Hatching chickens can be a fun family project, too. While the costs of buying an incubator are quite high, it is a relatively simple process to make one at home. You probably already have the ingredients sitting around your house right now.
Tools and Materials
– Styrofoam
– Cutting Tools
– Heating (a 25-watt light bulb)
– Duct Tape
– Humidity Source
Step 1 – Building the Core
The ‘core’ of your incubator is basically its ‘exterior’. You’ll be cutting and taping a miniature home for your future chickens. Take note that you’ll also need a bit of Styrofoam if the box features an open top.
After the ‘core’ is made, you’ll need to cut open a hole in the Styrofoam. Ideally, if the core is rectangular, it should be cut at either end of the longer sides. The hole should be just about big enough to fit the smaller end of a 25-w light bulb.
Step 2 – Connecting the Bulb With an Electricity Source
Before you test out the bulb, use duct tape to secure it in place. Even though you’ve pierced the hole with the screw-in mount (smaller end), duct tape will ensure that it doesn’t come loose at any point. It’s imperative that the bulb is securely affixed in one position; if its angle drops, it might reach a point of contact with Styrofoam and eventually set it afire. Alternatively, you can place hard-wire mesh at the bottom it will provide your newly hatched chicks with an additional layer of protection against excess warmth.
Step 3 – Adding a Humidity Source
Styrofoam has incredible insulation properties, which only means that all of the heat build-ups will remain inside of the core. Since you can’t simply pour some water down because electricity’s involved, you should put a bowl of clean water on the side where eggs are. A sponge can be placed inside the bowl for easy water quantity adjustment.
Step 4 – Make One Side of the Core Viewable
It’s important to monitor how the eggs are doing, and you can only do so by making one side of the core ‘accessible’ and viewable. You shouldn’t open the top of the core as it will unbalance the atmosphere that has been developing inside
Maintain Temperature In Incubator 37°C – 41°C And Humidity 50% – 65 % For Better Results. Turn The Eggs Daily 3-4 Times Till First 18 Days Of Incubation….Chicks Will Comes Out Of The Eggs (Hatching) Between 20-24 Days. Incubators are notorious for being a great idea, you have a source of free fertile eggs it could be worth a try!
However, it’s important to remember that in any clutch of eggs there will be some which don’t hatch for all kinds of reasons which are nothing whatever to do with the incubator – low fertility levels, time of year, poor storage, bacteria infecting porous eggs and so on.
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