As of today, my flock has grown by two tiny, peeping bantam chicks. One fought its way out of the incubator; the other was delivered under the expert care of a broody hen. This fourth hatch attempt was a rollercoaster of expectation, science, and a little bit of old-fashioned luck - and I learned more than ever before.
The Incubator Mystery: A Case of the Singleton Chicks
Let's address the elephant in the room: my incubator. It has a curious habit of producing one, and only one, perfect chick per hatch. My first, third, and now this fourth attempt have all followed this pattern.
This time, four other eggs showed promising signs during candling - a red glow with a dark shadow indicating development - but they never pipped. By day 24, I had to accept they weren't going to make it. It's a frustrating puzzle. The lone chick that did hatch is now a thriving 29-day-old ball of fluff and energy, which tells me the basics are right, but the fine-tuning is off. Moving the incubator away from drafts (a lesson from hatch #3) seems to have helped the overall environment, but the mystery of the singleton continues. The investigation is still very much open.
The Surprise Sous-Chef: A Hen to the Rescue
Now, you might be wondering about the second chick. Why was there a hen in the mix? Well, a crucial lesson from my previous attempts is that eggs shouldn't be stored for more than seven days before incubation.
When I set the first six eggs for this hatch, one of my hens decided she wasn't done contributing. She laid four more eggs over the next five days. I quickly added one to the incubator (within the 24-hour window), but with low hopes, I left the remaining three with her. I provided some shade with a plywood shield to protect them from the direct sun and heat, but honestly, I didn't expect much.
To my absolute joy and surprise, on the morning of August 11th, 2025, I heard it: the distinct pip pip pip of a hatching egg from her nest. Sometimes, the best technology is Mother Nature herself.
The Fourth Hatch: A Breakdown of Events
Here's a more detailed log of how it all went down:
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The Star of the Show: The incubator chick pipped on day 19 at 8 PM and was completely free of its shell by 10 PM - just as I was about to call it a night. By morning, it was already on its feet, sturdy and strong. I moved it to the brooder on day 21.
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Egg Audit: I had 9 eggs in the incubator from three different hens. Seven were from Hen A, one from Hen B, and one from Hen C. The first egg from Hen A and the single egg from Hen B were infertile. The egg from Hen C was one of the four that partially developed.
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Preparation is Key: This time, I was ready. The brooder was set up with starter feed, a waterer, and a feeder before the hatch. For heat, I used an electric water heating bag at night, which worked wonders, though it required one reheat during the early morning hours during the first 10 days.
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Sibling Rivalry? The mother hen is doing a fantastic job with her surprise chick. I tried introducing the incubator chick to its younger sibling (they have identical plumage!), but mama hen got understandably defensive. For now, they in separate cages. The chicks are nine days apart, by the way.
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DIY Win: A quick victory lap - my DIY cold storage box for egg storage worked perfectly, just as it did last time!
This fourth hatch was a powerful lesson in humility and observation. It taught me to trust both my equipment and my hens, and that even when technology gives you a puzzle, nature might just have a backup plan.
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