How to Make a Chicken Incubater Out of a Five Gallon Bucket & Lid

Raising chickens at home can be a rewarding process; you can have fresh eggs and poultry meat. When your chickens lay eggs you can bring the eggs in the house for incubating so the chicks can be raised in the home until they are old enough to go out in the weather. You can make your own incubator out of a five gallon bucket and other items you can buy at your local hardware store.

Things You'll Need

  • 5 gallon bucket and lid
  • Marker
  • 40 to 60 watt heat lamp
  • Exacto knife or box cutter
  • Small blanket or towel
  • Thermostat
  • Dry cloth
  • ½ cup water
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Instructions

    • 1

      Outline the heat lamp with a marker on the bucket lid. Take an exacto knife or box cutter and cut out the area for the heat lamp.

    • 2

      Place a small blanket or towel in the bottom of the bucket as protection for the eggs. Place a ½ cup of water in the bucket to allow for humidity to form in the bucket when incubating the eggs. Refill water when it gets down to about ¼ cup.

    • 3

      Wipe the eggs with a dry cloth to remove any dirt from the shell. Place the eggs with the smaller part down in the blanket. Turn the eggs over twice a day, about eight hours in between rotating.

    • 4

      Attach a thermostat inside the bucket about two inches down from the edge. Maintain an average temperature of 99.5 degrees until the last three to four days when the temperature can be lowered to about 99 degrees.

    • 5

      Place the lid on the five gallon bucket and clip the heat lamp to the edge of the hole in the lid. Incubate for about 20 to 25 days until eggs are ready to hatch.