How to hatch chicken eggs

How to Hatch Chicken Eggs: From Egg to Fluff in 21 Days

There’s something truly magical about watching a baby chick hatch. Whether you're hatching eggs for the first time or teaching your kids about life cycles, it's a beautiful process that starts with just one little egg and a whole lot of patience.

As a proud chicken mama and mini-farmer, I’ve hatched more than a few feathered friends in my time—and I’m here to help walk you through the process!

🥚 What You’ll Need to Hatch Eggs
There are two main ways to hatch eggs:

With a broody hen (nature’s way)

With an incubator (great for consistency and control)

This guide will focus on using an incubator, since it's the most common (and beginner-friendly) method.

📋 Supplies Checklist
Fertile eggs (from your own flock or a trusted farm)

Reliable incubator with temperature & humidity controls

Egg candler or flashlight (for checking development)

Patience… lots of it 😉

🔥 Step 1: Set Up Your Incubator
Temperature: 99.5°F (for forced-air incubators) or 101.5°F (for still-air)

Humidity: 40–50% for days 1–17; increase to 65–70% for hatch days

Turner: Automatic egg turner is ideal, but you can turn manually (3–5 times/day)

Let the incubator run for 24 hours before adding eggs to ensure it’s stable and ready.

🐣 Step 2: Add Fertile Eggs
Place the eggs pointy side down (air sac up) and space them evenly. If you’re turning by hand, mark each egg with an X and O so you know which side is which.

Start the countdown—chicks take 21 days to hatch!

🔄 Step 3: Turn Daily (Until Day 18)
Turn the eggs at least 3 times a day to keep the embryos from sticking to the shell.
Stop turning after day 18—this is called “lockdown.”

💡 Step 4: Candle the Eggs
At around day 7 and day 14, you can candle the eggs using a bright flashlight in a dark room. You should see veins and a developing embryo (or a dark blob). This helps you identify any infertile or non-developing eggs so they can be removed.

🐥 Step 5: Lockdown (Days 18–21)
Stop turning the eggs

Increase humidity to 65–70%

Don’t open the incubator unless absolutely necessary

You may hear tiny peeps from inside the shell before hatch day—this is called “internal pipping.” It means the chick is getting ready!

🎉 Step 6: Hatch Day!
On or around day 21, the real excitement begins. You may see a little crack or "pip" appear, then a small hole, and finally the chick will work its way out of the shell.

Important: Do not help chicks hatch unless absolutely necessary. It can do more harm than good. Give them time. Some take hours!

Once hatched:

Leave them in the incubator until they’re dry and fluffy (usually 8–12 hours)

Then move to a warm, dry brooder with heat, food, and water

❤️ Hatching Tips from a Chicken Mama
Only hatch clean, room-temperature, unwashed eggs

Don’t open the incubator during hatch—it drops humidity and can shrink-wrap chicks

Label your eggs if mixing breeds

Expect about a 70–80% hatch rate if conditions are right

🧺 After the Hatch: What’s Next?
Time to move those little fluff balls to a brooder! Keep them warm (around 95°F the first week), give them chick starter crumble, fresh water, and lots of love.

And yes, it’s okay if you name them all (I do 🥰).

🐓 Final Thoughts: From Egg to Adventure
Hatching eggs is one of the most rewarding parts of homesteading and chicken keeping. Whether you're doing it for fun, education, or to grow your flock, it’s a journey full of wonder—and a few nerve-wracking moments.

Need fertile eggs, help choosing an incubator, or want to see a hatch in real-time? Stop by the farm or shoot me a message—I’d love to share the fluffy joy with you.