Chook Me!

Any chicken lovers out there? I want to know if it is possible to incubate a chicken egg with a heat lamp.?

I was just wanting to hatch one, I had a baby chick that was my pet and a chicken hawk ate her, so I wanted to try without a incubator, because I can't afford one. and i would like to have another one for a pet. I know it sounds strange but someone has had to of tried it.

Public Comments

1. you have to keep the egg at about 91 degrees farenheit and turn it every day.
2. it would be difficult. it has to have the correct temp. most incubators are made out of styrofoam type coolers. you could get a book or even look on the internet for how to build one. they use regular lightbulbs too. also you have to turn the egg every day and it takes 21 days. check with your local 4-h club organizer to see if they have any incubators to loan out. most do. a lot of ppl use them for school projects so someone somewhere near you should have one to use. uh also -- important -- you need a fertilized egg that has not been chilled. go visit a local farmer for one.
3. Sure that is how most reaise chickens. It does have to be a fertile egg. Without an incubator, forget it the teperature wouldn't be right..........xx
4. not sure, but seems like you could
5. just to let you know...that one egg most likley wont hatch. 1 in 4 eggs hatch. you could hatch 4 but 4 might turn up! or maybe 3 or 2 or 1! you never know
6. There is more to hatching an egg then keeping it warm. You also have to turn it and keep the humidity and temperature constant. If you can do this with a heat lamp then yes the eggs will hatch. If not, no they wont. First I will discuss getting the egg. To hatch a chick you need to get an egg or eggs that are fertile. You can get them from a local farmer or buy them from a hatchery or other place that sells fertile eggs. Make sure the eggs have never been in a place less than 40 degrees. If it has then the egg embryo will have died. Also make sure that they are not keep in a place around 90 degrees because then the chick may have started to develop and died because it was incubated improperly. After you get the egg keep it at around 50-60 degrees in a safe place. Do not wash them because eggshells are permeable and can therefore take in harmful bacteria easier if they get wet. Do not keep the eggs over 10 days before incubation. If you do the rate of hatching will drop to almost zero and if the chicks do hatch they will most likely will have a heath problem. After you finish your eggs it is time to move onto the incubator. The incubator has two jobs. Keep the temperature and humidity proper. You can also get one that turns the eggs but I am guessing that you don’t want that since you say you don’t wish to buy an incubator. First you don’t have to buy an incubator you can make one. Here are a few great sites. http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/eggs/res20-incubator.html http://ohioline.osu.edu/b633/b633_9.html http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/poultry_make_incubator.html Pick one that you like or look around for another that you think is better for your needs. After you have an incubator there are a few things for you to do Keep the temperature constant- Find a temperature anywhere from 99-104 degrees and keep it. Changing the temp dramatically for even a small amount of time like 15 minuets can kill the embryo. Keep the humidity constant- Keep the humidity 60-65 (83-88 wet bulb) At hatching time increase the humidity to 70-75 (92-97 wet bulb). If interested in making a wet bulb thermometer check out http://www.tifton.uga.edu/tobacco/wetbulb.htm Turning the eggs- you will have to turn the eggs three times a day to make sure that the chick doesn’t get stuck to the side of a shell. During days 18-24 (hatching time) don’t turn the eggs any more. Eggs- first keep in mind that you most likely aren’t going to be able to purchase a single egg. Besides even if you could get one egg the chances of you hatching out that one chick is slim. So don’t count your chickens before they hatch. You may want to check out this site. It is a three-egg incubator for 20 dollars plus shipping. http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/mini_dome_incubator.html They also sell chicks if you just want to buy birds instead of hatching the chicks. Hope this helps,
7. this is wat ma dad did bac in da day....he got a box, and placed sum cloths on the bottom to kinda keep the eggs warm...them the placed the eggs on top, side by side and on top of the box, he put a light bulb...i think it was 2 light bulbs..then he did get sum chicks from dat....it was a home made incubator...if u search online...u may find sum ways of making ur own incubator