Setting Chicken Hatching Eggs by the Moon

Setting eggs "by the Moon" is an old wives tale or bit of folklore that is supposed to result in healthier chicks and a more successful hatch.

The age-old practice of setting hatching eggs under certain moon phases is part folklore, part old wives tale.

Whether or not you actually believe that chicks hatched under these signs will do better than chicks hatched at other times during the month, what do you have to lose by giving it a try?

Setting Chicken Hatching Eggs by the Moon

Traditionally, it was thought that chicks should be timed to hatch just before a full moon - during the waxing moon phase - because they would grow faster and be healthier.

And that those that hatched during a waning moon or one that was growing smaller would be weak and might not survive.

So instead of just picking a random date to set your eggs, this year why not time your hatch for one of the more "fruitful" hatch dates. Do it for the chicks!

To set the eggs to hatch on the proper day, you have to count back twenty-one days (it takes chicken eggs three weeks to hatch) from one of the optimal hatch dates and then set the eggs on that specific date.

But don't worry, there's no counting or calculating involved! Fortunately this handy chart compiled by Farmers Almanac takes all the counting out of it and lists the most beneficial dates for setting eggs.

Best Days to Set Eggs this Year

Although I think this advice might merely be something fun to try (I don't believe there's any scientific study behind it), many people actually do swear by this.

I would bet your grandmother (and mine) did! What do you think? Is there any merit to setting hatching eggs by the moon? Have you ever tried it?