Home >> Science & Nature >> Animals & Science

How to Hatch a Chicken Egg With a Lamp

Eggs from the local supermarket shelf are unfertilized and will not hatch under any circumstances. Fertile eggs can be obtained from a hatchery or poultry farm and must be incubated within a few days of being laid. Properly stored in a warm environment, and by rotating daily, eggs can be kept for a longer period of time. At home, the egg must reach 100 degrees to begin the embryo´s growth into a chick. This can be accomplished without an expensive incubator -- starting with an inexpensive household lamp.

Things You'll Need

Fertilized egg
Lamp
Knife
Heating thermostat
Screwdriver
30-quart Styrofoam cooler
Small knife
Electrical tape
Wire stripper
Short tube or pipe
120-watt bulb
Pencil

Instructions

Assembly
- 1
  Dismantle the lamp and discard all housing parts until all that remains is the light socket, cord and plug. Locate the live wire at the socket. It will be attached to the brass screw and non-ribbed.
- 2
  Split the cord down the center, using a sharp knife, to separate the live wire from the neutral. Cut the live wire in half, keeping enough wire slack between the bulb and the thermostat so the thermostat can reach the bottom of the chest.
- 3
  Strip the plastic coating from the wire. Wrap the exposed wire ends around the screws of either a store-bought or salvaged heating thermostat. Tighten the screws.
- 4
  Verify that the live wire runs from the plug, through the thermostat and to the bulb. The neutral wire should run directly from the plug to the bulb.
- 5
  Cut a hole large enough for the extension tube to enter the top of the chest. Run the power cord out the tube, leaving the thermostat and socket in the chest.
- 6
  Position the socket far enough away from the top and sides to avoid melting the chest. Fasten in place with electrical tape. Insert a 120-watt light bulb.
- 7
  Poke small air holes into the side of the Styrofoam ice chest. These should allow airflow while not allowing heat to escape.
- 8
  Set the thermostat to 100 degrees. Plug in the bulb. Monitor the temperature to ensure that the unit turns on and off, regulating correctly.
Hatching
- 9
  Pick a dark spot for the hatching box. Avoid placing it near a window or in direct sunlight, which could raise the temperature high enough to kill the embryo.
- 10
  Gently mark the egg on each side with a pencil. The egg should be turned daily, and marking "even" and "odd" will show, at a glance, which day they should be facing up or down.
- 11
  Place a small dish of water in the box with the egg. The heat from the lamp will provide humidity. It is important to keep the eggshell moist or the membrane will dry out.
- 12
  Monitor the temperature inside the box periodically. The egg should feel warm to the touch, and the box should continue to be around 100 degrees.
- 13
  Wait 21 days, the normal incubation period for chickens. After the egg hatches, move the new baby chick to a brooder.

Animals & Science