Homemade Wooden Incubator

Building your own wooden incubator can save a considerable amount of money over purchasing a pre-built model. Success depends on adherence to several factors in the incubation process. Eggs require three main items to hatch healthy, full-term chicks. Maintaining constant temperature and humidity levels as well as moving the eggs mimics a mother hen's body temperature and her actions in rolling the eggs often.

  1. Temperature

    • The temperature for an incubator must remain at a constant of 99 degrees F to 101 degrees F, with very little deviance. Fluctuations of more than 1 degree will not enable baby chicks to hatch on schedule. If the eggs are not warm enough, it takes longer for the chicks to mature and they may not hatch alive. It the temperature is too warm, the chicks can die before gaining the maturity and developmental stages necessary to peck their way out of their eggs.

    Humidity

    • Humidity is a necessity for an incubator. Wet-bulb temperature levels (read with a wet-bulb thermometer) should remain between 85 and 90 degrees F. It keeps the eggshell pliable so that it does not become too brittle and break open before the chicks are ready to hatch. A damp sponge in a wooden box or a simple jar with water in it will increase humidity levels for optimum hatchlings. The warm temperature will cause the water to evaporate inside of the incubator and will create moisture and humidity. Measuring humidity levels with a wet bulb thermometer will provide accurate readings. Research by Richard Compton of "Mother Earth News" reveals, "Low air moisture levels can cause the chicks to stick to their shells, and excessive dampness sometimes produces swelling." All egg shells are permeable and allow water, chemicals and gases to absorb into them.

    Movement

    • Incubating chicks require egg movement at least three times a day. This can be quite a task if the eggs rotation depends on humans. Marking an X on each egg will provide a point of recognition when you are turning them by hand so that they can all move and allow development of the chicks. Installing a simple motor than shifts all of the eggs at once very slowly will increase chances of survival.

    Hatching

    • When chicks start to peck their way out of their shell, the first thought is to break away the shell and help them to the outside world. This action can cause death to chicks. All blood vessels around the egg membrane must cauterize themselves naturally so that they are no longer flowing, preventing chicks from bleeding to death. Nature's action of chicks' slow emergence, which is generally five to seven hours, makes certain that they are ready for the world.