Hatching chicks: magical — and not cute.
If you hatch, you’re choosing responsibility: heat management, hygiene, injuries, deaths, and the rooster problem. This page tells you the bits people hide.
Should you hatch at all?
If your goal is “a few backyard hens”, hatching is usually the hardest route.
- Want eggs? Buy point-of-lay pullets instead.
- Want a pet? Handling young pullets can be easier than fragile day-old chicks.
- Want the experience? Fine — but go in with eyes open and do it properly.
The rooster problem
Rough math: half your hatch may be male.
- Most UK gardens cannot keep cockerels because of noise/nuisance.
- Rehoming is not guaranteed. Everyone else also has spare cockerels.
- Plan A, B, C before you incubate a single egg.
Start with the UK reality: Rules & considerations.
Equipment (minimum viable kit)
A reliable incubator with temperature control. Cheap ones can work — but they also fail more often and cause suffering.
Don’t trust the dial alone. You need to monitor temperature and humidity properly.
A safe box/pen with a heat plate (preferred) or heat lamp (riskier), plus bedding, feeder and drinker.
Heat plate is safer than lamps. Lamps can cause fires and overheated chicks if set up badly.
Use chick starter feed. Treats are not food. Keep water clean and shallow to prevent drowning.
You need spare bedding and time. Damp brooders are disease factories.
Incubation overview (high level)
Different incubators and breeds vary — follow your incubator manual. This is a sanity framework, not a substitute.
- Days 1–18: stable temperature, eggs turned regularly, monitor humidity.
- Day 18 (lockdown): stop turning, increase humidity as recommended, don’t open the incubator.
- Hatch window: hatching can take time. Constant opening causes humidity drops and shrink-wrapped chicks.
0–8 weeks care (what matters)
- Warmth + dry bedding are life or death in the early weeks.
- Clean water multiple times a day (they kick bedding into everything).
- Space increases quickly. Tiny brooders become overcrowded within days.
- Introduce perches early, safely and low to prevent leg injuries.
- Observe droppings: pasty butt, diarrhoea, lethargy — don’t ignore.
The part nobody wants to talk about
Injuries & deformities
You may see splayed legs, curled toes, weakness, infection, or failure to absorb yolk properly. Some issues can be fixed early; others cannot.
Illness spreads fast
Chicks in warm, enclosed spaces can go downhill quickly. Hygiene and observation are non-negotiable.
Euthanasia decisions
Sometimes the kindest choice is ending suffering promptly. Know your options (vet, experienced keeper guidance) before you hatch.
