Spring is when most Australian backyard flocks grow. Days are longer, nights are milder, and a clutch of eggs set in October hatches into chicks that are fully feathered before the real heat of summer arrives. If you've been thinking about hatching your own, this is the season to do it — and with a good incubator, it's far more straightforward than most people expect.
Before You Start: Check Your Council Rules
Roughly half of any hatch will be roosters, and many Australian councils don't allow roosters in residential areas. Check your local rules on poultry numbers and roosters before you set a single egg, and have a plan for the boys — a farm that will take them, or a local poultry club that can help rehome them. It's the least exciting part of hatching, and the one most people skip.
Choosing Your Eggs
Supermarket eggs won't hatch — they're not fertilised. You need fertile eggs, ideally from a local breeder or a friend with a rooster. A few things that make a real difference:
- Freshness: set eggs within seven days of being laid. Hatch rates drop noticeably after that.
- Storage: keep them pointy end down in a cool spot (around 12–15°C), not in the fridge.
- Condition: choose clean, uncracked, normally shaped eggs. Don't wash them — it removes the protective coating.
- Room temperature first: let eggs sit at room temperature for a few hours before they go into the incubator.
Setting Up the Incubator
Run your incubator empty for at least 24 hours before setting eggs, so you can confirm it holds a steady temperature. Place it somewhere away from direct sun, draughts and heaters — a spare room or laundry works well. For chicken eggs, the targets are simple:
- Temperature: 37.5°C, held steady.
- Humidity: around 45–55% for the first 18 days.
- Turning: several times a day for the first 18 days, so the embryo doesn't stick to the shell. An incubator with automatic turning takes this job off your hands — useful when you're at work all day.
The 21 Days, Week by Week
Days 1–7. Leave the lid closed as much as possible. Around day 7, candle the eggs in a dark room with a bright torch: fertile eggs show a network of veins and a small dark spot. Clear eggs aren't developing and can be removed.
Days 8–14. Candle again around day 14. The egg should look mostly dark, with a clear air pocket at the wide end. Remove anything that has stopped developing — it can spoil and affect the others.
Days 15–17. Very little to do but keep conditions steady. Resist the urge to check constantly.
Day 18 — lockdown. Stop turning, raise humidity to around 65–75%, and keep the lid shut until the hatch is over. Opening it now drops humidity quickly and can make it hard for chicks to break free.
Days 19–21. You'll see pips — small cracks — first, then the chick slowly works its way around the shell. This can take up to a day. Don't help: assisting too early is one of the most common reasons chicks don't make it.
The First Six Weeks: The Brooder
Leave chicks in the incubator until they're dry and fluffy, usually 12–24 hours after hatching. Then move them to a brooder: a box or tub with a non-slip floor (paper towel for the first few days, then wood shavings), chick starter crumble and a shallow waterer they can't fall into.
Warmth is the big one. A brooder heating plate lets chicks huddle underneath when they need heat and wander off when they don't, much like they would with a mother hen. Raise the plate as they grow. Chicks that crowd under it constantly are cold; chicks that stay well away are too warm.
At around six weeks, once they're fully feathered and nights are mild, they're ready to move outside.
Moving Into the Coop
Introduce young birds to the coop gradually, and keep them separate from an existing flock for a couple of weeks before mixing. A treadle feeder keeps feed dry and away from rats and wild birds, and an automatic coop door closes at dusk on its own — one less thing to remember, and real protection against foxes on the nights you're home late.
A Calm Way to Start
Your first hatch rarely goes perfectly, and that's normal. A hatch rate of 70–80% from fertile eggs is a good result. Keep notes on temperature, humidity and what you saw at each candling — they make the second hatch much easier. Everything you need to get started is in our poultry collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hatch eggs from the supermarket?
No. Supermarket eggs aren't fertilised, so they won't develop. You need fertile eggs from a local breeder or a friend with a rooster.
What temperature and humidity does an incubator need for chicken eggs?
37.5°C held steady, with humidity around 45–55% for the first 18 days. From day 18, raise humidity to around 65–75%.
Should I help a chick out of its shell?
No. Hatching can take up to a day after the first pip, and helping too early is one of the most common reasons chicks don't make it.
What's a good hatch rate for a first hatch?
70–80% from fertile eggs is a good result. Keeping notes on temperature, humidity and each candling makes the second hatch easier.
