Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Assembling the incubator
• Part 2 of 2: Incubating the eggs
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

If you want to hatch wild bird eggs you've found, but don't have the money for a professional incubator, you can easily build your own using household items. Once you have assembled the incubator, you can hatch the eggs. Be careful though! According to the Nature Conservation Act, it is illegal to disturb nests without an exemption.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Assembling the incubator

1. Take a medium shoebox and fill it with cloths. Place a small, soft cloth on the bottom of the box. Then roll up two cloths and put them in the box to form a ring. The width of the ring depends on how many eggs you have and how big they are.
2. Isolate the nest with feathers. Buy a bag of feathers from the local craft store. Use the feathers to feed the ring in the center of the box. Feathers store heat well, which will help keep eggs warm.
3. Add two to four stuffed animals. The number depends on how big the stuffed animals are and how much space you have in the box. Place them around the ring in the center to enclose the eggs and retain more heat. Make sure the stuffed animals are big enough to press against the shoebox walls and press the cloths closer to the eggs.
4. Fill a small cup with water for the humidity. Place it in a corner of the box to avoid spilling. Top up the water daily, or when the water level drops due to evaporation. Check the water level at least 2 times a day.
5. Find a small heat lamp. Find a cheap lamp at a thrift store or flea market. If you want a high-quality lamp, go to the local pet store. Buy a lamp with an adjustable neck so you can position it to get the ideal temperature.
   • Do not allow the lamp to come into contact with the flammable materials in the nest box, as this could cause a fire.
6. Buy a digital thermometer and a moisture meter. A digital screen makes it easier to keep track of temperatures down to a tenth of a degree. You will need this precision when incubating eggs. Find these devices at a major DIY store. Many stores sell devices that measure both temperature and humidity.
7. Heat the box. Place the lamp so that the light shines inside the box. Place the thermometer and moisture meter where you will lay the eggs. Aim for a temperature of about 37 degrees Celsius and a humidity level of 55-70 percent.

Part 2 of 2: Incubating the eggs

1. Determine the type of the eggs. This will help you determine the ideal temperature and humidity. Take the eggs to a local wildlife center for identification. You can also consult various online resources such as:
   • The Audubon Society's Guide to North American Birds (USA, Canada, Mexico)
   • The "Woodland Trust" (United Kingdom)
   • The "Cornell Lab of Ornithology"
   • Sialis
2. Place the eggs in the incubator. Put them in the ring of cloths you have made. Place them next to each other, not on top of each other. Otherwise you could break them while spinning.
3. Place the box in indirect sunlight. Sunlight provides a lot of heat without lowering the humidity. Keep the box out of direct sunlight, as this could cause the temperature to rise to a dangerous level. For example, you can place the box in a west-facing window in the morning and in an east-facing window in the evening. If the weather is warm enough, you can place the box outside during the day, in a spot that is semi-shaded and out of reach of predators.
   • Depending on the bird species, longer periods of sunlight can cause the egg to hatch more quickly.
4. Keep an eye on the temperature. Turn off the heat lamp if the temperature rises above 38 degrees. Leave it out until the temperature is back to the ideal level. If you notice that the heat regularly gets too high, try repositioning the lamp.
5. Keep an eye on the moisture level. The exact level depends on the bird species in the incubator. Add more water to increase the humidity. If the reading remains above 70 percent, reduce the amount of water in the incubator.
6. Turn the eggs several times a day. Don't turn them around, just turn them over completely. You can buy a mechanical egg turner at a local farm store. However, if you are around the incubator on a regular basis, you can turn the eggs by hand. How often they need to be turned depends on the species. Usually, however, a frequency of 2 rotations per hour applies.
7. Place the lid on the box when you switch off the lamp. Most eggs can withstand a temperature of 16 degrees, so it shouldn't harm the eggs if you turn the light off when you go to bed. Placing the lid helps to retain heat overnight. Remember to remove the lid in the morning and turn the lamp back on. Set an alarm for yourself not to forget.
8. Be prepared for the possibility of the eggs not hatching. Unfortunately, the chance of hatching wild bird eggs successfully in an incubator is quite small. Natural incubation by the bird parents is a complex process that is very difficult to simulate. Eggs that are cracked or that have been out of the nest for too long are unlikely to be viable.

Tips

• This article is about incubating wild bird eggs. If you want to incubate chicken eggs, read this article on how to make a chick incubator on wikiHow.
• If you wish, you can purchase a temperature system for the incubator at a local farm shop, or on the Internet at pages like EBay. You only have to set the temperature, the system switches the lamp on or off to keep the incubator within the ideal temperature range.

Warnings

• Remember, the birds' lives are at stake. Do not flank the incubator together, but make sure it is efficient.
• Always wash your hands after handling the eggs.

Necessities

• Shoebox
• Washcloths / cloths
• Small, soft cloth
• Heat lamp
• Digital thermometer
• Digital moisture meter
• Small cup or saucer with water
• Small stuffed animals