18 Eggs and a Whole Lot of Hope: Starting Our First Hatch at Whuka Farm

October 15, 2026 | Whuka Farm 🌿

There’s something exciting about starting something new on the farm. Whether it’s planting a garden, bringing home new animals, building something with our own hands, or trying something we’ve never done before, there’s always a little anticipation mixed with a whole lot of learning.

Today, we added another first to our Whuka Farm journey.

We officially started our very first egg incubation! 🥚🐣

From Our Flock to the Incubator

We’ve been collecting eggs from our own Rhode Island Red chickens, marking the dates as we collect them, and preparing for this next little adventure.

Originally, we were planning around 18 eggs, and today that plan became reality. We placed all 18 Rhode Island Red eggs into our incubator at 1:31 p.m. on October 15.

Eighteen eggs, one incubator, and so many possibilities.

These aren't just eggs from somewhere else. They come from our very own flock here at Whuka Farm, making the thought of hatching the next generation especially exciting.

Of course, we know that not every egg will necessarily develop or hatch. We're trying to keep our expectations realistic while still allowing ourselves to be excited about what might happen.

Learning as We Go

This is our first time incubating eggs, so we're learning the process one step at a time.

Before setting the eggs, we worked on getting the incubator ready, checking the temperature, and figuring out the humidity. Let's just say the humidity gave us a little bit of a challenge! 😂

We had to work through some adjustments and learn how our particular incubator responds. Once the eggs went inside, the temperature dipped slightly, which meant another reminder that patience is part of the process.

We're aiming to maintain the recommended temperature and humidity for chicken eggs, monitoring the readings, and following the incubator's instructions as we go.

The incubator also has an automatic egg turner, which will help with one of the important daily parts of incubation.

There is still plenty for us to learn, but that's part of what homesteading is all about. You don't have to know everything before you begin. Sometimes you learn by doing, asking questions, paying attention, and making adjustments along the way.

The Countdown Begins

Chicken eggs typically take about 21 days to hatch.

That means we're looking toward early November for our expected hatch window, with November 5 as our estimated hatch date if development follows the usual timeline.

Our first big milestone will be candling the eggs around day seven. Candling allows us to shine a light through each egg to look for signs of development.

We'll check again later in incubation, prepare for lockdown around day 18, and hopefully get to experience the excitement of hearing little peeps and seeing tiny beaks working their way into the world.

There is no guarantee of how many will hatch, but we're excited to see what this first attempt brings.

What Happens Next?

Over the coming weeks, we'll share updates as we go. We'll talk about our candling results, any lessons we learn, and the anticipation that comes with waiting for hatch day.

And if we end up with healthy little chicks, some may eventually be available for new homes. For now, though, we're focusing on giving these eggs the best chance we can.

One step at a time.

That's how we've approached so much of our journey here at Whuka Farm, and this new adventure is no different.

Another Little Piece of Our Dream

When we started building Whuka Farm, we knew there would always be something new to learn and another dream waiting to take shape.

This incubation project is another small step in that journey. It gives us the opportunity to learn something new, continue growing our flock, and possibly share some of that growth with others in our community.

We're excited, a little nervous, and very curious about what the next three weeks will bring.

For now, the eggs are in the incubator, the countdown has begun, and we're officially on our way.

Eighteen eggs. One new adventure. And hopefully, a whole lot of little peeps in our future. 🐣❤️

Thanks for following along with our family as we continue building our little piece of heaven.

Grown with intention. Built with love. Shared with our community.

— The Whuka Farm Family 🌿