As you raise chicken, you will come across the need to learn how to hatch chicken eggs. This is where an incubator can help you. However, purchasing an incubator is not something that everyone can do. You will have to spend a considerable amount of money out of your pocket for the purchase of the incubator. That’s where you may think how to hatch chicken eggs with a heat lamp.
Make sure to use a good heat lamp.
Is it safe to hatch chicken with a heat lamp?
Yes, it is totally safe to hatch chicken eggs with a heat lamp. The overall process will take 21 days. The results that you can get are quite similar to natural methods. Hence, you don’t have to think twice before you come up with the decision to hatch chicken eggs with a lamp. However, it is still important to have a clear understanding of the steps to follow as you try to hatch chicken with a lamp. Then you can end up getting expected results at the end of the day.
Steps to hatch chicken eggs with a heat lamp
Let’s now take a look at the steps that you should follow to hatch chicken eggs with a heat lamp. All you have to do is to understand these steps and follow them so that you can end up getting the results you want. How to hatch chicken eggs with a heat lamp.
1. Select the most appropriate eggs for hatching
How to hatch chicken eggs with a heat lamp. Hatching eggs that are no more than 10 days old, and eggs that are no more than 7 days old are preferable. If you’re unsure about a batch of eggs and want to test them, gently submerge the egg in water and perform an egg float test.
Store eggs at room temperature if you’re storing them for a few days before placing them in the incubator. I put the pointed side down in an old egg carton. This is to keep the air bubble at the fat end from bursting. I’ll get to that later.
Do not store them in the refrigerator. Before hatching, bring them back to room temperature. In your incubator, only use unbroken eggs. Candling them before putting them in the incubator will ensure they are free of fractures. If you’re wondering how to hatch grocery store eggs, you won’t be able to since they’re not viable. If you don’t have any hens or a rooster, you can go on Craigslist to see if someone in your area is selling hatching eggs.
2. Maintain a temperature between 100° to 102°
How to hatch chicken eggs with a heat lamp, temperature. You will need to maintain a temperature of 100° and 102°, and in a forced air incubator, maintain a temperature of 99-99.5°. The temperature within the egg should be kept as near to 99.5° as feasible. Because you can’t take the temperature within the egg, the most you can do is keep the temperature outside the egg slightly higher.
3. Maintain appropriate humidity levels
Maintain a humidity level of 40-50 percent from days 1 to 18, then raise to 50-60 percent from days 18 to 21. Humidity is critical, particularly in the latter days of hatching. If the humidity is too low, your chicks may get “shrink-wrapped” and unable to break free from the egg. Nobody wants to be all excited for hatch day just to have fewer eggs hatch because the babies died.
In the incubator, you can maintain a digital thermometer that measures both temperature and humidity. It’s truly saved my life and prevented me from guessing. Instead, of adjusting the dial, I try to control the temperature by opening and shutting the vents. It’s a more gradual and subtle shift.
4. Flipping the eggs
From days 1 to 18, flip your eggs at least three times a day, then don’t turn them at all on days 18 and 21. It’s critical for embryo development to turn your eggs an odd number of times each day. A hen continually rotates her eggs in the wild. After day 18, don’t flip your eggs; instead, let the chick orient itself in order to crack the shell and hatch.
The chick “pips” (breaks) into that air bubble as it is born, then pips into the outside world. Keep the incubator shut (we call this “lockdown”) and only unlock it when absolutely required to assist the chick hatch.
5. Start candling the eggs
Starting on day 7, start candling your eggs with an egg candler. If your eggs are darker, you may need to wait till day 10, but you should surely light them at some time. Candling an egg simply involves shining a light through it to see what’s within. Veins should appear, and a woman should finally move in.
If on day 10, you can only see the yolk and the remainder of the egg is transparent, the egg was either infertile or the embryo never formed. It is necessary to remove any eggs that do not mature. Make sure you buy a good egg candler. It is easier to canle the eggs in a dark room. Than you can see better if the eggs are transparent.
6. Transferring chicken to the brooder
Transfer the chicks to the brooder once they’ve been hatched. Congrats! You’ve made it to day 21 and are now the proud parent of baby chickens. Chicks can be kept in the incubator for up to three days. Make sure your brooder is at least 95° when you move them to it. It is a good idea to normally maintain mine between 95 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Read here about the best chick brooder heater.
You can have a thermometer in the brooder since newborn chicks have a harder difficulty regulating their own temperature. We have straw on hand, so I put it in my brooder. Some people use wood chips; if you do, make sure they’re bigger so the chicks don’t consume the finer shavings.
Final words
How to hatch chicken eggs with a heat lamp. Now you have a good understanding of the steps to follow as you try to hatch chicken eggs with a heat lamp. Adhere to these steps and you can raise healthy chicken without a problem. Any person can follow these steps and learn how to hatch eggs with just a heat lamp.
