Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Making an incubator
• Part 2 of 2: Hatching the eggs

Keeping chickens at home is becoming more and more popular as more and more people are aware of the dire situation of chickens in factory farming. Hatching chicks can also be a fun family project. While the cost of an incubator is relatively high, it is very easy to make your own at home. You probably already have everything you need at home.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Making an incubator

1. Make a hole in the side wall of a Styrofoam box. The hole is for the lamp and socket. Attach the socket of a lamp and insert a 25 watt bulb. Stick duct tape from inside and outside around the hole and fitting. This is very important to reduce the risk of fire.
   • You can also use a small box, but a Styrofoam cooler just works better because it is insulated.
2. Divide the cooler into two parts. Use chicken wire or some other type of wire to shield the side where the lamp bulb is located. This is extremely important to protect the chicks from being burned.
   • Optional: Create a false bottom with chicken wire, slightly above the actual bottom. This makes cleaning the feces easier once the eggs have hatched.
3. Add a digital thermometer and hygrometer. Place this on the side where the eggs are. Since the primary task of an incubator is to maintain optimal temperature and humidity, you need to make sure that both the thermometer and the hygrometer are extremely accurate.
4. Add a bowl of water. This is the source of moisture. Also add a sponge so that the amount of moisture can be easily adjusted.
5. Cut a viewing window in the lid of the cooler. Use glass from a photo frame for this. Determine in advance how big the opening should be. It should be slightly smaller than the dimensions of the glass. Secure the glass with duct tape to make sure it is secure.
   • Optional: Make a hinge for the lid of the cooler by sticking the lid on one side with duct tape.
6. Test the incubator. Before you put the eggs in, activate the light and study the temperature and humidity for one or more days. Adjust the temperature and humidity until optimal. The temperature should remain at 99.5 degrees during the incubation period. The optimum humidity level varies: For the first 18 days it should be between 40 - 50% and for the last 4 days between 65 - 75%.
   • To reduce the temperature, simply make holes in the side wall of the cooler. When the temperature gets too low, seal a few again with duct tape.
   • Regarding the humidity, remove some water with the sponge to reduce it and squeeze the sponge to raise it.
7. Add the eggs. It is important to find fertilized eggs. Eggs that you buy in the store are not sufficient. If you do not have a rooster and chickens yourself, you can contact local farmers. Put the eggs together. This helps them maintain a constant temperature.
   • The quality of the eggs depends on the health of the chickens that have laid them. For this reason it is wise to ask the farmer if you can see where the chickens are kept. Free-running chickens are actually always healthier than caged chickens.
   • An optimal outcome is between 50 and 85 percent.
   • Laying hens are normally small and are bred to lay eggs. Broiler chickens, on the other hand, are bred for their size. They are generally larger and grow relatively quickly. However, there are also chickens that are bred for a dual purpose. Ask the farmer you contact what type of chickens he is raising.

Part 2 of 2: Hatching the eggs

1. Record the time and all other important information. Chicken eggs hatch after 21 days so it is important to note exactly when you placed them in the incubator. Also note the humidity and temperature.
2. Turn the eggs. Turn the eggs a quarter to a half turn three times a day for the first 18 days. Turn them so that one side is facing down and the other is up. Mark one side of the egg with X and the other side with O to keep track of which side is facing up.
3. After the first week, light the eggs. Lighting makes it possible to identify unfertilized and bad eggs. To do this, you hold the egg against a bright light in a dark room so that you can see inside. You can purchase a special mantelpiece lamp for this, but in most cases a small, powerful flashlight will suffice. When you determine that an egg is unfertilized or bad, remove it permanently from the incubator.
   • When using a flashlight, the lens should be narrow enough so that the light strip is aimed directly at the egg.
   • Another way to make your own candlelight lamp is to place a desk lamp in a cardboard box with a small round hole in the lid where you place the egg.
   • You may need to gently flip the egg from side to side to get a better view of the contents.
   • A living embryo is visible as a dark spot from which blood vessels come out.
   • A dead embryo can be visible as a ring or smear of blood inside the egg shell.
   • Unfertilized eggs light up brightly and evenly as there is no embryo in them.
4. Listen for the sound of the chicks as they hatch. On the 21st day, the chicks squeak out of their shells to breathe after their air sacs burst. Study them carefully. It can take up to 12 hours after the first chirp for a chick to emerge completely from its shell.
   • If some chicks have not fully emerged after 12 hours, you can remove the top of these eggs yourself.