Incubating eggs the hard way – ideally our chickens would do this for us, but frankly, they don’t appear to be qualified. We need 100 chickens a year in the freezer, and thus far our hens have managed three chick (which snuck out of a hedge this morning, as a bit of an early Easter surprise)

28 eggs crammed in to the incubator, having taken out all the bits of plastic that keep the eggs sitting comfortably, all so we can squeeze in a few extras.

Here they are cooking – 37.5 degrees and 45% humidity for 18 days, followed by 65% humidity for the last 3 days. There is a cradle to rock the whole thing for the first 18 days that isn’t shown.

And here is the ensuing mayhem when they all hatch at once. We have 17 healthy chicks from 26 eggs, which is a reasonable (but not outstanding) result. They look cuter later on, I promise. The first batch of the year gave us 12 chicks from 19 eggs. The third batch are currently baking at gas mark three – to be continued.