How to Make an Egg Incubation

Hatching eggs requires a specific balance of temperature and humidity. The only way to reliably maintain this balance, absent the mother sitting on the eggs, is to purchase or construct an incubator. A simple way to make your own is to use a large plastic foam cooler, a heating pad and a small bowl of water.

Things You'll Need

  • Glass from 5-by-7-inch picture frame
  • 30 qt. plastic foam cooler
  • Screwdriver
  • Utility knife
  • Hot glue gun and glue
  • Adjustable heating pad
  • Small bowl and sponge
  • Cooling rack such as those used for cooling cookies
  • Thermometer and hygrometer
  • Small fan
  • Fertile eggs
  • Permanent marker
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the glass from the picture frame. Keep the glass but discard the rest of the frame.

    • 2

      Using the screwdriver, punch five holes in each of the four sides of the cooler. Do not punch holes in the top or bottom of the cooler.

    • 3

      Cut a 4-by-6-inch hole in the top of the cooler using the utility knife. Glue the glass from the picture frame to the top of the cooler so that it covers the hole you just cut with the utility knife.

    • 4

      Make a small hole in one of the top corners of the cooler for the heating pad cord. Thread the cord through this hole and place the heating pad inside the cooler. It should rest on the bottom of the cooler and come into contact with at least two of the cooler walls. The heating pad should not cover the entire bottom of the cooler.

    • 5

      Place the sponge inside the bowl of water and place the bowl inside the cooler beside the heating pad. Lean both the thermometer and the hygrometer against the cooler wall next to the bowl. Ensure that you can read both of these through the window in the top of the cooler when the cooler is closed.

    • 6

      Put the cooling rack on top of the heating pad. Lean the fan near by, but not touching the thermometer and hygrometer. If the fan has a cord, thread it through the same hole as that used for the heating pad cord; enlarge the hole if necessary. If the fan is battery powered, ensure it has new batteries. Turn on the fan and heating pad and close the cooler lid.

    • 7

      Wait one hour and check the humidity and temperature. Ideally, the temperature should be 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity should be about 50 percent. Adjust the heating pad as necessary to achieve the correct temperature. Humidity can be adjusted by adding or removing sponges to increase or decrease the humidity.

    • 8

      Continue to adjust temperature and humidity until they are both stable over a period of at least two hours.

    • 9

      Mark each egg using the permanent marker with a "1" on one side and a "2" on the other. Place the eggs in the incubator on the cooling rack with the sides marked "1" facing up. You'll be able to keep track of your egg turning using these markings. Close the lid and your incubator is complete.