Chook Me!

farmers how do u get an incubator ready for chicken eggs?

iv got the incubator(home made cardboard box) my eggs r comin in 3 days wat do i do to get the incubator ready

Public Comments

1. your buying the eggs? or you got laying hens? if you got the hens just let them manual incubate if you dont buy a incubator for chickens they are like 100 bucks of ebay
2. we also have an incubator but it is not made of cardboard box. you must keep a thermometer inside the incubator. the temperature should always be 100 degrees Farenheit. you also have to put water in the incubator so that the eggs won't dry up. cover the floor of the incubator with something soft so that the eggs will be in place when you put them there. remember to rotate the eggs at least once a day.
3. If it's a home made one, assuming you've got some sort of temp/ thermostat fitted your immediate concern is to make sure the heater is safe and doesn't scorch the cardboard and to recognise that your temperature may fluctuate quite widely due to the outside day / night/ sun / shade. Best to switch it on a day or two early to let it warm up and you can start to regulate it. It's normal to put a wet sponge in to create some humidity. mark your eggs with a X and a 0 on opposite sides and turn them, at least so they rest on alternate sides over night. If and when they hatch let them dry off and don't worry about them feeding immediately, the yolk sac absorption will last them for approx. the first 24 hrs. Some people make this into an exacting science but think of mother hen, she puts up with the various temps., uneven turning etc. so don't get too paranoid about it.