Chook Me!

What do you do as soon as a chicken hatches in an incubator?

i am incubating chickens and i don't know what to do as soon as they hatch...do i pick them up and dry them? i have other chickens that we got a year ago, so i know how to raise chickens...just not how to incubate them. they hatch in about a week so i really need to know what to do. thanks

Public Comments

1. What to do With Hatched Chickens Do not be in a hurry to take chicks out of the incubator. Gallinaceous birds, such as chickens, quail, and pheasants survive up to 3 days without feed or water. The yolk of the egg is drawn through the navel into the stomach of the baby bird before it hatches. That provided enough nourishment for the transitional period from the time the bird hatches, fluffs out, gains strength and becomes active enough to go out and seek food. Chicks continue to grow and develop in the incubator, before they receive food. Of course, they do not gain weight, but they do gain in stature, activity and use of their faculties. They will instinctively be interested in drops of water, each other's toes, and other objects of possible experimentation. Do not assume from these evidences of interest that the chicks are hungry. It is simply nature's way of experimentation, exploration, and learning of the young. In general chicks are taken from the incubator after 24 hours. No harm is done if they are not taken out for 48 hours after they hatch.