How to Make a Chicken Egg Incubator With a Glass Tank

An incubator is a device for keeping unhatched eggs in a controlled environment to allow for the best chance of them developing into healthy babies. A commercial incubator can be rather expensive to buy, but you can easily make your own with a glass tank and a few other readily available components.

Things You'll Need

  • Glass tank
  • Egg cartons or old newspaper or fabric
  • Screen lid
  • Digital hydrometer
  • Digital thermometer
  • 4 heat lamps with 25-watt bulbs
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Instructions

    • 1

      Choose a location in full sunlight to place the tank.

    • 2

      Lay empty egg trays along the bottom of the tank. If you don't have egg trays you can use wadded-up newspaper, cloth or anything that will allow the eggs to sit safely within the incubator.

    • 3

      Place a small bowl of water in the bottom of the tank to create humidity. Place the hydrometer at the bottom of the tank to check the humidity levels, which should be 40 percent.

    • 4

      Place the thermometer in the incubator so that you can monitor the temperature, which should be around 102 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 5

      Put the screen lid on top of the tank to allow for ventilation and place the heat lamps on top of the tank with the bulbs facing downward.

    • 6

      Allow the conditions to stabilize before putting any eggs in. Monitor the conditions regularly to ensure the best environment for healthy hatchlings.