Chickens / Eggs Timeline
| Collecting eggs to incubate. |
| Day | Event |
| 1 | Collect eggs for hatching |
| 3-5 | Put all eggs in incubator |
| Incubating (Approx 21 days in the incubator) |
| Day | Event |
| 1 | Put all eggs in incubator (Typical operating temp. are 99.5 for a forced-air incubator and 102 for a still-air incubator) |
| 7 | Candle eggs, you should see a blood vessels surrounding a dark spot. |
| 14 | Candle eggs, you should see a dark shadow except for the air sac at the large end. |
| 18 | Last day to turn the eggs. |
| 20 | Listen for chicks peeping sounds coming from the eggs. |
| 21 | Hatch day. |
| Brooder (Start the brooder temp approx 95 F and reduce it approx 5 F each week) |
| Day | Event |
| 1 - 14 | Small brooder or battery |
| 14 | Move to a grower house |
| 4 weeks | light breeds start to roost |
| 5 weeks | Combs developing, should be a difference in sexes |
| 6 weeks | Heavy breeds start to roost |
| Chicks are fully feathered and can go outside | |
| Cockerels start sparring to establish the pecking order |
| In the coop |
| Weeks | Event |
| 3 to 8 | Crowing starts |
| 17 | Change from growing food to layer pellets and oyster shells |
| 20 | First eggs |
| 30 | Eggs are at full size |
| 7 Months | Start collecting hatching eggs |
| 1 Year | Cockerels are now called Cocks or Roosters |
| Pullets are now called Hens | |
| 2 Years | Egg numbers start reducing |
| 8 years | Chicken is retired. |
| Eggs for eating |
1 day at room temperature = 1 week refrigeration
| Storage | Method |
| 2 weeks | Refrigeration, hard cooked in shell |
| 5 weeks | Refrigeration, whole in a carton |
| 2 months | Refrigeration, whole in a carton, carton wrapped in a plastic bag |
| 7 months | Oiled |
| 12 months | Frozen |
Use older eggs for easy peeling of boiled eggs. I put fresh eggs in a basket on the counter for 1 week then boil.
| Hangman's Genealogy |
Rocket's Genealogy |
Photo Gallery | Our Chickens | Hangman's Ride Logs |
Recipes | Guest book | Home |