DIY: Homemade Poultry Incubator

Making your own poultry incubator can be easy.

With health concerns often in the news media, many people are getting back to nature and buying or growing their food organically. If you have your own chickens, you can produce free range eggs with the knowledge your eggs come from healthy, happy, well-fed chickens. If you want to start your own chickens from eggs, you can make your own incubator to hatch your eggs. You can purchase chicken eggs online or from local farmers to hatch.

Things You'll Need

• Large Styrofoam cooler
• Aluminum foil
• Clip on light
• 75 watt light bulb
• Card board egg carton
• Metal tape
• Sheetrock cutting knife

Instructions

1. Line the Styrofoam cooler with aluminum foil. Tape the aluminum foil into place with the metal tape. Tape all of the places where the aluminum foil overlaps or bends. Make sure that the foil is completely attached to the inside of the cooler.

2. Cut the top off of the egg carton. Place the bottom portion of the egg carton into the cooler on top of the foil. Make sure that the bottom of the egg carton is touching the aluminum foil on the bottom of the cooler. You will place your eggs in the carton to keep them from directly touching the aluminum foil.

3. Cut a 14-by-14 inch hole into the center of the top of the cooler. Turn the lid upside-down and line it with aluminum foil.

4. Tape all of the places where the foil overlaps or bends. Attach the foil securely to the lid so that it will not droop once you put on the lid.

5. Clip the clip-on light into the 14-inch square. Do not attach the metal reflective dome to the light before clipping it into the square. You will not need to use it.

6. Screw in the 75-watt light bulb. Plug in the light and allow it to heat for one hour.

7. Place a thermometer on the egg carton bottom. Check the heat. If it is over 100 F, use a lower wattage bulb. If it's too cool, put in a higher wattage bulb. You want to maintain a heat of 95 to 100 F. Once you put your eggs into the incubator, you will need to check the temperature regularly.

8. Cut the 14-by-14 inch piece that you cut from the top into four even pieces that are 7-by-7 inches wide. You can use the pieces in the corners to lift the lid for ventilation if the temperature inside gets too hot.

Tips & Warnings

• Check with local farmers to get your eggs before ordering from online companies. Most companies make you order at least 24 eggs. You can buy one or more from a local farmer, and you'll be able to see how healthy the chickens are at their farm.

• Carefully monitor the temperature the first 24 hours that you have the eggs in the incubator. You do not want to overheat the eggs or let them get too cool.

References

• Backyard Chickens: Steve's Homemade Incubator