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Homemade Egg Incubator

One of our favorite projects when the kids were young was making homemade incubators. We have made several and I have to say, it is not for the faint of heart. Preceding our successes were multiple “learning experiences”.

 

The Best Incubator Money Can Buy

When it comes to hatching eggs, nothing beats a hen. Generally, chickens tend to be good setters once they reach 2 years old. Some of those little feathered creatures make the best mothers. You can stuff all kinds of unrelated eggs under them and they will brood, hatch and raise them - from chickens, turkeys, ducks, and guineas. I don’t know about reptile eggs but that would be a fun one to try :)

 

Basic Elements Needed

The purpose of the homemade incubator is to mimic a mother chicken. If you are familiar with a hen, you will notice she regularly fuses with her eggs, turning and moving them around. She sets for hour after hour, days on end and rarely, if ever, leaves her nest. If she does leave, it’s for a couple hours to take a dirt bath, eat, drink and/or …relieve herself.

 

While setting on her eggs, the temperature stays at a consistent 99.5°f. However, this temperature range can flex, especially for us living in the Southwest. Hot days can easily be over 100° and when mama leaves her nest, the eggs heat up. Or, visa versa, if it is cold, the eggs will cool down.

 

A successful incubator needs:

1. Consistent temperature around 100°
2. Rotating eggs regularly
3. Air flow
4. Humidity

DIY Incubator

Our best homemade incubator was a modified "Matilda" designed from this website: http://www.afn.org/~poultry/matilda.htm

 

We wired “inline” a hot water tank thermostat to a cord of a work lamp and set the temp to 100°. This automated the light off and on, keeping the styrofoam cooler at a consistent temperature.

 

We cut out a square in the top and taped in a clear cd case so we could watch the hatch. The kids were all little at the time and we wanted to see everything! We placed a bowl of water for humidity (covered with wire to keep new hatchlings from falling in) and cut a few holes in the cooler for airflow. We had an 80 to 90% hatch rate with this incubator.

 

There are many homemade incubator ideas on the internet and in farming books. Legend tells us, someone once incubated a chicken egg under their arm. Not sure how that worked out when the chick was hatching.

 

Quick Throw Together

We made a video of a quick incubator build we use when we find a few eggs abandoned by a hen. (The eggs can set for a few days and pick up incubating where they left off.) The incubator is made from items found around the house. The hatch rate is 25-50% using this method.

 

Watch:

 

 

 

Additional Notes

We test for consistent temperature before adding fertile eggs. This is accomplished by adjusting the lid and/or moving the incubator to a room without temperature swings. With our last clutch, we cracked the lid open during the day and closed it at night.

 

We like using a styrofoam cooler. It holds the heat better than a blanket & plastic bin but we have used both. The towel is not needed for the cooler. 

We increase the air flow during the last few days by cracking the lid open.

 

Build It or Buy It

Small retail Incubators can be purchased for under $100. Farm Innovators Incubator at Amazon sells for around $50. Little Giant Incubator sometimes goes on sale at Tractor Supply for $40. If you purchase one, be sure to read all the instructions for a successful hatch :)

 

Common Questions from Us City Folks

Q. Can you use eggs from the store?
A.These can’t be used because they have been refrigerated and typically not fertilized. Find them from a local farmer, craigslist or ebay.

 

Q. Do I need a rooster to have fertile eggs?
A. Yes. Hens without a rooster in the flock do not have fertile eggs.

 

Q. Do I need to incubate my eggs as soon as I get them? A. The eggs can lay dormant (as long as they are not refrigerated) for many days before starting the 21 day incubation process. This is how a mother hen is able to gather, sit, and hatch several eggs at the same time.

 

Q. Can I use an egg carton in the incubator?
A. No. As you turn the eggs, rotate from side to side not top to bottom. An egg under a hen doesn’t set on end.

 

Candling

You can candle the eggs to check for proper incubation. Veins are a good sign. However, if you see a black spot that shifts, it’s a bad egg. Thick yellow liquid indicates an infertile egg. A healthy egg has a solid blob on one side of the egg with an air pocket on the other. You can see the edges of the feathers when it gets close to hatch time.

 

Good luck on your incubator! I hope all your eggs hatch!!! 

 

 

Shelly
March 2014