Incubating eggs could be a fun activity for yourself and even your children. You can do it at home with just an electric frying pan and following some simple steps. The most important part of incubating eggs in a frying pan is making sure they maintain the right temperature. In as little as three weeks, if done correctly, you will see tiny chicks hatching out of your eggs.
EditSteps
EditSetting up the Electric Frying Pan
- Choose an electric frying pan with a glass lid and ventilation. Purchase an electric frying pan large enough to house the number of eggs you want to incubate. You can find one online or at your local department store.
- Purchase a frying pan with a glass lid so you’re able to monitor your eggs while the lid is still on it.
- Look for frying pans with temperature control. Some frying pans only have a single setting with an on/off switch. Choose one that enables you to select the temperature setting you want.[1]
- Eggs shells are porous and require ventilation. Make sure your frying pan has holes on the lid that allows fresh air to circulate so fetuses can breathe.[2]
- Clean the frying pan. It is important to wash your electric frying pan in order to prevent the spread of bacteria to your fertile eggs. First, wipe down any dust or debris with a dry cloth. Then, use a damp cloth with dish soap to clean the inside and lid before incubating.[3]
- Allow the incubator to dry thoroughly before plugging it in for use.
- Choose a liner and place it in the bottom of the incubator for bedding. You have many options for bedding for your eggs. You can line it with a washcloth, drawer liner, wood shavings, or hay. Whichever liner you choose, place an even layer at the bottom of the pan, making sure you save enough room to put the eggs and lid on top.[4]
- If you use a washcloth, make sure it is damp. You can accomplish this by wetting it and squeezing out the excess water. This will help maintain needed moisture in your pan.
- Place the incubator in a cool area. Maintaining the correct temperature during incubation is very important. You’ll want to place the incubator in an area where it will receive as little room-temperature change as possible.[5]
- Do not put the incubator near a window where it will receive direct sunlight. This could increase the temperature of the eggs in the incubator and ultimately kill the embryo.
- If possible, do the incubation in your basement. This area of the house will provide constant temperature and humidity.
- Maintain a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The acceptable range for the incubator is between 97 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Use the temperature setting your frying pan to make sure it stays within that range. Be very careful to maintain this temperature in order to achieve success.[6]
- If the temperature drops below 96 degrees or rises about 103 degrees, your egg may not hatch. If the temperature is too high, you may end up cooking the eggs. If it is too low, you will slow their metabolic rate.
- Use a wet bulb thermometer to measure humidity. The humidity of the incubator should be 60 to 65 percent, with an increase to about 75 percent during the last 3 days. You can purchase a wet bulb thermometer online or at most poultry supply companies.[7]
- You can also use a hydrometer to measure the humidity.
- If your incubator is not humid enough, try adding a wet sponge or small glass bowl of water to the pan to help bring more moisture into the environment.
- Test the frying pan before starting the incubation process. To make sure your electric frying pan is working, try it over a 24 to 48-hour period before starting your incubation. Check the temperature and humidity several times a day to make sure it is able to stay steady.[8]
EditCaring for the Eggs during Incubation
- Obtain fertile eggs. In order for this to work, you need to have the right eggs. The eggs you find at your local supermarket will not work, as they are not fertile. You can get fertile eggs from a hatchery or a local poultry farm.[9]
- Wash your hands thoroughly. You should always wash your hands before handling fertile eggs. This will keep any bacteria from potentially transferring to the eggs or their environment.
- There is no need to wash your eggs unless they are heavily soiled. If this is the case, use warm water and mild detergent and scrub lightly. Heavy scrubbing can result in damage to the egg and push bacteria into the pores of the egg.
- Place the eggs in the incubator on their sides. Incubated eggs should be lying on their sides. When placing the eggs, position them so that the more pointed end is facing down and the larger, more rounded end is up in the air. This is important as the embryos can become misaligned if the pointed end is higher and may have difficulty breaking through the shell when it comes time to hatch.[10]
- Rotate the eggs 90 to 180 degrees 3 times a day. The purpose of turning the eggs is to keep the developing embryos floating freely within the egg whites. If you leave the eggs in just one position, the embryos will adhere to the shell membranes, resulting in their death. A hen rotates its eggs several times each day, so you should do the same.[11]
- Turn the eggs an odd number of times (3, 5, or 7 times per day) so the position that is up the longest at night will alternate.
- When you turn the eggs, move them to a different part of the pan to protect them from temperature variation.
- Carefully mark the date or an “X” on each egg with a permanent marker so you know whether they have been turned.
- Candle the eggs after 7-10 days. Candling is the process of using a light source to view how well the embryo is developing. You can do this by going into a dark room and shining a flashlight into the egg. The embryo will look like a cloudy mass. It will increase in size as you near the hatch date.[12]
- Discard the egg after 16 days if no embryo is visible, as the egg will not hatch.
- When candling also look for problem signs, such as blood rings, which indicate the embryo has died and the blood vessels have separated from it.[13]
EditHatching the Eggs
- Leave the eggs untouched 3 days before hatching. Three days prior to the estimated hatch date, stop turning the eggs and leave them as is. This is called the “lockdown” period. It is important not to bother the eggs during this period because the egg yolk is beginning to be absorbed into the chick's body. Touching the egg during this time may disturb the process.[14]
- Chicken eggs usually hatch within 21 days. Ducks and turkeys take 28 days to hatch.
- Increase the humidity level in the electric frying pan. Three days prior to hatching, the humidity should be at 70 percent. You can achieve this by adding more water to the sponge or glass bowl.[15]
- During these final days, do not open the incubator unless absolutely necessary.
- Decrease temperature to 95 degrees after the chicks hatch. Decrease the temperature and leave the frying pan closed until after eggs hatch. After the chicks hatch, they can survive in the incubator for up to 3 days. This allows them to dry off and fluff up before removing them.
- The chicks will be okay in the pan because they are able to survive on the yolk they absorb during the hatching process.[16]
EditVideo
EditTips
- Be patient. The length of the incubation period depends on the type of eggs you are trying to hatch. Research incubation times before starting the process so you know how long you expect incubation to be.
- Mark one side of the egg with an "X" and the other with an "O" so that you don't get confused when turning the eggs.
EditThings You'll Need
- Electric frying pan
- Wet bulb thermometer or hydrometer
- Fertile eggs
- Pan liner of your choice (straw, washcloth, drawer liner, wood shavings)
- Permanent marker
- Sponge
EditReferences
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