A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (56 page)

Replace the nesting material with a thick layer of shavings

Keep the nest and run clean. Frequently move the coop to fresh ground, keeping it away from areas used by adult chickens and making sure it is sheltered from prevailing weather. Remember that many creatures (including squirrels, magpies, rats and crows) like to eat little chicks.

If you have had a hatch during a particularly cold spell, you may need to provide a heat lamp (preferably one that doesn’t produce light) at night.

Gradually change from chick crumbs to growers’ feed when the chicks are about six weeks old.

The hen usually stays with the chicks until they are around eight weeks old, then starts to lose interest. She may even peck at them. She can now return to the flock – watch out for any disputes. The chicks should stay in their run, although you may wish to separate the young cockerels.

Continue to monitor the youngsters throughout their development. They shouldn’t be introduced to the flock until they are old enough to hold their own and eat adult rations.

‘Who turned the lights on?’

First steps outside with Mum

Mum is still keeping a watchful eye

Using Artificial Incubation

With an incubator you can hatch eggs at any time and don’t have to wait until a broody hen is available. Artificial incubation isn’t new – the ancient Egyptians were experts.

Although electric incubators have made the process much easier than it was in ancient times, skill and judgement still play an important part. Even experienced breeders have to accept occasional disappointments.

Artificial incubation is better attempted when you have some experience with chickens as it not only involves hatching eggs but also raising chicks. For this reason, only a brief overview is included here. Whole books have been written about this subject and if it appeals to you it would be worth investing in a reliable guide (e.g.
Incubation: A Guide to Hatching and Rearin
g by Katie Thear).

Incubators come in a range of sizes – from those that take half a dozen eggs to huge models that will hatch hundreds.

Apart from providing warmth, an incubator regulates humidity and airflow. The basic types require a fair amount of effort from the operator, while more sophisticated models will do most of the work but are correspondingly more expensive.

With a manual incubator, the eggs have to be turned by hand a few times a day. Semi-automatic models allow you to turn the eggs from the outside, avoiding loss of heat and humidity. An automatic incubator takes care of turning the eggs but will still require daily checks to ensure all is well.

Some incubators are ‘still air’, meaning there is no fan to keep the temperature standardized throughout, so you will need to check for cold spots. ‘Forced air’ incubators have a fan to regulate temperature.

Choose an incubator from a reputable company, selecting one that is straightforward to use with clear instructions. It should be easy to maintain and clean – the incubator has to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before and after use.

Individual models differ so follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully. Outside conditions will affect the operation of the unit so install it somewhere dry, not too warm or cold, with no fluctuations of temperature. Run it for twenty-four hours and make sure it is functioning properly before adding the eggs. The recommended temperature for hatching is usually 37.5°C (99.5°F), but the setting may vary depending on the incubator.

Choose eggs for hatching as suggested previously. They must be clean. Many people wash them first – use water slightly warmer than the eggs, adding an incubator disinfectant.

In the warm, moist environment of the incubator, good hygiene is essential. Wash your hands (or put on disposable gloves) before touching incubating eggs.

Candling allows you to discard infertile eggs, which may go bad and contaminate the others. Don’t be tempted to add replacement eggs – the humidity will be wrong for them when the older ones reach the hatching stage and they are likely to be infected by bacteria produced by the hatching chicks.

Adjust humidity according to the instructions for your incubator, but as the British climate tends to be damp anyway, be careful about adding too much water. The egg needs to lose moisture during incubation and too high humidity will result in the embryos drowning in their shells.

Humidity is usually increased a few days before hatching – if it’s too low the shell membrane dries, making it impossible for the chick to break out.

Stop turning the eggs two or three days before hatching is due.

On top of its beak the chick has an ‘egg-tooth’, which falls off after hatching. It uses this to make a small hole in the shell (‘pipping’). It then slowly enlarges the hole and struggles out of the shell.

Don’t open the incubator during hatching as this will result in loss of humidity – helping chicks out of their shells can tear the attached blood vessels.

Leave the chicks for twenty-four hours to become dry and fluffy, then move them to the brooder.

Eggs hatching in an incubator

The chicks need a protected environment and a heat lamp. You can buy a purpose-made brooder or use a large, deep box. The brooder must be warm, draught-free and spacious enough to accommodate the chicks comfortably as they grow bigger. If you have inquisitive pets, cover the top with a piece of mesh and make sure the chicks are safe from rats.

A heat lamp with an infrared bulb provides heat without too much light – bright bulbs can cause stress-related problems. There should be a wire guard to protect the chicks from the hot bulb. A ceramic heat lamp doesn’t give off light, allowing the chicks to rest naturally at night, but there is no obvious sign if it stops working. Loss of heat quickly causes casualties so always keep a spare bulb handy.

Suspend the lamp over one end of the brooder so that there is space for the chicks to move away from the heat. You must be able to raise and lower the lamp easily (to reduce or increase heat). Make certain the lamp is securely fastened and isn’t close enough to the bedding or the brooder to start a fire!

Check the heat under the lamp is at 35°C (95°F) before transferring the chicks. The temperature should then be reduced by two or three degrees each week until the chicks are fully feathered and no longer need extra warmth.

The ideal temperature is easily gauged by watching the chicks – too hot
and they will spread out away from the lamp; too cold and they will huddle underneath it, cheeping loudly.