Yes, you can. The best way is also the oldest: a broody hen. Here is how to do it well, and what to know before trying a homemade setup.
By the IncubatorPro team · Updated 30 September 2026
Option 1: a broody hen (best)
A broody hen sits on eggs for 21 days, turning them and keeping them at the right warmth and humidity without electricity. Indigenous breeds such as Potchefstroom Koekoek and many village chickens go broody readily.
Signs she is broody: she stays on the nest day and night, puffs up and growls when you come close.
Give her a safe nest in a quiet, dark corner, away from other hens and predators, with feed and water nearby.
Set only what she can cover: usually 10–15 chicken eggs.
Mark the eggs so you can remove any new ones other hens lay in her nest.
Leave her alone and let her hatch and raise the chicks.
Option 2: a homemade warm box
Without a hen, eggs need an electric heat source controlled by a thermostat, plus water for humidity and turning by hand. That is a homemade incubator; see our guide on how to make an incubator. It can work for a few eggs, but expect a lower hatch rate than a proper machine.
Methods that do not work
Hot water bottles, blankets and heating pads without a thermostat: the temperature swings too much over 21 days.
Body heat (keeping eggs in your pocket or bra): human skin is below incubation temperature, and you cannot hold it for three weeks.
Without electricity it is a hen or nothing; paraffin and candle methods are a fire risk and hard to control.
When to get an incubator
A broody hen hatches a dozen chicks when she decides to. If you want to hatch hundreds of chicks on your schedule, for meat, layers or to sell, an automatic incubator is the tool. Our smallest small incubators hold 360 eggs.
When you are ready for an incubator
Every model has automatic turning, digital temperature and humidity control and a 2-year warranty. Pay cash on delivery or by EFT.
