Incubating a small number of eggs has never been easier or
more affordable.
Nobody can resist fluffy baby chicks, so what would be better than hatching your own? Imagine looking into an incubating egg and watching the embryo develop from the first sighting of blood veins and pulsating heart to the excitement of an emerging chick all wet and exhausted. And this miracle takes only 21 days!
You like the idea but have concerns about the cost and difficulty factor. Well, let us put your mind at rest and make your first time incubating an enjoyable experience you will want to repeat.
Choose a good incubator
Incubators have come a long way, and now you can purchase a good quality small incubator to hatch 7 to 10 eggs for $70 to $130.
An accurate temperature control is key to a successful hatch, so look for an incubator with reliable electronic temperature control. Prefer incubators made of impervious materials and with simple turning mechanisms which can be cleaned easily and will not be a breeding ground for bacteria.
Egg turning can be done manually, but bearing in mind that
eggs need to be turned at least 4 times a day and preferably every hour. You
may want to pay a little extra for automatic turning. 
Candling is the method used to observe the growth and
development of an embryo inside an egg which uses a bright light source behind
the egg to show details through the shell. It is so called because the original
sources of light used were candles. 
Candling allows you to monitor many things including the egg
fertility, embryo development and weight loss rate. By being able to identify
and remove non-viable eggs (infertile or early death) you can also avoid the
risk of a bad egg contaminating your hatch with germs. 
Eggs may be candled after 5 days of incubation and every few
days thereafter. For best results you should candle eggs in a darkened room or
in dimly lit conditions. The candler should be held right against the shell at
the larger end of the egg where the air sac is located. The egg can be rotated
to observe blood vessel growth and embryo development.
2 days before the eggs are due to hatch you should stop
turning and eggs and make sure the water reservoirs are well topped up.
Humidity needs to be high during hatching so do not open the incubator.
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