How to Make a Small Chicken Egg Incubator

Chicken eggs require specific conditions of temperature and humidity in order to hatch. Therefore, an incubator must possess good insulation, a source of heat and a source of water to evaporate into the incubator air. Commercial incubators control many of these elements for you but a homemade incubator with manual controls costs very little to make. Monitor the eggs' environment and turn the eggs as a mother hen would every day and your eggs should hatch in about 21 days.

Things You'll Need

  • Styrofoam cooler, 30 quarts
  • Screwdriver
  • Picture frame glass, 5-by-7
  • Utility knife
  • Duct tape
  • Covered light bulb socket and cord with dimmer
  • 25-watt light bulb
  • Cooling rack
  • Small pan
  • Sponge
  • Hardware cloth
  • Tin snips or wire cutters
  • Thermometer
  • Hygrometer
  • Small battery-operated fan
  • Styrofoam egg carton with lid
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Instructions

    • 1

      Puncture five holes into each of the four sides of a Styrofoam cooler.

    • 2

      Cut a rectangular hole into one long side of the cooler measuring 4 1/2-by-6 1/2 inches.

    • 3

      Tape the picture frame glass securely to the rectangular opening with duct tape.

    • 4

      Cut a small notch in one top corner of the cooler between the lid and lip of the cooler with the utility knife.

    • 5

      Screw the light bulb into the light socket. Choose a light socket with a wire or hard plastic cage around it to keep the bulb away from the cooler walls.

    • 6

      Position the light in one corner of the cooler and guide the cord up through the notch in the cooler lip.

    • 7

      Position the cooling rack onto the inside bottom surface of the cooler adjacent to, but away from, the light bulb.

    • 8

      Place a small pan filled halfway with water and a kitchen sponge next to the light bulb.

    • 9

      Cut a piece of hardware cloth to fit in between the cooling rack area and the water and bulb area. This separates the chicks from potentially hazardous electrical and water elements.

    • 10

      Lean the thermometer and hygrometer on the cooling rack up against the cooler wall.

    • 11

      Place a Styrofoam egg carton on the cooling rack so that the lid is folded underneath and the egg slots are slanted and close the lid.

    • 12

      Turn on the light and adjust the intensity of the output until you reach a steady temperature of 99.5 F.

    • 13

      Add water containers and sponges or decrease the size of the pan and sponge to achieve a steady humidity level of 55 percent.

    • 14

      Place fertile eggs into the egg carton and close the lid. Turn the eggs thrice daily by changing the direction angle at which the lid props the egg slots up. Make one angle by resting the carton completely on the lid. Turn the eggs to another angle by propping the slots and lid up into a teepee shape.