Hatching

When will the chicks hatch?
Chicken eggs should hatch 21 days after they first start in an incubator. (Remember that your eggs have already been incubated for 14 days before you receive them!) Other bird species have different incubation times. For instance, duck eggs take 28 days to hatch; goose eggs take 30 days. The hatching process actually starts about day 18, when the chicks start to prepare to break out of the egg. That is why you stop turning the eggs on day 18, and try not to disturb them.

What happens during hatching?
On the 18th and 19th day, the chick positions itself with its head back and its beak toward the air sac. It absorbs the rest of the yolk into its body for use as food after hatching. On day 20, the chick pierces the membrane into the air chamber. The chick breathes air for the first time, and you may hear the chick peeping inside the egg. This is called pipping. On the 21st day, the chick begins to break out of the shell. Using its egg tooth, it first pecks a hole through the shell. Then it pecks a circle around the end of the egg. The chick twists its neck and pushes with its feet and breaks the shell open. Healthy chicks accomplish this in a few hours.

Our chicks looked dead when they hatched. Was that normal?
Hatching out of the egg is hard work. The newly hatched chicks will be wet and tired and will look weak and exhausted. They should dry out and begin to move around within a few hours.

When should I take the chicks out of the incubator?
When the chicks are dry and fluffy and able to walk around, you can gently remove them to the brooder box. Move them in pairs because they like company. They can stay in the incubator for a day, so don't be concerned if the chicks hatch overnight when you are not at the school.

Should I help the chicks out of the shell?
Healthy chicks are able to hatch out all by themselves. Weak or sick chicks may not survive the hatching process. However, it is best to just let nature take its course.

Most of the chicks hatched yesterday. Will more chicks hatch?
The chicks that are going to hatch should all hatch within a 24-hour period. Even though you saw many live embryos when you last candled the eggs, that does not mean that all those chicks will hatch. There are a lot of changes that happen in the last three days before hatching, so many embryos do not make it through this process. You can leave the unhatched eggs in the incubator for another day, but if there are no signs of hatching, those eggs will not hatch. If you are sure they will not be hatching, you may wish to open the egg as a learning experience to see where development stopped.

When do the chicks start to eat and drink?
Newly hatched chicks may not need to eat or drink for at least 24 hours. One of the last things the chick does inside the egg is absorb the remaining yolk sac, which provides nourishment the first few days after hatching. Baby chicks can remain in the incubator for up to 24 hours without food because of this. Do remember, however, to provide both food and water for the chicks in the brooder box.