The Black Cherry Azalea

Incubating your own chicken eggs can be incredibly rewarding and heartbreaking. I started incubating at the beginning of 2020. My first hatch only resulted in two chicks. That was so disappointing, but I was happy for those two. Every year since I try to hatch at least one batch in hopes of getting better. This year is no different.

Why do I hatch each year? I hatch each year to ensure that I always have an egg layer laying. Chickens that are over a year old molt in the fall and early winter. Sometimes mid-winter. During that time they stop laying eggs in order to focus on growing new feathers. Funnily, each year I get more roosters then I expected and I remind myself that God must think I need meat. Sometimes I retire the older roosters and keep the younger ones if they prove to be nice, stay with the hens and don’t end up roosting outside the coop at night.

This year I am re-trying the Stacker Hatcher method developed by Shannon Tison. You can find her on Facebook if you want to explore this method. The principle is to fill the entire incubator by stacking eggs on top of eggs; staggering the hatch, by putting eight eggs in each day until full. No turning of the eggs. Just maintaining the humidity at 30% and temperature at 99.5 F.

Now the incubator I am using is an NR360 and it does work fabulously, except the sensor for the temperature and humidity is off. Which is why I believe I have had such poor hatch rates. Because of that I purchased the Govee thermometer/hygrometer. I have re-calibrated the incubators’ thermostat to the point where the Govee reads around 99.5+F. Currently the incubator is set at 101F.

I don’t know if I will hatch successfully this year due to adjusting the temperature and getting a second read on the humidity. If by the time they hatch and I have a nearly 100% hatch rate, I will know then that the incubator needed re-calibration. I would be so happy! My mom would be so happy.

She would be so happy because she wanted me to hatch out eggs this year for her as well. It will be her first time owning her own chickens. She hung out with me as we candled the eggs and ended up with 11 duds out of 34. Over a third of the eggs were impossible to see because the shell was so thick. This spring she wants me to help her build her own chicken tractor that she can move around the yard. Also the grand-babies will get to see the chickens whenever they come over.

I added an additional 16 eggs, meaning I will have chicks hatching a week apart. This also brings the total to 39 eggs. On day 15 I will candle for the last time; cross your fingers that the eggs continue developing.

Soon I will be sure to show you the chicks and what I do once they hatch.

This year I am re-trying the stacker hatcher method developed by Shannon Tison. The principle is to fill the entire incubator by stacking eggs on top of eggs; staggering the hatch, by putting eight eggs in each day until full. No turning of the eggs. Just maintaining the humidity at 30% and temperature at 99.5 F.

Now the incubator I am using is an NR360 and it does work fabulously, except the sensor for the temperature and humidity is off. Which is why I believe I have had such poor hatch rates. This year I purchased the Govee thermometer/hygrometer. I have re-calibrated the incubators’ thermostat to the point where the Govee reads around 99.5+F. Currently the incubator is set at 101F.

I don’t know if I will hatch successfully this year due to adjusting the temperature and getting a second read on the humidity. If by the time they hatch and I have a nearly 100% hatch rate, I will know then that the incubator need re-calibration. I would be so happy! My mom would be so happy.

My mom wanted me to hatch out eggs this year for her as well. It will be her first time owning her own chickens. She hung out with me as we candled the eggs and ended up with 11 duds out of 34. Over a third of the eggs were impossible to see because the shell was so thick. This spring she wants me to help her build her own chicken tractor that she can move around the yard. Also the grand-babies will get to see the chickens whenever they come over.