I started using a turner, I don’t put mesh in until the last three days, when the turner’s been removed.  You need a draft-free place to put your incubator, out of direct sunlight, where the temperature is fairly stable, and it won’t be bumped or knocked over.

Incubators don’t use much power.  Mine uses 48 watts, including the fan kit.  Heat cycles by thermostat, so if the room is around 70-75 degrees, it won’t use much power to maintain 99.5F.  Turners draw only 3-5 watts.

If you want a back-up for outages, a car battery, kept charged by either a solar charger or a plug-in rickle charger, paired with an appropriate inverter, should keep it going through an outage.  Many home solar- or wind-power systems will support an incubator.

Make sure the incubator is clean.  If you bought a used one, it should be washed and sanitized before using, even if it looks clean.  Wash the bottom with warm, soapy water and rinse well.  A 10% chlorine bleach solution can be used to disinfect it.  The top is harder, with recessed areas and electrical parts.  “Canned air”, a rubber squeeze bulb, or a compressor with an air nozzle (not too much air pressure!), can remove dust and chick-down from the recesses in the lid.  The interior can be wiped down with a bleach solution, or hydrogen peroxide.  Don’t get the electrical parts wet.  Another way to disinfect the incubator after you’ve cleaned it, is to place it outside, open, with the interior sides up, in direct sunlight for a day.  Don’t do this when it’s windy, your incubator could be blown away.

Hatching Chicks With an Incubator

Put all the equipment you’re using in place, put the lid on and plug in the power, including the turner if you’re using one.  Place the thermometer/hygrometer where you can read it through one of the windows in the top of the incubator.

Let it run about 4 hours, and check the temperature.  If it goes above 99.5, turn the heat down very slightly, wait a few hours, and check again.  Don’t turn up the temperature control, unless it remains too low after 8 hours.  When the correct temperature is attained, wait at least 4 more hours before adding the eggs, to make sure it remains stable.

The exception to this timetable is when you’re trying to save a batch of eggs from an ill-fated broody, and time is critical.  In that case, you’ll just have keep your fingers crossed, and check often until you’re sure the temperature is stable.

When you add the eggs (which should be at room temperature), the temperature will drop.  That’s normal.  The eggs will take several hours to warm up.  Don’t increase the temperature.  It will return to the set temperature.  Incubator controls are notorious for being touchy.  It’s easy to cause a lethal temperature spike, with even a tiny adjustment.  It’s best not to turn up the control knob unless you can check it hourly for several hours, and never during the initial warming of the eggs.

Temperatures will drift slightly, (mostly less than 1/2 of a degree) due to changing room temperature, drafts from opening and closing the door to the room, from opening to turn eggs, and so on.  If your initial setup was done correctly, the temp will be 99.5 the majority of the time, and that’s fine.  However, if the temperature increases more than 1 degree above the correct range at any time during incubation, turn it down very slightly, remove the lid for about 5 minutes to cool it a bit, replace the lid, and check every half hour to make sure it doesn’t get too hot again, until you’re sure it’s stable.

Most incubators come with a spirit thermometer, (that’s the kind with the red fluid inside) stapled to a plastic card.  They sometimes slide in the staples, so you can’t tell what the temperature really is.  A way to solve this problem is to put a thermometer that you know to be accurate, side by side with the one that came with the incubator, and when you know what the temperature is, slide the questionable one so the readings match, then place a drop of glue under the bulb to stick it to the card in the proper position.  Whatever type of thermometer you choose, check the accuracy before you use it for incubating.

If you get a temperature increase above the safe range, not caused by adjusting the knob, you may have a defective thermostat.  If it’s a new incubator, contact the manufacturer, see if they’ll send you a replacement.

Remember that it takes longer for inside of the egg to warm up than it does the air, and that gives you a little wiggle room for adjustments.  If the temperature gets too high, don’t panic.  Adjust the temp, and carry on.  You may wish to candle in the next few days.  If you still see blood vessels, whether you can see movement or not, they’re ok.

Candling is simply shining a light through the egg, to see what’s inside.  I candle to select eggs with good shells, and periodically during incubation.  It’s optional, unless you’re using air cells to check humidity, which will be explained later.  It’s nice to know what’s going on with the eggs.

At 3-4 days, you can see an embryo.  It looks like a little dark blob, with blood vessels.   Often, you can see it moving.

Once in a while you won’t see the embryo that early, especially with very dark brown or green eggs.  Green eggs can be very hard to see into, sometimes harder than dark brown ones.

At 12 days, there’s a large dark area, mostly on one side of the egg.  You should still see veins, particularly near the air cell.  Remove any that aren’t developing.

At 18 days, you’ll see almost nothing but air cell and a big dark area.  This is good, because the egg is full of chick. You may see a small clear area at the small end, that’s normal.

This late, if unsure whether an egg is still alive, leave it in the incubator.  An egg you thought was a goner might surprise you and hatch.

At any stage, if there’s a bad smell, sniff out which egg and remove it immediately.  Put a plastic bag over it to pick it up, in case it breaks.

There are plugs for the top ventilation holes.  They restrict air flow.  This can increase the temperature and humidity, but it also decreases available oxygen.  Better to use the thermostat to adjust the temperature, get it right before you add the eggs.  Use water to increase humidity, if it needs to be increased at all.

Styrofoam incubators have molded bottom channels to pour water in, right through the screen.  Whether you need them depends on how humid it is where you live.  When I add water to mine, I put a jar lid in the incubator, with a square of new sponge in it, under one of the vent holes so I can drip water in with a dropper or a drinking straw. This is easier to control, and easier to remove if it gets too humid.

You don’t need to check humidity the first 24 hours.  Then, until the 18th day, the humidity should be between 45% and 55%.  For the last 3 days, just a little higher.  60% has worked well for me.  Some advise hatching at higher humidity, some lower.  My hatch rate has been better with this range of humidity.  The chicks shouldn’t stick to the shells, and should be damp when they hatch, not wet.

One way to monitor humidity is to periodically check the size of the air cells.  You can see them when you candle the eggs.  They start out smaller than a dime. By the time you stop turning the eggs on day eighteen, it should have grown to about 1/4 of the way down the egg.  The air cell won’t be straight across, it will be at a slant, as shown below:

The easiest way, though, to monitor the humidity is to use a hygrometer.  There are many available online.  Like thermometers, there can be problems with accuracy, so it’s good to test it.

You can test your hygrometer by placing it beside a teaspoon of damp table salt in a bottle cap.  It only takes a few drops of water, you just want damp salt, not a saline solution.  Don’t let them touch, salt can damage the hygrometer.  Seal the container, with some air trapped inside.  Let it sit at room temp overnight.  Check the reading without opening the container.  It should read 75%.  If it doesn’t, check the manufacturer’s instructions for adjusting the calibration.  Most have a small set screw on the back.

Because I live in a region where it’s humid in the summer, I normally use what’s known as dry hatching, which is incubating without adding water to the incubator.  In dry hatching, if the humidity is too high, you can lower it by increasing the air flow.  There’s a ridge all the way around on the Styrofoam incubators, between the top and bottom.  I place cotton swabs across the corners, up against the ridge.  This opens a small gap between the top and bottom.  It lets in more air, but not enough to drop the temperature.

The swabs lift the lid very slightly improving air flow and lowering humidity without chilling the eggs.

Day 18 arrives at last, you stop turning the eggs, or remove the turner if you’re using one, increase the humidity if needed, and now all you can do is wait.

On day 21, little holes appear in the shells, near the big end.  This is called pipping.  Next, the line pecked all the way around the top of the egg, is called zipping.  Then they will push their way out.  It’s best that you do not interfere with this process.  Too often, attempts to help the chick get out of the shell will result in a dead chick.  Sometimes they just aren’t quite ready to come out.  The yolk-sac may not be absorbed yet, there may still be an opening from the abdomen.  The umbilical vein may not have sealed off yet.  It can take 24 hours or more from pip to hatch.

Once the hatching starts, keep an eye on the humidity.  Lots of moisture is released when the chicks emerge, it can quickly become too humid.

When chicks have fully dried and fluffed out, are on their feet and scampering around easily, it’s time to move them to the brooder.  This can take several hours.  Typically, the first chicks out of their shells are ready for the brooder while others are still hatching.

Taking out the more active chicks can prevent losses in ones that hatch later, because the early chicks often start pecking at the ones that are still hatching, and may cause injuries.   At bedtime, some chicks may be hatched, but not ready for the brooder.  I cover the windows of the incubator to keep it darkened.  Then they’ll sleep most of the time, and won’t cause trouble before I get back to them.

Get a brooder box ready before they hatch.  A big plastic storage tub, with expandable metal screens over the top works well.  You may have something else around that you can use for a brooder.  They need a bottom liner you can take out and replace, something that gives them a little traction is best, it helps prevent leg injuries.  Old towels, t-shirts, something you don’t mind throwing away when you’re done.  They only need it a few days, just until their legs are a little stronger, then plain newspapers are fine.

The feed and water-trays that screw onto quart jars work well.  They’re cheap, easy to use and clean, safer and cleaner than open pans.

When moving chicks to the brooder, gently dip each chick’s beak in the water.  Don’t worry about the food, they’ll find it.  They are intensely curious and peck at everything.

They need a heat source.  I place one or two clamp-type lamps right on the metal screen.  Incandescent bulbs are getting harder to find, but there are non-light heat bulbs available (look in reptile accessories) at pet supply stores and online.  They need around 14 hours of light per day.  24-hour light is fine if that’s the heat source.

Put the heat source at one end, and the food and water at the other.  When they aren’t eating and drinking, they’ll gather under the heat, and sleep there.  That keeps the feeding area a little cleaner, and gives them a dryer sleeping area.

Let the chicks tell you how much heat they need.  If they move as far from the heat as they can, it’s too hot.  If they’re piled up, or huddled together, they’re too cold.  If they’re scattered more or less evenly, they’re just right.  Adjust the heat by raising or lowering the lamps, and by draping towels over the rest of the screen to hold more heat in.

You’ll need a place to move them before long, anytime from 3 days to a week, so they don’t get too crowded.  They’ll need heat for awhile, and they’ll soon need a larger feeder and waterer.  I have a section of my hen house where I can confine chicks until they no longer need the extra heat, and can join the rest of the flock.

Have fun, and enjoy your new chicks.  Be forewarned that hatching chicks in an incubator is addictive.  You may find yourself hatching chicks more often than you’d intended.

Hectic Heritage Turkey Hatching

Quail Crazy: Raising Coturnix Quail on the Homestead

The post Aaargh! My Hens Won’t Set for Me! (Hatching Chicks with an Incubator) appeared first on Homestead.org.

Hatching Different Species of Poultry

Although chickens are the most common species hatched at home, you may also incubate turkey, duck, goose, and other eggs. The basic instructions are the same, however, the days to hatch vary according to species.

Incubation Periods for Common Poultry Species

*Source – Storey’s Guide to Raising Poultry by Leonard S. Mercia

The following instructions are for hatching chicken eggs, with notes for hatching other species.

Broody Mamas

Some breeds are good mothers, while others have been bred for increased egg production. There is also a lot of variation between individuals of the same breed. Watch for a bird that sets on a nest all day and resists if you move her. She may be separated from the flock and given a clutch of eggs. A broody hen, turkey, or duck may also hatch eggs from other species, so you can give her whatever eggs you want hatched. Be sure to give her water and feed close by and a quiet place where the hatchlings will be protected from the rest of the flock. Be aware that turkey, duck and goose eggs are larger and take longer to hatch than chicken eggs, so a broody chicken can’t set on as many and she may lose interest before the hatch is complete.

If you don’t have a broody hen, or you want to raise large numbers of offspring, an incubator is a great way to hatch eggs.

Your Incubation Station

For most home hatching a desktop incubator is sufficient for your needs. They are small, inexpensive, and fairly reliable. However, if you wish to hatch large numbers of eggs, a cabinet incubator may be worth the expense. Cabinet incubators hold dozens of eggs or more, provide precise heat and humidity levels, and turn the eggs automatically. They are also quite expensive. For the do-it-yourselfer, there are heater kits for building your own incubator out of a cooler or other insulated container. For the purposes of this article, we will be using a desktop model.

Desktop Add-on Features:Desktop incubators generally have a wafer style ‘thermostat’ with a small lever for adjusting heat levels. This type is trickier to use than an incubator with an automatic thermostat, so this feature may be worth the expense. Forced air incubators have a fan that circulates the air for more even temperatures and increased hatch rates compared to still air incubators. You may also wish to purchase an automatic egg turner.

Incubation Instructions from Start to Hatch

Basic Hatching & Brooding Instruction List

• Place incubator in a safe place, out of temperature extremes
• Fill one humidity tray (check instructions)
• Replace wire shelf and lid (Set up automatic turner, if using)
• Plug in and adjust heat, allow temps to stabilize for at least 24 hours
• Mark eggs and place in incubator
• Mark important tasks on calendar
• Turn eggs an odd number of times each day, at least three times
• Candle eggs on day 7 – look for blood vessels & dark spot (embryo)
• Watch for temperature increases around day 10
• Candle eggs on day 14 – embryos should be moving
• Stop turning eggs 3 days before hatch/ remove automatic turner
• Fill both humidity trays 3 days before hatch
• Do not open incubator for the last 3 days, except to fill humidity trays
• Listen for peeping chicks up to 36 hours before hatch
• When chicks are fluffy, remove from incubator and place in brooder
• Teach them to eat and drink
• Keep brooder clean, change water daily
• Keep brooder temp at 95 degrees Fahrenheit for first week, decrease temp by 5 degrees each week until they are feathered out.

Setting Up Your Incubator

Choose your hatch location carefully. It takes 3 weeks or more to hatch a clutch of chicken eggs and it’s best if you don’t need to move them. The following conditions will provide the best hatching experience:

• 24/7 room temp should be in the 65 – 80 degree Fahrenheit range
• Position out of direct sunlight, away from drafts or heat ducts
• Protect from children and pets
• Clean incubator thoroughly
• Place incubator on a level surface

Check the incubator instructions before filling the humidity trays. There will be two or more trenches in the bottom of the incubator to hold water for proper humidity levels. Usually one trench is filled until the last three days of incubation, then another tray is filled to raise humidity levels for hatching. Too much or too little humidity can kill developing embryos. (For more accuracy, you may use a humidity sensor and keep levels between 50 – 60% relative humidity until the last 3 days of incubation, then increase levels to 90 – 95% relative humidity.)

Once the humidity tray is filled, put the wire shelf in place. If you are using an egg turner, set it up now. The thermometer should be situated level with the top of the eggs for the most accurate reading. Do not add eggs at this point!

Close the incubator, plug it in, leave it for several hours then check the temperature. If you are using a forced air incubator, the ideal temperature is 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit. For a still air incubator, increase temperature to 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit. To adjust temperatures, move the thermostat lever in small increments. Wait an hour before making further adjustments. Once the temperature is stable, leave the incubator running for at least 24 hours. When the temperature remains in the proper range, you may begin incubation.

Just Add Eggs

Select fertile eggs of normal size that are clean and free of cracks. Eggs may be stored at room temp, at a 35-degree angle for up to 10 days. Turn them an odd number of times each day to prevent the yolk from sticking to the inside of the shell. Do not wash or refrigerate eggs. Before placing them in the incubator, mark one side with an X and the other with an O to keep track when turning them. If you are using an automatic turner you will not need to mark the eggs, just place them large end up in the egg turner.

List of Important Tasks

Check Humidity Daily: It is very important to fill the humidity tray with warm water. If it dries out for too long the developing embryos may die.

Turning Eggs: Be sure to wash your hands before touching eggs. Neglecting to turn the eggs causes leg deformities and poor hatch rates. Turn the eggs an odd number of times, at least 3 times each day so that the same side of the egg is not facing up overnight. The yolk may stick to the inside of the shell and cause deformities.

Check Temperatures: Position thermometer so you can see it through the observation window or use a remote sensor to track the temperature.

Candle Eggs: It isn’t necessary to candle the eggs, but doing so will allow you to remove eggs that don’t develop an embryo or have a dead embryo. On day 7, the embryo will be a small dark spot and blood vessels will be visible. (On day 14, the embryo should be developed enough to see the legs moving, but will not fill the egg. Day 18 should reveal a dark mass filling the egg, except for the air space at the large end of the egg.)

Watch Temperatures on Day 10: The developing embryos begin producing their own body heat and this can cause temperatures to increase too much. Make very slight adjustments to the heater to keep temps as close to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit (100.5 F – still air incubator) as possible. The temperatures can increase or decrease by a degree without causing harm to the embryos, however, it is best to keep them as close as possible to the target. Sustained temperatures of 102 F or greater, or 97F or lower may harm the embryos. Temps that are too warm may lead to early hatch and temps that are too low may delay hatch.

Stop Turning Eggs, Increase Humidity: Three days before hatch, the chicks will move into place for piping and hatching. It’s important to stop turning the eggs and fill both humidity trays (check incubator instructions). Resist the urge to open the incubator after this, unless the humidity trays must be filled.

For the last three days of the hatch, keep both humidity trays filled by adding warm water. You should hear the chicks begin to peep for a day or two before they hatch.

Brooder Box:As you prepare for hatch day, get your brooder box ready for the new arrivals. (See below.)

Hatch Day!

You should see chicks piping through their shells today. Leave them alone and be content to watch through the observation window. Opening the incubator to remove chicks or help them hatch will chill them and lower the humidity, which could prevent them from piping through their shell.

When the chicks have all hatched and are dry and fluffy, gently remove them from the incubator and place them in the prepared brooder. If some eggs have not hatched by day 22, fill the humidity trays and replace the lid to see if they hatch in a day or two.

Caring for Your Newly Hatched Chicks

Feeding:Chicks hatch with enough yolk to sustain them for up to three days. However, it’s best to provide food and water as soon as they are active. Give them chick starter feed and clean water in shallow containers. Dip the tip of their beaks into the water to teach them to drink. Do not to dip up to their nostrils. For extra energy, mix electrolytes or a tablespoon of sugar into a quart of water. Do not give them honey as it can be contaminated with botulism spores.

Make sure feed is fresh and there are no signs of mold or a rancid scent. Nutritional content degrades over time, so don’t use old feed. Use a chick or game bird starter feed that has the proper protein content, vitamins and minerals. Give chicks a small dish of fine grit to help them digest their food.

Percentage of Necessary Protein in Starter Feeds by Species

*Meat chicks may be fed 20-24% protein.

Brooding: A brooder box can be as simple as a plastic storage container, or it can be constructed from plywood to house larger numbers of hatchlings. It is important that their brooder is large enough for the water and feed containers and for the chicks to find warm and cool spots. The sides should be high enough to prevent escape and a screen over the top will help contain and protect them.

The brooder box needs a source of heat to keep the chicks warm. This may be a 60 watt incandescent light bulb, or you may need a heat lamp if the room is cold. (Be especially careful to attach heat lamps properly to prevent fires.) Use a red light bulb to reduce stress and picking. The temperature in the brooder should be 95 degrees Fahrenheit for the first week. As they grow the temperature is decreased by 5 degrees each week until they are acclimated to room temperature or are fully feathered out. Watch for signs that they are chilled or overheated and adjust temperatures accordingly. Chicks that are too warm will gather as far from the heat source as possible and may pant. Chicks that are too cold will huddle under the heat source and may pile on top of each other to keep warm.

Protect the brooder from rats, pets, children, direct sunlight, drafts, and moisture. Do not use slippery materials to line the bottom of the brooder. Newspaper and other slick surfaces can cause spraddle leg, a condition that causes their legs to splay out. Paper towels provide better traction and make clean up easier. Pine chips (not cedar) can also be used, but are likely to end up in the water and feed dishes.

Check on chicks often!

What to Do if Chicks are Sick or Injured

Trouble Hatching: Chicks that struggle to hatch may have deformed legs due to improper turning. There is little you can do to provide a normal life for them and you will need to be more diligent turning your next hatch.If the humidity levels drop too low during the hatch, chicks will have trouble breaking through the shell. In this case, you may remove small bits of shell until the chick is able to finish hatching on its own. If blood vessels lining the shell break, put the egg back into the incubator with the opening facing up and give the chick time to hatch on its own. Make sure the humidity trays are filled.

Mushy Chick:If eggs are dirty or the hatchling is exposed to excessive humidity, a bacterial infection can cause the chick’s navel to get mushy and turn a dark color. This is called mushy chick, and is usually fatal. You may consult a bird vet for antibiotics. Prevention is much easier than treatment.

Stress:Some chicks have a harder time recovering from the stress of hatching. Feed them plain yogurt with a bit of mashed boiled egg to give them a boost. In a pinch, you can mix some chick starter feed with water and yogurt to make a thin gruel. Feed this mixture with an eyedropper by touching to the tip of the beak. Do not force food or water into the chick’s mouth or it could end up breathing the mixture and drowning.

Pasty Butt:Sometimes runny feces stick to the chick’s vent. Add electrolytes with probiotics to the water or feed plain yogurt. Gently remove feces with a warm, wet cloth, being careful not to tear skin.

Coccidiosis:This disease is caused by parasites and causes bloody stools. Feed them a medicated starter if they were not vaccinated for coccidiosis. Losses can be very high.

Injuries:Injuries may be caused by handling the chicks roughly or dropping them. Prevention is the best medicine, so teach children how to handle chicks properly and protect them from injury. Small cuts or abrasions may be treated with an antibiotic ointment that does not contain topical analgesics.

Start Your Home Hatchery

Purchasing an incubator and setting up a brooder box will require an initial investment, but the number of chicks you may hatch over the years is limited only by the time, energy, and number of fertile eggs you have. With a little luck and the willingness to learn, you can use these incubation instructions to increase the size of your flock, raise replacement layers, or sell young poultry from your homestead. Home hatching is a fun and rewarding project!

Lisa Lombardo is the owner of  The Self Sufficient HomeAcre.

Hectic Heritage Turkey Hatching

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So you’ve got hens and a rooster.  Now what?  Do you just leave them to their own devices, and sooner or later there will be chicks?  Some people do just that.  Sometimes it works out.  Sometimes it doesn’t.  Whether there will be a good outcome depends on a lot of variables, but there are some things you can do to increase the odds.

Make sure you have a broody type of chicken to begin with.  Poultry catalogs usually include this information in the descriptions of the breeds.  If the description says they are good mothers, or good brooders, or maybe just says “broody” somewhere in the description, that is probably one that will set for you.  Some of the best are Australorp, Brahma, Orpington, Cornish, and Buckeye, but there are many others that are good brooders.  If it says “non-broody”, or mentions the breed being terrific layers, with no mention at all of broodiness or motherly inclination, they probably don’t brood, or do very seldom.  Breeds unlikely to brood include Rhode Island Reds, Wyandottes, production layer breeds, and hybrids, such as Leghorns, sex-link layer breeds, and many others.  Bear in mind these are general tendencies, not absolutes.  There will be a few here and there that go outside the norm.  What you want are breeds that are the most likely to go broody, and therefore, make good surrogate mother hens down the road.

Once you have broody-type hens, you have to wait for one to get in the mood to brood.  There are many ideas about what will “make” a hen go broody.  A hormonal shift triggers broodiness.  Part of this is related to the weather.  Hens usually don’t brood in cold weather.  This makes perfect sense, because it is easier to keep chicks alive when the weather is warm, and food is abundant, and the water’s not frozen.  There are some hens who will brood any time of year, but they are, mercifully, an exception.

Some will go broody at the mere sight of a nest full of eggs.  Others go broody whether there are eggs in the nest or not.  You might want to try leaving a number of artificial eggs in a few nests, and see what happens.  They don’t have to be the beautiful, (and expensive) perfect ceramic eggs you can find in some farm supply stores or craft shops.  Craft supply stores often carry less expensive wooden eggs.  My dad used ping pong balls.  Golf balls work fine.  Plastic Easter eggs will work, too, but you may need to glue them shut so they don’t come apart in the nest.  I’ve seen hens try to hatch all manner of things that have even the slightest resemblance to an egg, and a few things that don’t.  Rocks.  Light bulbs.  I heard about a surrogate mother hen that tried to hatch a plastic dinosaur and a child’s action figure.

How do you know when a hen’s broody?  Observe, and she’ll tell you.  If she’s running around with the other hens, acting just like the rest, she is not broody; leave eggs in the nest, and more likely than not, they’ll be ignored.  But if you go to the coop late in the day, and a hen is still on the nest when everybody else has gone to roost, odds are good that she is broody.  Reach under her to check for eggs.  Did she growl at you?  Peck you?  Make dreadful distressed noises?  Fluff up and try to look fierce?  Leave her be and check the next day.  Still on the nest?  Does she go right back if you take her off the nest? Congratulations, you have a broody hen!  Time to get her some eggs; save up a clutch and place them under her all at one time.  This part is important.

Once a hen has gone broody, she will cease laying eggs.  She’s now in hatching mode.  Since they don’t tell you in advance that they’re going to get broody, you’ll have to get eggs from the other hens, or some other source, unless you already have a bunch saved up for her.  Gather eggs from the other hens.  Save the cleanest, best-looking eggs.  Look them over in normal light, and select eggs with clean, strong-looking shells.  Avoid odd shaped eggs, such as any that may be abnormally long and pointy, or those with lumpy, irregular shells.  Avoid very large or very small eggs, unless those are the norm for that breed.

Many people candle eggs when selecting them for hatching.  Candling is simply shining a light through the egg, so that you can see what’s inside, and check the condition of the shell.  It allows one to see that the air cell is in the center top of the big end, the shell is undamaged and good quality.  Shells that are too porous, cracked, or have thin spots, will show up easily.  Eggs with weak shells are likely to break under a hen.  You can buy an egg candling light, or make a candler, but a small flashlight will work just fine for this.

The egg on the left has a good, strong shell.  The shell is a fairly even thickness, no mottled or thin patches, no cracks.  In this photo, the top appears darker because of the placement of the light.  When turned other-end-up, the color shading looked the same.  A little variation is ok, just avoid obvious weak areas, as seen in the right.

The egg on the left has a weak shell.  The thin, overly porous shell is apparent by the amount of light that goes though, and the uneven, mottled looking areas near the top of the egg.

You may safely save eggs for hatching as long as 10 days, keeping the eggs between 45-70F.  Beyond 10 days, the hatch rate will begin to decline, and the chicks may not be as vigorous as they might be from fresher eggs.  If you need to hold them a little longer for some reason, try to keep them in the lower end of the temperature range while waiting.  Best not to refrigerate, but better too cool than too warm.  Eggs that have been refrigerated may have a slightly lower hatch rate, but lots of previously refrigerated eggs have been hatched successfully, so it’s not a hard and fast rule.  If you do chose to refrigerate eggs, (if you are in a hot climate with no air conditioning, that may be the best thing to do) make sure you allow them to come to room temperature before placing them under a hen.

Full-size hens can cover between 8 and 12 eggs, depending on the size of the hen and the size of the eggs.  A bantam hen may only be able to cover 4-6 eggs.  If you can see eggs sticking out from under the hen, there are too many.

Some of the problems you may encounter with broody hens are broken eggs, new eggs being laid in the nest by other hens, roosters harassing the hen on the nest (and breaking the eggs), and the hen becoming confused and climbing into the wrong nest, leaving her eggs to get cold.

All of this can be greatly reduced or avoided, by creating a separate, closed-off area for broody hens.  They’ll be left alone by the other hens, and the rooster(s) can’t get to them.  Ideally, each hen would have her own area, but if you can’t manage that, a space shared by broodies only is the next best thing.  I often do that myself, because sometimes I have an absurd number of broodies all at once, and I just don’t have the space to separate them all.  Instead, I have what I call the maternity ward.  It’s a small section of the coop separated by a wall consisting mostly of 2×4 frame with chicken wire over it, and a door.

If you have a separate area for your broodies, you can cover the floor with a deep layer of straw or other bedding, form depressions in the straw, and nest them right on the floor.  I like to have the nests in a tub or box of some sort, but that’s just my preference.  I have several tubs like the one shown below, that I can add or remove as needed.  I like these because I can put deep bedding in them, so the hens can’t scratch it aside down to a hard surface where the eggs will get broken.  You can use any sort of container for a nest, as long as it’s big enough for the hen to comfortably move around, deep enough to keep her from scratching to the bottom when re-arranging the bedding.  Any nest should be anchored or supported in some way that will prevent it being tipped over.  In this case, I drilled holes in the rim to put rope handles in, knotted on the underside of the rim, and attached it to that two-by-four with a bungee cord.  A couple of well-placed nails in the walls to anchor to would work just as well.

It’s best not to allow other hens to lay eggs in the broody nests.  They can step on eggs and break them.  The more hens there are squabbling over the nest, the more likely that some of the eggs will be broken.  Hens do like to group up and lay eggs in the same nest.  Another problem is that if hens are constantly adding new eggs, they won’t hatch all at once.  Furthermore, the hen will quickly run out of space for eggs.  She can only cover so many, after that, there will be eggs out in the cold.  She’ll rotate them, but if she has more than about a dozen—a few more or less depending on how big she is—they will not be kept warm enough.  Crowded eggs also cause more eggs to break.  It can quickly become a foul, reeking, gooey mess, with eggs at many stages of development, and others that have died and begun to decompose.

There are ways to avoid this even if you can’t separate the broodies and have to leave them among the general population.  First, simply mark the eggs before you set them under the hen.  I use a non-toxic permanent marker.  I draw a line all the way around the center of the egg, so I can see the line however the egg is turned, and put the starting date on the eggs.  In the event of any kind of mix up, you can sort them back into the correct nests.

I like to mark the eggs even if the hens are in the maternity ward.  Sometimes there’s a little swapping around.  I don’t know how on earth they manage it, but sometimes a hen will steal the eggs from another hen’s nest.  I’ve even mixed them up myself, for one reason or another.  The important thing is that if anything out of the ordinary occurs, and you’ve marked dates on the eggs, you can straighten it all out again.

Start each new broody hen’s eggs all at the same time; all of any one hen’s eggs should hatch as close to same time as possible.  That way the hen doesn’t have to leave unhatched eggs to die while she tends the new chicks.  If the eggs need more than about 24 hours to finish hatching, the stragglers will very likely be left behind.

If the hens are where others can lay eggs in the nest with them, you’ll need to pick up the broodies and check under them every day, and remove any new eggs that have been added.  They may peck you, but it’s seldom painful.  Most of them will get used to you picking them up to check the eggs, and stop fighting you once they figure out that you aren’t taking their eggs.

If you have a hen that turns out to be a little psycho, who tries to take your hand off when you reach into the nest, you may want to wear leather gloves.  I’ve had a few psycho-hens.  I put up with it, because they’re usually excellent mothers, extremely good at protecting the chicks. They’re just being good moms.

A broody hen will take a break once or twice a day during the incubation.  She may be off the nest as little as 10 minutes, or as long as an hour.  Don’t worry about her being off the nest.  The eggs are not harmed by this brief cooling period.  If it worries you, wait about an hour, and go back to check on her.  In the event that she’s not back on the nest, look in other nests; odds are she’ll be in the wrong one.  Pick her up and take her back to the correct nest, (check for new eggs first) turn her so she can see the eggs (make sure she sees them) and gently set her down.  She’ll probably climb back in with the eggs.  If she returns immediately to the wrong nest, try moving the eggs to her new location.  That will usually resolve the problem.

Never attempt to provide feed and water in the nest.  She needs to get off the nest to exercise, and while brooding, she only poops while off the nest.  Huge, smelly, broody-hen poops.  Trust me, you do not want her pooping in the nest.

It’s a good idea to mark the calendar with expected hatch dates, and which hen, (Dark Cornish eggs due, Buckeye eggs due, etc.) to make it easier know when to check for babies.  This also allows a chance to get your chick-feeding and watering equipment in place shortly before the eggs are due to hatch.  Make sure the water source is something they can reach, but not get into and drown.  I use a 1-gallon waterer, the kind with a screw-on base.  If the chicks are very small, I put pebbles or marbles in the waterer’s tray so they can’t get wedged into it and drown, or die of hypothermia.  Don’t worry about the chicks finding everything.  The hen will show them what to do.  That’s her job.  They’ll figure it all out.

On the hatch date, I leave them alone.  I check the next day, so the eggs have all had time to hatch if they’re going to, and the chicks have had time to dry and fluff out.  Chicks have a little yolk left when they hatch, absorbed into the abdomen, that they can live on for 2 or 3 days, so this is perfectly safe.  It’s what allows hatcheries to safely ship day-old chicks.

With deep nests, sometimes the chicks can’t get out on their own.  In that case, you’ll need to take them out of the nest, probably while the hen is attacking you, squawking and pecking.  She’s just doing her job, protecting the babies, and she’s sure you’re a dangerous predator.  Just scoop up the chicks, set them down on the floor, and put the hen down with them, and get out of her space, as quickly as you can.  She’ll probably be very agitated until she’s left alone with her chicks, but once you leave, she’ll quickly settle down to the business of caring for her brood.

If you don’t have a place to separate the broody from the rest of the flock, never fear.  It’s a bit riskier for the chicks, but it can still work out fine.  Hens have been raising chicks without our help ever since there have been hens and chicks.  There may have been a higher mortality rate, but enough made it for the species to survive.

The two biggest pitfalls of having the mom and new chicks out with all the other chickens, are chicks drowning in water pans or buckets; and chicks going outside with mom, and being unable to get back into the coop.  If there are steps that the new chicks can’t negotiate, a wide board you can place as a temporary ramp will solve the problem.  If you need a ramp or other aid to help chicks get back inside, be sure and check in the evenings to see that they made it back in.  Most of the time, if a chick is stuck outside, they’ll be cheeping in distress, making it easier to find and rescue the chicks.  You may have to do this daily for the first few days.

To prevent drowning, there are several waterers available for poultry that have a jug of some sort, upside down on an attached water tray.  Pebbles or marbles in the water tray will prevent chicks dying in it.  There are also nipple watering systems available, similar to what you would use for rabbits or other small animals.  You can also build your own, and save a few dollars.

The chicks need a higher protein feed than the adults, but it won’t hurt the adults to eat the same thing.  It is more expensive, however, which is another reason you may want to keep them separate at first.  The higher-protein chick-starter is fine for the mother hen.  The extra nutrition is good for her; it will help her gain back the weight she lost while brooding.

Surrogate mother hens are the best incubators you can get, and they are much better chick parents than humans can be.  Most hens will gladly hatch and parent other poultry species, too.  They don’t care, they mother them all.  While there are a few things that we need to do to help them out, for the most part, they’re pretty good at this.  Don’t be intimidated if you think your conditions are less than ideal.  You may have to use a little creativity to figure out what works best with your individual situation, but it’s really not all that difficult.  So go ahead, get some broody hens setting, and with some care and a little luck, you’ll soon have those satisfying, idyllic scenes to watch, in your very own yard.

Quail Crazy: Raising Coturnix Quail on the Homestead

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