The Most Improtant Period of Incubation

In this bonus episode of The Poultry Keepers Podcast, host Rip Stalvey dives into one of the most important questions in poultry hatching: What is the most critical part of the incubation process—and when does it matter most?

While many poultry keepers focus on temperature, humidity, and egg turning, Rip explains why the first 10 days of incubation are the true foundation for hatch success. You’ll learn what’s happening inside the egg during this window, how early mistakes can lead to weak chicks or failed hatches, and what you can do to set your embryos up for success.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why the first 10 days are so critical to hatchability
• What to expect in embryo development during early incubation
• How to optimize egg selection, preheating, and temperature control
• Common mistakes and how to avoid them
• Real-world techniques to increase hatch rate and chick vitality

Whether you're incubating for the first time or fine-tuning your hatchery routine, this episode offers practical guidance rooted in decades of hands-on experience.

Visit https://www.thepoultrykeeperspodcast.com for more expert advice, bonus content, and to leave Rip a voice message with your questions or feedback.

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Transcript

Alex: 0:00

Hi there, do you know what the most important period of incubating chicken eggs is? Well coming up in today's bonus content for The Poultry Keepers Podcast Rip Stalvee will be discussing what it is and how you can take advantage of it to improve your hatches

Rip Stalvey: 0:30

Today. I want to take some time to help you better understand one of the most important and really one of the most frequently asked questions I hear from poultry keepers who are incubating eggs. What is the most critical part of the incubation process now when folks ask this, they're often thinking about individual factors like temperature, humidity, or egg turning. Those are all important, but right now I want to take that question one step further and instead of asking, what's the most important factor, ask when is the most important period during incubation? Now, while all 21 days matter, the first 10 days stand out as the most foundational period for the developing embryo, that early period sets a tone for the entire hatch. Why does this window matter so much? What's happening inside the egg during those first 10 days? And how can you optimize conditions to get the embryos off to the strongest possible start? By the time a developing embryo reaches day 10, almost every major structure is in place. The heart is beating organs are forming. Eyes are present. And wings and legs are beginning to take shape. By this point, the chick embryo has passed the most vulnerable phase of early development. After day 10. The embryo's most important job is to grow, gain strength, and prepare for hatching. But here's the key point. If anything goes wrong early on, whether that's uneven development, low temperature, delayed warming, or poor egg quality, you can't go back and fix it. While you might still get a hatch, it may not be as good as you would like to get. You'll see things like more mid incubation losses. You'll see many chicks that PIP, but then fail to hatch. Also, there's a chance you'll get weak birds that are slower to grow or that struggle in the brooder. When you get as many embryos as possible to day 10 that are healthy, strong, and developing evenly, your chances for a successful hatch increase dramatically. If you've ever observed a good broody hen, you'll notice that she's most dedicated in the early days of setting. During that first week, you'll rarely see her leave the nest. She settled in tightly, carefully regulating temperature and humidity with her body. She may turn the eggs more frequently, but she stays focused with very little movement now, later in the incubation process, she might take an occasional quick break to get a bite to eat and drink or hop off for a stretch. She instinctively knows that in those early days is a time when embryos are most fragile, and that's a clue that we can learn from a broody hen. One of the best ways to support those first 10 days is to begin with uniform high quality eggs. For example, large hatchery managers try to choose eggs that are from breeder birds of a similar age, ideally no more than five to 10 weeks apart, Eggs are stored for a similar number of days. Ideally, no more than seven to 10 Eggs are held under consistent temperature and humidity during storage and eggs close in size, shape and weight. Now, I realize that small flock owners aren't always able to meet all of these criteria, but try to meet as many as possible to improve your hatches. Hatching egg uniformity might not sound like a big deal, but it makes a big difference. Eggs that develop too slowly or too quickly compared to the neighbors can throw off the entire hatch. You'll get chicks popping out at different times. This requires more intervention, which reduces your overall hatch quality. Now, if you're working with a larger incubator, try grouping eggs by size or storage date if you have multiple breeds in the same setter. Consider separating sections or staggering placements to maintain consistency. Another important technique is to preheat your eggs. Basically, what we want to do is allow them to rest in a warm location for a few hours before setting them. A lot of folks skip this step, especially when they're pulling eggs out of a cooler storage area, but it can make or break your hatch. When you place cold eggs straight into a warm incubator, those embryos take longer to warm up. Even worse, if some eggs warm faster than others, you'll get uneven development. That delay might only be a few hours, but that's all it takes to introduce a staggered hatch or compromised chick vitality. Here's what you can do to start off right. You wanna bring your eggs to room temperature, typically around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, before placing them in the incubator. Allow them to sit several hours in the room where the incubator is running, so the transition is smooth. Make sure your incubator is already at its targeted setting temperature before you load your eggs. Keep ventilation dampers on your incubator, partially closed for the first few days to prevent cool air from pulling heat out of the incubator too quickly. And if you're using a forced air incubator, make sure the incoming air is warm and humid enough to support the stable internal egg temperatures. Now let's clear up another common issue, and that's starting with an incubating temperature that's too low. Now, depending on the type of incubator you are using, the target internal temperature for an egg is around 99 and a half to 101. But what often gets overlooked is that the internal egg temperature lags behind the air temperature inside the incubator, especially during the first 48 hours of incubation. If you set your temperature exactly at 99 and a half degrees Fahrenheit in a forced egg incubator, you may actually be shortchanging the embryo early on. The inside of the egg takes time to reach that threshold. Commercial hatcheries know this, which is why many of them set their temperatures slightly higher, let's say around a hundred 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit for the first 24 hours, just to help that embryo reach the ideal zone quickly and uniformly. Then as the embryos begin to produce metabolic heat and water loss from the shells, increases temperature, stabilize, that's when you can ease back to the standard 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit range for the rest of the incubation period. Everything we've talked about, egg selection, preheating, proper temperature control and careful setup, it all comes down to a single goal, and that's to get as many embryos as possible to day 10, healthy, strong, and evenly developed. When that happens, you'll notice the following differences. You'll have far fewer mid incubation losses. You'll have tighter, more predictable hatch windows and stronger, more vigorous chicks in the brooder, and you'll see better long-term survival and performance of the birds. This is where successful incubation starts, not at lockdown and not at hatch day. It starts in the first 10 days. Now if you're looking to improve your hatchability, not just in terms of quantity, but in the quality of the chicks and their long-term success, focus your attention on this first 10 day period of incubation. This practice is like any other practice in poultry keeping. It's learning to pay attention to what might seem like the smallest of details if you want to achieve big results. When you get your foundational steps right, everything else becomes easier. Your hatch will be smoother, your chicks will be stronger, and your overall flock health better over time. Thanks for joining me today for this deep dive into the most important period of incubation. If this information helped clarify things for you, I'd love it if you'd share it with another poultry keeper or leave me a voice message at www.thepoultrykeeperspodcast.com. Just click the little microphone icon on the lower right hand corner of any webpage. Until next time, keep learning. Keep improving and above all, keep enjoying the you love. I'm Rip Stalvey thanks for listening.