Hatching Our Own Chicks, for Homestead Sunday #15

Welcome to Homestead Sunday, where we share what we have learned, what we do on a regular basis, and what projects we are building, rebuilding or working on. Who are we? We are a three generation family living on six acres in South Eastern Texas. 

And while we have only been in Texas a short time, we have had the homestead mentality and lifestyle for quite a few years. Starting out with our time living in Montana. And, although we are not experts in any way, I hope that what we share with you with this series is helpful, as well as inspirational for you and your own homestead journey. Or even with your own home and yard in the suburbs. Because to homestead is an much an action as it is a lifestyle.

We have a neighbor down our country road who loves birds! 

She has a special compound and fencing set up on her property that keeps all the birds she loves and lives with, predator safe. She is also the first to offer eggs for your own kitchen or for the hatching, should you want to take on that homestead chore. She currently has chickens, Guinea fowl, turkeys and an Ostridge! Here recently she acquired a couple of donkeys because they are a wonderful alarm when predators come around. 

She dropped by one day offering eggs for my kitchen 

and we got to talking about hatching my own chicks as a way to keep our flock large enough to provide enough eggs for our two families. Last year each of our properties took quite a hit from predators, around her that includes fox, coyote, wild dogs and for some properties feral hogs. And before I could say, maybe I should give this a try, we were gathering up her equipment and a few more eggs from her yard and I was deep diving into egg hatching! And just like that, we became another homestead family who now hatches their own flock...

We had some of what we needed because we had purchased 

wee baby chicks and raised them while living in Montana. But our large brooder box was left behind in the move. However we did have a large water tank that would be perfect to convert to a Brooder Box, so after gathering up some scraps my husband came up with this topper for the water tank. It keeps them safe and makes it easy to clean up after the little chicks, plus we can see inside to make sure everything is A-OK. 

The basic shape for the top was cut from a piece of siding that was left from a previous project. I had requested a hinged opening for easy access. 

The hinged lid covered with chicken wire was assembled and affixed to the top. 

Scraps of garden hose was put on the bottom as bumpers so the top would stay in place and not slide off. 

In place on the water tank, looking into the tank from above. 

And completed. There is a small port drilled into the frame so that the electrical cord for the platform heater can be plugged in. 

While we had these supplies on had, once we knew we wanted to take this task on we did purchase our own incubator, heat platform and a tent. A tent? 

Turns out with a modern incubator hatching chicks is mostly fool proof. Do purchase one that has a large enough water reservoir to hold the water necessary to keep the humidity at the proper level. leaving you free from having to worry about water levels, and humidity. In addition you will want a countdown timer on your incubator. More as a reminder for you, the eggs already know what to do. 

In the past we used a heat lamp. But were fortunate to be able to use a heating platform on our first go round. And just let me say, purchase a heating platform! From the chicks point of view it is perfect (just like mom) and you don't have to monitor it very much at all. 

Once the hatching begins it goes quickly! We went from 0 to 15 chicks in two days! These were field run eggs, but when you have a rooster you can pretty much bet, each egg is a fertilized egg. 

How about a little terminology?

Left: the bump on the egg is where the chicken is poking a hole to breath oxygen and begin breaking out of the shell. That bump is referred to as "pipped".

Middle: the chick is using it's beak to cut a slit in the shell. This is referred to as "zipped". Once the shell has been pipped and zipped, the hatching should be done within 24 hours. 

Right: this little chick is tired, but eager to walk around and dry out. They hatch while still wet with amniotic fluid. They should receive 24 hours in the incubator or until they dry out before being moved to the brooder box. Sometimes the incubator gets a bit crowded!

But wait, what was the tent for? 

Our first hatching when we used the neighbor's equipment were still in the Brooder box when it was time to clean it out in anticipation of the second batch of chicks due to hatch. My daughter saw a video on IG where the folks used a 6ft by 6ft tent as a holding pen for the larger chicks, that were too big for the brooder box, but too small for the outdoor chicken run. 

I put down a double layer of cardboard for insulation from the cooler concrete floor and we set it up over the cardboard. It was outfitted with a layer of wood chips, a water dispenser and a large bowl of chick starter crumbles. The only thing I will do differently in the future is also put a layer of cardboard inside, because all those little claw feet will go through that tent bottom very quickly!

And I have to say, it works like a charm! Once the first hatching group is ready to go out to the chicken yard, we will need to move hatching batch number two, into the tent!

What do I think about hatching our own baby chicks? I actually have really enjoyed it! Who knows, maybe this could be a little side line for homestead income...

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