HatchAlong 2021!

I got my first incubator this spring! You can bet that I'll be hatching all the eggs I can find now.

We got the Hova Bator Genesis 1588 from MyPetChicken.com. (Affiliate link) I've been very pleased with it, it's easy to set up and use and even though we started with notoriously hard-to-hatch eggs (Call Ducks) we had a good hatch. We got the egg turner as well, and I was able to feel comfortable that the turner and incubator were doing their jobs and needed minimal oversight from me (although, I did check it at least five times a day!).

We started by hatching out some Call Duck eggs from a local farmer. The four Call Ducks we hatched went to my friend at Bad Rabbit Homestead, and I collected a dozen Runner Duck eggs there for my next try! As a general waterfowl enthusiast, I'm all about hatching duck and goose eggs. These take longer than chicken eggs, which incubate for 21 days -- waterfowl eggs will take 28-30 days, and prefer slightly higher humidity.

Since I'm so excited about hatching now, I've organized a Hatchalong on Instagram which you can follow along with or even join up to by using the hashtag #Hatchalong2021! My friends Renee @mountainwoodsfarm, Jacki @fowlcreekfarm, and Mandi @wildoakfarms are joining me for the next four weeks to see what our incubators can do -- and hopefully, we can help teach out hatching your own eggs along the way. (There will also be an awesome giveaway with My Pet Chicken and Tractor Supply at the end of the hatchalong!).

Here's some handy information for the various types of eggs you might try hatching out:

Chicken Eggs -- 21 days -- 50/55% humidity (incubating), 60/65% humidity (hatching)

Most Duck Eggs -- 28 days -- 55/60% humidity (incubating), 60/65% humidity (hatching)

Goose Eggs -- 28 days -- 55/60% humidity (incubating), 60/65% humidity (hatching)

Call Duck Eggs -- 26 days -- 60/65% humidity (incubating), 65/70% humidity (hatching)

Muscovy Duck Eggs -- 35 days -- 70/75% humidity (incubating), 75/80% humidity (hatching)

All eggs need a forced air temp of 99.5F

Happy Hatching!