You can also use a small box, but a styrofoam cooler works well because it is insulated.
Optional: Create a false bottom using chicken mesh a little above the floor of the cooler. This will make cleaning out the chicken poop easier once the chicks hatch.
Optional: Make a hinge for the cooler’s lid by attaching it to one side of the top with duct tape.
To reduce the temperature, punch holes in the sides of the cooler. If it gets too low after you do that, tape up some of the holes with duct tape. For the humidity, sponge up some of the water to reduce it and squeeze out more water to increase it.
The quality of the eggs depends on the health of the chickens they came from. Therefore, before purchasing eggs from a farm, ask the manager if you can inspect the facility. Free-range hens are almost always healthier than caged hens. An optimal hatching rate is between 50 and 85 percent. [3] X Research source Laying hens are usually smaller in size and are bred to produce eggs. Meat hens, on the other hand, are bred for size. They tend to be larger birds that grow relatively quickly. However, there are chickens that are bred as dual-purpose birds. Ask the farmers you contact which variety they breed.
If you use a flashlight, its lens should be the small enough so that the light is directed at the egg. Another way to make a homemade candler[4] X Research source is to insert a desk lamp inside a cardboard box with a small round hole cut at the top. Put the egg in this hole to candle it. You may have to gently turn the egg up and down or from side to side to better see its contents. A living embryo[5] X Research source appears as a dark spot with blood vessels radiating out from it. A dead embryo can show up as a ring or a streak of blood inside the shell. Infertile eggs light up bright and even since there is no embryo inside.
If some of the chicks haven’t concluded their hatching after twelve hours, go ahead and remove the tops of those eggs.
