Home breeding of chickens has recently become a widespread practice, especially since people have become aware of the poor living conditions of these animals on intensive farms. Furthermore, raising chicks is a fun project that involves the whole family. Although the cost of a professional incubator is quite high, be aware that it is not that difficult to build one at home. Most likely you already have all the materials you need.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Making the Incubator
Step 1. Drill a hole in the end of a styrofoam cooler
The hole must contain a light bulb and its socket. Insert the bulb holder of any lamp and screw a 25 watt bulb into it. Put electrical tape around the hole and over the light holder, both inside and outside the refrigerator. This detail is very important to reduce the risk of fire.
You can use a small box as well, but the Styrofoam fridge works best because it is insulating
Step 2. Divide the inside of the container into two sections
You can use wire mesh or other rigid material to circumscribe a separate area from where the light bulb is. By doing this you protect the chicks from burns.
Optional detail: you can make a double floor by placing wire mesh slightly raised from the bottom. This will make it easier to clean the incubator of droppings when the chicks are born
Step 3. Add a digital thermometer and hygrometer
Place them inside the incubator in the space dedicated to eggs. Since the main job of the container is to keep both temperature and humidity constant, buy high-quality measuring instruments that are very accurate.
Step 4. Add a bowl of water
This will be the source of moisture inside the incubator. Also put a sponge on, so you can easily adjust the amount of water.
Step 5. Cut out an inspection window on the fridge lid
Use the glass of a photo frame as a reference to evaluate how large the inspection opening should be. Remember that it should be slightly smaller than the glass itself. Finally, secure the piece of glass on the lid using duct tape.
Optional detail: create a "hinge" on the fridge lid by attaching only one side with masking tape
Step 6. Give it a try
Before putting the eggs inside, turn on the light bulb and monitor the temperature and humidity for about a day; then make the necessary adjustments to these two factors until they reach ideal levels. The eggs should remain at 37.5 ° C for the duration of the hatching. The optimal level of humidity varies, it should be between 40 and 50% in the first 18 days and then between 65 and 75% in the last 4.
- To reduce the temperature, drill holes in the sides of the container. If you find that this lowers the amount of heat inside the incubator too much, close a few holes with tape.
- As for humidity, you just need to absorb some water with the sponge to lower it or add more liquid to increase it.
Step 7. Place the eggs in the incubator
It is essential that they are fertilized, the ones you find in the supermarket will not hatch. If you don't already have chickens and a rooster, then you need to go to a local farmer to get fertilized eggs. Arrange all the eggs close together so they can maintain a constant temperature.
- The quality of the eggs depends on the state of health of the hens that laid them. For this reason, before purchasing on a farm, ask the farmer to be able to visit the chicken coop. Free-range animals are always healthier than those kept in batteries.
- The optimal hatching rate is between 50 and 85%.
- Laying hens are typically smaller and are raised for egg production. Those that are destined for slaughter are treated precisely to increase in size. They are generally larger animals that grow relatively quickly. However, remember that there are chickens that are raised with a dual purpose. Ask the farmer for more details to find out which variety he is breeding.
Part 2 of 2: Place the Eggs in the Incubator
Step 1. Keep track of time and vital statistics
Chicken eggs hatch after 21 days of hatching, so you need to know exactly when you put them in the incubator. In addition, you must also write down the temperature and humidity values.
Step 2. Turn the eggs
Rotate them a quarter or half turn three times a day for the first 18 days, so that the side up is always different. Mark one side of each egg with an "X" and the other with an "O" to know which side is facing up.
Step 3. After the first week do candling, to distinguish the fertile ones from the "dead" ones
You have to hold each egg in front of a bright light while you are in a dark room. At this point look at the egg, you should be able to see the inside. You can purchase a specific tool for this, but in most cases a small powerful flashlight will suffice. If you find any dead or unfertilized eggs, remove them from the incubator.
- If you have decided to use a flashlight, the lens should be small enough so that the light beam is directed towards the egg.
- Alternatively, you can make a craft tool by placing a desk lamp inside a cardboard box. This must have a small round hole on the top. Place the egg in the hole and turn on the light.
- You will have to rotate it gently to better observe its contents.
- A live embryo is shaped like a black spot with blood vessels radiating from it.
- A dead embryo appears as a ring or streak of blood inside the shell.
- Eggs that have not been fertilized light up completely because they do not contain any embryos.
Step 4. Pay attention to the noises of the chicks that are about to be born
On the twenty-first day, the chicks "tap" the shells to breathe after breaking the air pocket. Check them carefully after this stage, as it will take up to 12 hours for them to fully emerge from their shells.
