Obtaining fertile eggs may present a problem. Most of the eggs in food stores are not fertile. Contact your county Extension office for suggestions. Table 1 provides information about hatcheries in Ohio that may provide hatching eggs. It is best for you to pick up the eggs instead of having them shipped or mailed. Eggs often are broken during shipment, or temperatures are unfavorable.
Table 1. Possible sources of fertile chicken eggs in Ohio.
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Before you begin the project, decide what you will do with the chicks that hatch. Do not hatch chicks and then abandon them or give them to someone who is unable to care for them properly.
Fertile eggs should be incubated within 7 days after they are laid. The number of eggs that hatch begins to decrease if held too long. If it is necessary to hold the eggs before incubation, keep them at a temperature of 50 to 65 degrees F. Refrigerator temperatures (around 45 degrees F) will kill the embryo. The embryo may resume development if the temperature is above 75 degrees F. It is best to have an incubator ready for the eggs when you pick them up. Plan to begin incubation of the eggs so that they will hatch at a time when children will be able to observe the process, if that is the objective. Late Wednesday afternoon is a good time so that they will hatch during a school week. The hatch of chicken eggs should be completed by Thursday morning three weeks later. The eggs from other species of birds require different lengths of time to hatch (Table 2).
Table 2. Incubation period for different species of birds.
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