From Egg To Chick:
Constructing The Incubator
An incubator for a science project need not be as
elaborately constructed as a commercial
incubator. Plans for two still-air incubators are
given in this circular. One can be made from
cardboard boxes and glass and the other from plywood
(or similar material) and glass.
Don't expect 100 percent success in hatching eggs
in these or any other incubators. Commercial
hatcheries with all their highly automatic and
specialized equipment do not average much more than
an 80 percent hatch of all the eggs they
incubate. You probably should not count on hatching
more than 50 percent, and you may not even succeed
in hatching 50 percent.
A CARDBOARD BOX INCUBATOR
1
The following supplies are needed to construct an
inexpensive cardboard box incubator which will
hold three dozen or more eggs:
Two cardboard boxes, one 16"
(40.6 cm) wide x 20" (50.8 cm) long x 12-1/2"
(31.8 cm) high, the other 14" (35.6 cm)
wide x 18" (45.7 cm) long x 13" (33.0 cm) (or
more) high Single-strength pane of glass
16" (40.6 cm) x 20" (50.8 cm) 1/4" (0.6 cm) mesh welded
hardware cloth 18" (45.7 cm) x 22" (55.9 cm) Commercial heating unit or
porcelain socket and light bulb Cake tin (water pan) 1-1/2" (3.8
cm) deep x approximately 9" (22.8 cm) x 14"
(35.6 cm) Glue Masking or scotch tape Newspapers Two brooding or incubator
thermometers
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Top view of a cardboard box incubator. The
drawings on this and the following page will
show you how to construct the box. (Courtesy of
E. A. Schano, Cornell University.) (Fig. 1)
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The incubator is made in the following manner:
Place the smaller box inside the
larger one. The inner box should be higher
than the outer box and approximately 2 inches
(5 cm) smaller in both length and width. Mark a line on the inside box
approximately 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) below the
level of the outside box. Use a yardstick to
make a straight line on the inner box after it
is removed from the outer box. 
Cut off the top of the inside
box along the line made in step number
2.
Use cut-away pieces of the
inside box to line the bottoms of both the
inner and outer boxes where the flaps do not
meet. If there are no cut-away pieces, use
pieces from a third box. Put glue on the bottom of the
inner box arid then center the inner box in
the outer one. There should be a 1-inch (2.5
cm) space between the sides of the
boxes. Secure the inner box until the glue
dries. 
Mark a line on the flaps of the
outside box where they come in contact with
the inner edge of the inside box.
 Cut off the flaps of the outside
box along the lines drawn in step number
6. Cut the corner pieces on a diagonal so that
they will make a neat, flat corner.
Stuff strips of newspaper
lightly into the space between the boxes. Do
not bulge the sides of the incubator. Wood
shavings, excelsior, or styrofoam can be used
in place of the newspaper strips.
Use tin snips to cut a 2-inch (5
cm) square from each corner of the 1/4 inch
(.6 cm) mesh hardware cloth, then bend the
projecting pieces of the screen down so that
they form legs to support the screen.
Place the cake tin, which will
cover about onehalf of the surface area of the
inside box, under the hardware cloth
screen. Install the commercial heating
element as directed in the instructions sent
with the unit. If you use an electric light
for heat, mount the porcelain socket on a
board 6 inches (15 cm) square, then place the
mounting board on the screen. Next, place a
tube of cardboard around the light. Position
the tube so that it surrounds the light and
stands like a chimney, but to reduce the
fire hazard do not let it come in contact with
either the light bulb or the covering
glass. An oatmeal box makes a good tube. 
Tape the flaps of the outer box
to the sides of the inner box. This seals the
area in which the insulating material was
placed.
A PLYWOOD INCUBATOR 2
The following materials are needed:
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End view of a plywood incubator. Note the tin
vent covers for control of humidity and
temperature. Glass viewing top is sealed at
the sides with masking tape. (Courtesy of John
Bezpa, Rutgers University.) (Fig. 2)
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Side view of the plywood box incubator shown
in Fig. 2 (Courtesy of John Bezpa, Rutgers
University.) (Fig. 3)
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You may construct the incubator according to the
size desired. It can be a small one for only a few
eggs, or it can be a somewhat larger one which will
hold several dozen eggs. The larger the incubator, the
more difficult it will be to maintain a uniform
temperature in it. In fact, you may find it important
in the larger incubator to put in a small fan (3- or
4-inch (7- or 10- cm) blade or smaller) with a low
revolving rate. For details concerning the
construction of a small incubator for about 24 eggs,
see Figs. 2 and 3.
OTHER SOURCES OF INCUBATORS
Some of the companies which manufacture small
incubators and incubator parts are:
Brower Mfg. Co., Quincy,
Illinois.
(Incubators, incubator thermometers, and
circuit breakers.)
Fleet Mfg. Co., P.O. Box 649,
Glendale, California.
(Small incubators.)
Lyon Rural Electric Co.,
P.O. Box 30, 2075 Moore Street, San Diego,
California 92112.
(Incubators, incubator
thermometers, thermostats, and midget incubator
kits.)
Montgomery Ward & Co., Chicago,
Illinois 60607.
(Farm catalog: Small incubators,
incubator thermometers, and thermostats.)
National Agricultural Supply
Co., Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin.
(Small
incubators.)
Sears Roebuck & Co., Chicago,
Illinois 60607.
(Suburban-Farm Supplies and
Fencing Catalog: Small incubators, thermometers,
and thermostats.)
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