A stable temperature range is therefore crucial. The thermometer needs to hovers around just about 100 degrees F, and to remain there all through the incubation period, which can take nearly three quarters or more of an entire month. However, there are other aspects to look at as well. Humidity is another factor that can affect the well being of the eggs, and here again, too much or too little can result in a completely failed hatching, with a great many eggs not hatching, and those hatchlings that do manage to make it through will be sickly and unlikely to survive. This is the sort of situation that spells 'loss' to the owner of a hatchery, and you want to avoid this sort of disastrous situation at any cost.

Humidity levels need to hover around sixty percent or slightly below that all through the incubation process, at least until the eggs are hatched. Once the eggs are hatched, allowing the humidity to climb five degrees can help ensure the survival of the newborn chicks. These are all factors that can affect the success of your efforts. While the eggs are in the incubator, you need to keep turning them regularly. Make sure that you turn them halfway over at least 4 times in each twenty four hour cycle. This will maintain the standard warmth that maximizes growth within the eggs. Of course these are all things that a mother hen does naturally, but if you are to duplicate the same growing environment, these are things that you will have to do as well.

Remember when you do this that you have to become increasingly cautious when the day for hatching approaches. You need to stop turning the eggs about three days before that day. Always lay the eggs on their -side', never, ever with the small end of the egg upwards. This will maximize survival of the eggs you put in for incubation hatching.


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