How to Prepare Eggs for an Incubator

Preparing eggs to be hatched in a incubator takes careful planning and knowledge if you want to see them reach maturity. This means getting them to the proper temperature before you insert them, as well as marking them correctly so that you know which direction to turn them for proper heating throughout their development. If you haven't ever prepared eggs for a incubator, you're in luck. With the right instructions, you can get the eggs ready in about 24 hours.

Things You'll Need

  • Basket
  • Cotton balls
  • Pencil
  • Temperature Sensor
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Instructions

    • 1

      Wash and sanitize the eggs to prevent the possibility of contamination.

    • 2
      Place the cotton balls in the basket, then insert the eggs.

      Fill the basket with cotton balls and insert the eggs with the larger ends facing up. Be careful to space them out, so that they will have proper air circulation while sitting in the basket.

    • 3

      Let the eggs settle for 12 to 24 hours before marking them, then measure their temperature with the temperature sensor. Place the temperature sensor's wire, or probe, directly onto each egg individually, then take note of the temperature on the readout indicator. Once the temperature of the eggs has reached 70 to 75 degrees, you can proceed to the next step. Keep the eggs away from heat sources, such as ovens, stoves, and windows, as they may heat the eggs too quickly.

    • 4

      Mark the eggs with a pencil, so that you know which side is which when in the incubator. Place an "X" on one side of the bigger end of the egg, and a "O" on the opposite side of the same end of the egg. Draw an arrow going between the "X" and the "O," so that you will know which way to turn them when in the incubator. Your eggs will now be ready to be inserted into the incubator.