How to Make an Incubator Out of a Cooler

When you find abandoned bird eggs, it's only natural to want to save them. To successfully hatch baby chickens, ducks, quail, peacocks or any other bird, you need an incubation system. This system replaces the warmth that would normally be provided by the mother bird's body, which the embryos inside the eggs need to live and develop properly. Buying an incubator can get quite expensive, so many people choose to build their own using common household items such as a cooler.

Things You'll Need

  • 30-quart Styrofoam ice chest with cover
  • Pocket knife
  • Lamp-building kit
  • 25-watt light bulb
  • Thermostat
  • Screwdriver
  • Shavings/straw
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Instructions

    • 1

      Drill one hole in the side of your cooler, 3 inches from the top, and three more holes along the bottom of one side, 3 inches from the base. These holes will provide a place for the warming system and circulation, respectively. Make sure that the top holes is large enough to accommodate the extension tube of the lamp-building kit. The holes along the bottom should be large enough to allow air in and out, but not so big that the baby birds can fit through them.

    • 2

      Gather the extension tube, wiring and light bulb from your lamp-building kit, generally available from hardware or home supply shops. If your kit did not come with a bulb, purchase a 25-watt bulb as well. Discard of the rest of the kit. Insert the tube through the hole you drilled at the top of the cooler's side so the light bulb socket is inside the cooler. Screw in the light bulb. Your wiring should still be outside the cooler.

    • 3

      Put the thermostat at the bottom of the cooler so it measures the temperature where the eggs will be sitting. Run one of the lamp's wires directly into the thermostat, following the directions that came with your lamp-building kit. Run the other lamp wire to the outlet plug. Run the thermostat's wire into the outlet plug as well. The thermostat will monitor the temperature inside the cooler and turn the lamp on to keep the temperature constant.

    • 4

      Put a 3-inch layer of straw or wood shavings in the base of the cooler. This will support the eggs while they are incubating. Set your thermostat's regulator between 90 and 100 degrees, which is an ideal range for hatching any species of egg. Seal the incubator with the cooler's lid and protect it from drafts and direct sunlight while the eggs are incubating.