How to Wire an Egg Incubator

Incubators are boxes in which a constant heat is maintained in order to hatch the eggs of birds and reptiles. Incubators are normally used to hatch the eggs of poultry, but can be designed to hatch eggs from any bird species, including those from the giant flightless birds, such as the ostrich and the emu. Incubators can also be designed to hatch the eggs of reptiles. An important aspect of any incubator is the heat source, which in most DIY egg incubators is supplied by a light bulb. Many bird and reptile breeders will design and wire their own incubators.

• 1

  Place a thick towel on a clean, smooth work surface. Place the incubator, front side down, on the towel.

• 2

  Hold the light socket against the rear panel of the plywood incubator and mark the area that it covers.

• 3

  Cut out a hole with the hole saw just large enough for the threaded connector to fit through, over the area that you have just marked. Turn the box onto its base. Push the threaded connector through the hole in the side of the incubator. Loosely tighten the corresponding threaded connector nut on the outside of the incubator.

• 4

  Feed the electrical flax through the threaded connector.

• 5

  Separate the first 2-1/4 inches of the electrical wire by gently pulling the wires apart. Strip 3/4 of an inch of the plastic insulation off the ends of each of the two pieces of wire, using wire strippers. Twist the exposed wire at the end of each of the two pieces. Loosen the two screws on the socket, using a screwdriver. Push the exposed wires into the demarcated socket holders. The wire with the ridges is the ground, and the smooth wire is the hot wire. Tighten the screws with the screwdriver. Pull any excess electrical cord back through the threaded connector.

• 6

  Secure the light socket onto the threaded connector with its corresponding nut, on the inside of the incubator.

• 7

  Tighten the connector nut on the outside of the incubator.

• 8

  Place a 100-watt light bulb into the connector socket.

• 9

  Push the three-prong plug into a wall power source and switch it on. Allow the temperature in the incubator 24 hours to stabilize before adding any eggs.