Incubator Hire

Follow an egg as it moves through its growth stages before hatching in front of your very eyes into a cute, fluffy chick or duckling.

We offer a number of packages to suit your needs and are always on hand to help. From short batches to full incubation and brooder packages to allow you to care for your hatchlings for 4 weeks after hatching.

The hire packages are suitable for schools, care homes and private settings.

 

Why hire from us?

As farmers, we have a real passion for sharing British Agriculture. All our hatching eggs are locally sourced, often rare-breeds that go on to live a free range happy life here at Horncastle Farm. 

Our incubators are fully automatic and take all the stress out of hatching. They will regulate the temperature, turn the eggs just like mum and adjust the humidity to ensure each hatch has the most chance of success. Our brooder includes everything required to care for the hatchlings as they quickly progress through the early stages of their life.

Our packages include the collection of all equipment and chicks at the end of the hire period. Should you wish to keep the chicks that have hatched this can be arranged – we can guide you with the equipment required.

Our Packages

Hatch & Home - £200+VAT

  • We set the incubator and brooder box up on site
  • Incubate 7 chicken or duck eggs for 21 days / 27 days
  • Zoom candling session to check the eggs at day 8 & day 17 (where required)
  • Brooder box including all you need to bring the chicks on (heat, bedding, food)
  • Chicks for up to 4 week after hatch (can be adjusted to suit your schedule)
  • Full Staff guidance & hatching support
  • We collect the chicks and equipment at the end of the hire period

Full Hatch - £160+VAT

  • We set the incubator and broody box up on site
  • Incubate 7 chicken or duck eggs for 21 days / 27 days
  • Zoom candling session to check the eggs at day 8 & day 17
  • Brooder box including all you need to bring the chicks on (heat, bedding, food)
  • Chicks for 7 days after they hatch
  • Full Staff guidance & hatching support
  • We collect the chicks and equipment at the end of the hire period

Quick Hatch - £140+VAT

  • We set the incubator and brooder box up on site
  • Incubate 7 chicken or duck eggs for up to 3 days
  • Brooder box including all you need to bring the chicks on (heat, bedding, food)
  • Chicks for 7 days after they hatch
  • Full Staff guidance & hatching support
  • We collect the chicks and equipment at the end of the hire period

FAQ

No, in fact, we feel this is not an ethical way of offering you with this experience. All our chicks or ducks return to our farm where once fully feathered will join our free range birds here.

We only use the best automatic incubators for our hire packages. These are fully automated so require no interventions until days before hatching when we will talk you through adjusting the settings over ready for hatching.

Yes absolutely, we offer our hire packages to businesses, schools and private homes. 

Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that all eggs within the incubator will hatch – we do however always select our freshest eggs to ensure the best chances of success. We do have policies in place should you have an unsuccessful hatch.

Whilst there is no need to frequently do anything with the incubator to ensure your eggs hatch we do recommend checking it frequently to ensure that there are no issues.

This is not a service that we routinely offer however can be arranged prior to your hatch – if this is a service you would like please advise at the time of booking

All our bookings receive a full risk assessment for the incubating and chick keeping process along with learning resources to help you get the most out of your hatch.

Chicken eggs take 21 days to hatch, ducks take around 28 days. For a school setting we usually deliver the eggs on a Monday for a Wednesday hatch.

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