How to Use an Incubator
When it comes to hatching eggs, you need to know how to use an incubator so that the eggs you are caring for will hatch successfully and produce some healthy little ones to care for until they are old enough to care for themselves. After you have the incubator, you must follow some easy steps so that all of the eggs in your care grow healthy babies that will hatch and grow into young adults.
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Things You'll Need
- Incubator (homemade or store bought) with lamp and thermometer Eggs Dish with water Sponge for the dish of water Grass clippings or straw
Instructions
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1
Turn on the lamp and monitor the thermometer to make sure you have a temperature reading between 99 and 100 degrees. This is vital to hatching eggs.
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2
Place the grass clippings in the opposite corner of the lamp. In the area nearest the lamp, place the dish of water with a sponge in it. This is going to make the humidity needed inside the aquarium.
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3
Place the eggs in the incubator on top of the grass clippings. Monitor the heat setting and turn the eggs every day. You can use a pencil to make a little pencil mark on one side of the egg so that you remember to gently turn the eggs at least five times a day until the last few days.
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Watch for the eggs to start hatching as specified for whatever it is you are incubating. For instance, chickens will usually hatch in 21 days.
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Keep the babies warm within the incubator for about three weeks. This again depends on what it is you are hatching. For instance, chicks need to be kept warm for three weeks until they have fluffy feathers to keep themselves warm. As the chicks get older by days, you will begin to lower the temperature, but again this depends on what you are hatching.
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Tips & Warnings
Be very gentle when turning the eggs. Roll them as a mother would do.
References
- Photo Credit dlee
