Have you ever wondered how long it takes for the eggs to hatch. Whether you leave them naturally incubated or egg incubator, typically 21 days is the most accurate. But also depending on the species of animal eggs. Join us to learn through the article below.
How long does it take a chicken egg to hatch?
If
you're new to keeping chickens, or if you're thinking about starting a
flock, then you'll no doubt want to find out everything you can about
these amazing creatures. Not only will a flock of chickens supply you
with gorgeously fresh eggs, but you will also have the opportunity to
taste what real chicken tastes like, depending of course on your reasons
for keeping chickens in the first place. A common misconception between
people is that you need a rooster in order to get eggs, but of course
this is simply not true. You only need a rooster if you want fertilized
chicken eggs.
Can you tell if an egg is fertile?
Yes,
but only if you break it open. People who are in the habit of hatching
fertilized chicken eggs will usually pick one or two eggs at random and
then break them open carefully so that they can inspect the yolks. With
an infertile egg, you'll notice a small white/grey dot somewhere on the
yolk, but with a fertile egg, there will be a darkish circle around the
dot, which to a great extent resembles a bull's eye. By checking a few
eggs, you can get a reasonably good idea as to whether or not most of
your chicken eggs are fertile.
Candling fertile chicken eggs during incubation
Once
fertilized chicken eggs have been under a brooding hen or in an
incubator for a period of about three or four days, you can candle the
eggs to see if they've started developing. To do this, you can use the
cardboard role that you find in the center of toilet tissue. Simply
place the egg on one end and then shine a powerful light in through the
other end. Of course this needs to be done in a dark room or in a closet
in order for you to see anything. If the eggs are in fact developing,
you should at this point begin to see veining, and if you candle the
eggs later on in their development you'll even be able to see the baby
chicken forming inside the egg. If by day seven you don't see any signs
of development, you should consider throwing the eggs out, particularly
if you're using an incubator. Eggs that don't develop can explode if you
leave them in the incubator, and not only do they make a terrible mess,
but the smell is unbearable as well.
Most
people who keep chickens want a rooster so that they can get fertilized
chicken eggs to hatch, and you can be rest assured that once you've had
your first batch of eggs hatch, you'll to be thoroughly hooked. So, how
long does it take for fertilized chicken eggs to hatch? The answer to
that is 21 days exactly, although you need to bear in mind that this can
vary, depending on a number of circumstances. Generally speaking
however, fertile chicken eggs which are hatched out by a hen will take
21 days before you see little faces staring at you from underneath their
mamma's wings.
If
on the other hand you use an incubator in order to hatch fertilized
chicken eggs, they can sometimes hatch a day or two early, or they can
also hatch out a few days late. Things like humidity and temperature
play a significant role. For example, if the temperature is even a
little bit higher than what it should be, you will sometimes have eggs
starting to hatch on day nineteen or on day twenty. If for some reason
the temperature has dropped below the correct temperature on a few
occasions, you could find some of your eggs only hatching on day 22, 23,
or even on day 24 or 25.
Whereas fertilized chicken eggs usually take exactly 21 days to hatch, most duck eggs take 28 days, apart from Muscovy ducks. As a general rule of thumb, the eggs of Muscovy ducks take 35 days, but once again, it can vary slightly depending on conditions.
Hatching
out fertilized chicken eggs can be extremely rewarding, and the biggest
problem flock owners tend to have is that they end up with far more
chickens than they had originally planned to have.