How to Hatch Out Chicken Eggs With a Setting Hen

Choose the right time to set things up. If the hen house where the hen will incubate the eggs is unheated, it is important to wait till the weather warms before hatching eggs. Baby chicks and hatching eggs cannot take any cold or very much excessive heat, so plan to do this at the right time of the year. Wait until nighttime temps stay above the mid-60s and before daily highs stay in the upper 90s. The cold is more dangerous than the heat, but waiting too late in the season may mean the baby chicks won't be old enough to ride out the next winter unless they are in a heated hen house.

Create a place for the hen to set the eggs. She will need a secure nestbox in a dry area out of the wind that the other hens cannot get into and that is easy to clean and disinfect. A good nestbox is about 18 inches square, 1 foot deep, and 3 feet off the ground. It will be easier to guard against ants and predators. A sectioned off area of a nestbox in the hen house can be used as long as it can be opened when needed, and you can keep the other hens out. The hen will be happier if she is still near the rest of the flock and not put in a strange place.

Watch for a hen to want to set. She will get broody and want to stay on the nest, and she will puff herself up and cluck when off the nest. Be sure the hen is even tempered and willing to be handled by people. You don't want her so skittish that she runs away and abandons her nest. A larger hen means more eggs can be placed under her, but small banty hens can make some of the best mothers. If more than one hen in the flock gets broody, decide on one to be the chicken incubator of the eggs and use the other as a fallback.

If there is room, set up the second hen with some fake plastic or wooden eggs and let her set on them while the first hen is incubating the real eggs. If something happens to the first hen the eggs can be given to the second hen to finish the hatching. Unless there are separate chicken pens for them to raise their chicks, don't set more than one hen at a time. The hens are very territorial and will fight and kill each other's baby chicks.

Collect eggs for hatching or buy fertile eggs. If there is a rooster in the flock, then eggs the hens produce can be used, or fertile hatching eggs can be bought from a chicken hatchery or online. Regular store bought eggs are not fertile. Collect the eggs over a period of about a week and pick eggs that are clean, hard shelled, medium sized and have not been refrigerated. Do not wash the eggs, just brush any dirt off them and store them at room temperature. A large hen can set 20 eggs, but don't give her more than she can cover.

Clean and disinfect the nestbox with a mild cleaner and let it air out before filling it with fresh straw. Mark one side of each of the eggs with a pencil to be able to tell if they are being turned each day by the hen or for doing it manually. Place the eggs in the nestbox and let the hen walk over to them and settle herself down. Don't give her food or water in the box. Food will only attract rodents and ants and she may get the eggs wet causing them to cool. See that she can cover all the eggs, if not remove some of them.

Be aware of some problems that may have to be faced. If any of the eggs crack get rid of them immediately. If an egg breaks, it is imperative to clean any dirtied eggs, the nestbox, and the hen of any egg material or it will cause the other eggs to go bad. This where a second setting hen can come in handy. Place any clean eggs under the second fallback hen while cleaning the dirty ones and everything else. Clean the hen first, use warm water and mild dish detergent on her breast feathers. Be sure she is rinsed off well and totally dry. It is important to work quickly so the dirty eggs don't cool. Wash them in warm water only, dry carefully, and place under a hen as soon as possible. Next replace the straw and clean the nestbox if needed. Put all the eggs back and let the hen take over. Another problem is if another hen gets in nest. They may fight and break several eggs. She may also lay new eggs and this is where the pencil marks made earlier will come in handy. If the hen gives up and won't stay on the nest(very rare) and there is no fallback hen, there is nothing that can be done unless it is only a day or so before the hatching date. If this is so, then it may be possible to place a light over the eggs and finish the hatching. Keep a thermometer on top of the eggs and don't let the temperature get above 103 degrees. If it will be longer before they hatch, a light for warmth will not be enough, because the humidity has to be just right also. The eggs do not have to be turned after the 18th day. A local farmers co-op may have a commercial incubator that can be bought to finish the hatching with.

Mark a calendar for the 21 days it will take for the eggs to hatch even though it usually takes a day or two longer because they first have to come up to the right temperature before starting to develop chicks.

Let the hen stay on the eggs for two or three days without taking her off. Check on her twice a day to look for broken eggs or other problems. After the first few days take her off when checking the eggs and give her food and water. She may peck, so watch those hands and don't be alarmed about her large stinky droppings. They are normal so just have a shovel nearby to get rid of them. She can stay off the nest for 15 to 20 minutes without danger of the eggs cooling. Don't scare her or get her excited and after a few days she will come to you rather then having to be chased to be put back on the nest. Let her walk onto the nest and settle down.

Check the eggs each day to be sure they are turned, if they aren't, the embryo will stick to the side of the shell and die. If the nest is off the ground spray beneath it to control ants and dust the hen with 5 percent sevin to control mites if she has them. After the first two weeks it is possible to candle the eggs to see if they are developing, just don't let them cool.

As the hatching date gets close, have a chicken pen and run for the mother and her new young ones. Get a large box and line it with several layers of newspaper to place the chicks in after they hatch. Keep this box in the house with a light, water and chick starter feed for the babies. The chicks will not all hatch at the same time. It may take three days before they are all out and active. The first ones to hatch will dry and become active and this may cause the hen to want to leave the nest before the total hatching is through. It is necessary to take the early hatching chicks away from her to keep her settled. This will mean that they need to be out of her ear range. In the warm house is the best place to keep them. Watch out for cats and dogs, and don't let the little kids love them to death. As they hatch, don't be tempted to help them out of the shell and for these final few days don't take the hen off the nest.

Dispose of any remaining eggs after the third day as they are rotten. Bury them or dispose of them far away because they will stink. Gases build up in them and can cause them to explode so be very careful when handling them.

Give the chicks back to the momma hen if you are going to let her raise them.