How to Create an Egg Incubator for Wild Bird Eggs

Co-authored by Roger J. Lederer, PhD

Last Updated: June 24, 2024 Approved

If you want to hatch some wild bird eggs that you've found but don't have the money for a professional incubator, you can easily create one from household items. Once you've assembled the incubator, you'll be ready to prep the eggs for hatching. Be careful, though! Technically it is against the law in many places to touch wild birds and nests (research your local and federal laws before moving forward).

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Assembling the Incubator

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Lay a small, soft cloth on the bottom of the box. Roll up two rags like a burrito and lay them together in the box to form a circle or a ring in the middle. The width of the ring will depend on how many eggs you have and how large they are.^{[1]
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Buy a bag of feathers from your local craft store. Use the feathers to line the cloth ring in the middle of the box. Feathers store heat well, and will help the eggs stay warm.

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The number depends on how large the stuffed animals are and how much room you have in the box. Arrange them around the circumference of the circle to enclose the egg more for warmth. Make sure the stuffed animals are big enough to press against the sides of the shoebox and push the rags and feathers closer to the eggs.
Place it in the corner of the box to prevent spills. Refill the water daily or as the water level goes down with evaporation. Check the water at least twice a day.^{[2]
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Find a small heat lamp. Look for an inexpensive one at charity shops or garage sales. For a high-quality lamp, shop at your local pet supply store. Buy a lamp with an adjustable neck that you can reposition to achieve the ideal temperature.^{[3]
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- Make sure the heat lamp does not touch any of the flammable materials in the nest box, as this could cause a fire.
Digital readouts make it easier to track temperatures to the tenth of a degree. You'll need this kind of precision when incubating eggs. Look for these instruments in any big box store. Many locations sell single devices that measure both temperature and humidity.^{[4]
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Position the lamp so that the light is shining into the box. Place the thermometer and humidity gauge in the location you'll place the eggs. Aim for a temperature of about 98.6 °F (37.0 °C) and a humidity level between 55 and 70 percent.^{[5]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Incubating the Eggs

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Determine the species of your eggs. This will help you to recreate the ideal temperature and humidity level. Take the eggs to your local extension office for identification. You can also visit several online resources, such as:
- The Audubon Society's Guide to North American Birds (U.S., Canada, Mexico)^{[6]
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- The Woodland Trust (UK)
- The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Sialis^{[7]
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Lay them in the washcloth ring you set up. Place them side by side. Don't lay them on top of each other. Otherwise, you could break them during rotation.
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Put the box in indirect sunlight. Sunlight provides more warmth without lowering the humidity. Keep the box out of direct sunlight, which could raise the temperature to dangerous levels. You could put the box in a west-facing window in the morning or an east-facing window in the afternoon. If the weather is warm enough, put the box outside in a semi-shaded spot out of the reach of predators during the day.
- Depending on the species of the bird, longer periods of daylight might make your eggs hatch a bit sooner.^{[8]
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  Research lab of Cornell University dedicated to interpreting and conserving the Earth's biological diversity through research and education about birds
  
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Turn off the heat lamp if the temperature goes above 101 °F (38 °C). Keep it off until the temperature drops to the ideal level. If you notice the heat getting too high on a regular basis, try repositioning the lamp.^{[9]
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The exact level depends on the species you're incubating.^{[10]
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Don't spin them, just turn them. You could buy a mechanical egg rotator at your local farm supply store. However, if you're around the incubator regularly, you can rotate the eggs by hand. How often you need to rotate them depends on the species, but the average rate is about two rotations per hour.^{[11]
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National Audubon Society
Nonprofit environmental organization focused on conservation, citizen science, and public science education

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Most species can handle cool temperatures as low as 61 °F (16 °C), so it shouldn't hurt the eggs if you switch off the lamp when you go to sleep. Replacing the lid will help to lock in some heat overnight. Just remember to remove the lid and turn the heat lamp back on in the morning. Set a reminder for yourself to be on the safe side.
Unfortunately, the chances of successfully hatching wild bird eggs an incubator are low. Natural incubation by the parent birds is a complex process that is very difficult to recreate.^{[12]
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How can I know if there is anything in the egg?

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If you candle it -- put a flashlight up to the egg in a dark room to see what is happening inside it -- you should be able to see something in it. It is easier to tell if the egg is older because you can tell if the baby inside is moving or not.

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If the wild egg is cold, will it still have a chance to survive?

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It depends on how long the egg has been cold for. The longer it has been cold for, the less likely it will be to survive. If it has been cold for only a very short period of time, however, it may survive.

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Is there anything I can substitute for a heating lamp?

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A heating lamp is ideal, as nothing else can replicate the temperature it provides. If you don't have one, you could try a regular lamp, or a heated blanket to keep it warm.

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Tips

Before you put the feathers in, put dried out moss and THEN the feathers for trapped heat.

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This article is about incubating wild bird eggs. If you want to incubate chicken eggs, check out Make a Simple Homemade Incubator for Chicks on wikiHow.

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If you want, you can buy a temperature controller for the incubator at your local farm supply store or online at auction sites like eBay. Set the temperature. The controller turns the lamp on or off to keep the incubator within the ideal range.

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The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Check to make sure the egg holds a viable chick by holding it up against a flashlight. A viable egg will have veins, or even a heartbeat.
Make sure you don't spill the cup of water on the eggs, since they need to stay nice and warm.
Wood ducks are the hardest to raise. Don't feel bad if yours doesn't make it.

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Warnings

Remember that the birds' lives are on the line. Don't just throw an incubator together. Make it efficient.

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Always wash your hands after handling the eggs.

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If you live in a country that was part of the Soviet Union between 1917 and 1991, you might still be subject to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Check your national statues for clarification.

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