Section

Chicks & hatching

Guides on hatching eggs and raising chicks, under a hen or in an incubator and brooder. Each guide lists the sources it draws on.

• Chick Care Week by WeekWeek-by-week brooder checklist for chicks: temperature, floor and feeder space, water, starter feed, litter and when the heat can come off.
• Heat Lamps in Chicken CoopsWhy heat lamps start coop fires, the week-by-week brooder temperature schedule for chicks, and safer heat sources.
• Broody HensSigns of a broody hen, the 21-day hatch timeline with candling days, and the extension methods for breaking broodiness.
• Incubator ChartForced-air vs still-air temperatures, humidity before and after day 18, turning, candling days, lockdown and a hatch troubleshooting table.

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