What is the Timeline for Chicks to Hatch?
The timeline for chicks to hatch is 21 days. This is pretty consistent, so there a few things to consider when starting your hatching project.
The first day you put your fertilized eggs into the incubator, is day one of the 21 day egg cycle. If you are in a classroom, it’s smart to plan ahead. I like to put the eggs into the incubator on a Tuesday or Wednesday so that if the eggs hatch a little early or a little late, they will still hatch during the school week.
Once your eggs are placed in the incubator, ensure your incubator is rotating them regularly then you just let them be. Monitor the temperature and humidity then wait.
During this time, my class continues the exciting whispers about what we should name the chicks and our predictions on color and quantity. We complete our booklets and continue learning about chicks. Check out this page to see what kinds of supplies I’d suggest for hatching eggs in the classroom with students. Occasionally, we candle the eggs in small-groups to see the development of the embryo.
Reread the directions included with your incubator at day 18. Usually you will need to take the separator out of the incubator and adjust the humidity. On day 20, I start closely observing any movement of eggs and pipping! At about day 25, we conclude our close observations and celebrate the eggs that have hatched.