If you have clucky hens and can put them in a safe place with their eggs and they bring them on till chicken stage, you will still run the risk of losing some due to preditors and the elements.
I prefer to incubate the eggs for 21 days and place them under low wattage lights until they have feathered up and are ready for the cage outside.
When incubating I make sure the temperature is correct (48 degrees Fahrenheit or 102 degreescelcius) and that the humidity is right for the eggs. I have an egg turner already built into the incubator, if you don't you will need to manually turn the eggs twice a day.
Three days before the eggs are due to hatch, the humidity should be increased and a suitable warm, safe environment for them to dry off and live in for the next 2 weeks needs to be prepared.
It is very important that the chicks do not get cold and dry off immediately when they are removed from the incubator. I leave them in the incubator for 2 or 3 hours before I remove them.
They will not need water or food for the first day.
I have several big rectangular plastic bins 1/3 filled with sawdust and each bin has a 40 watt light (opaque glass bulb) suspended by a broom handle which lies across the top opening. The cord winds around the broom handle and I hang the light high enough so that the chicks can nestle under it. Any light stronger than a 40 watt could be too bright and hot and cause the chickens to overheat.
I can tell if they are too hot because they huddle away from the light. If they are huddling away in the corner furthest from the light then I will lower the temperature. If they are huddling directly under the light then I will increase it. I lower the temperature by raising the suspended bulb and raise it by lowering the bulb.
I place a thermometer in the bin and try to keep it about 28 degrees Celsius for the first week.
I have an old sleeping bag draped over the top and I also use this to regulate the heat. After the first week I gradually pull the sleeping bag back more and more so the chicks gradually adjust to the temperature drop. Be aware of the fire risk when positioning the sleeping bag over the light. I use high sided bins for this reason.
I put 10 chicks maximum in each bin. Any more than this and I may run the risk of one or two getting squashed when they all huddle together and sleep.
It is important that this bin is in a shed with a closed door so any cats, rats, weasels or preditors cannot get at them.
If you keep them inside they may start to get smelly and it is not hygienic if you have children.
Children cannot help but want to handle the cute fluffy chickens and may not have the sensitivity that they need to with delicate chickens. Rough handling can break legs and damage internal organs so always monitor the handling carefully and make sure the chicks are put back carefully and not dropped.
During this time I feed them good chick stater or similar feed. I have used normal laying mash mixed into a crumble that is not too wet or too dry and I mix in 1 egg and some cut up silverbeet and mine all seem to do very well on this.
Water is very important. Chicks drink a lot and because it is very warm in the bins, the water tends to get dirty quickly and warm which means it could start to grow harmful bacteria if left too long.
I change the water as much as possible and use a chick waterer which means the chicks cannot drown themselves in it.
If you do not have a chick waterer then use any old plastic dish but make sure it is not too deep because the chicks will walk through it.
After a few days when the chicks are really eating and drinking I will need to change the sawdust in the bins. I thoroughly wash and dry all the bins, feeding and watering containers at least every two days. They will start to get a bit smelly otherwise.
When I am cleaning their bins, I transfer them into another bin with other chicks, this is to minimise the temperature drop and any stress they may go through during this time.
After 2 weeks the chicks are removed from the bins and put all togther into a pen on the clean concrete floor of the shed with two suspended lights. The pen is 1/2 filled with sawdust underneath the lights for sleeping and scratching. The pen must be safe so no preditors can get in and the holes small enough that the chicks cannot get out.
