BackYard Chickens › Coop Designs › Kingmt's Chicken Incubator

Kingmt's Chicken Incubator

kingmt
By: kingmt
Posted 09/28/09 • Last updated 09/28/09 • 17061 views • 1 comment
The Incuabator
I didn't try to stay cheap on this project because I was in a hurry to get it completed.
The shopping list:
Lowes
1/2" x 10' SCH 40 PVC $1.22
1/2" SCH 40 PVC TEE 10 pack $2.52
1/2"SCH 40 ELBOW 10 pack $2.52
Water Heater Thermostat $8.48
 Lampholder $1.39 x2 $2.78
Walmart
48 US QT IGLOO Cooler $18.88
Local Hardware
Small Odd Screws ~$6.00
BUILD SHEET
 1/2" SCH 40 PVC 2 3/4" x2
1/2" SCH 40 PVC 3 1/2" x5
1/2" SCH 40 PVC  5 1/16" x4
1/2" SCH PVC 5 1/2"
1/2" SCH PVC 11"
1/2" SCH PVC 21"
1/2" SCH PVC Elbow x10
1/2" SCH PVC Tee x6
Lampholder x2
light bulbs x2
Fan x2 (Mine are 110V)
 Thermasat
Hydrometer
Themometer
Water pan
Hardware Cloth
Cooler
AB foam
1/4" x 1" Plex (spacer)
Plexi Glass
Rivets
Jar For Water (I have 5)
Pot of Coffee x3 (It was a long night)
 I removed the top from the cooler to make it easer to work.  I built the cradel for the eggs out of the PVC parts & drilled the pivit holes in the cooler (See pictures).  I was afraid the PVC being open to the outside of the box & soundring the eggs would lower the accuracy so I filled the pivet pices with AB foam.
 
I built a snake for the wireing out of the other pieces of cut PVC.
  
I mounted the thermastat & sensors on the opsite side from the heat sorces & made a hole where it could be adjusted from the outside of the box.  The sensor hooks to my PC to tell me the temp & humidity.  The Watchport can monitor the enviroment with set peramiters & email, call, or page me, & has a audbile alarm if the enviroment changes beond those specs.
30014_100_2636.jpg 
30014_100_2637.jpg
 30014_100_2649.jpg
prd_usb_watchportsensor_lg.jpg
I installed two lamps & two fans incase one fails I will not loose the whole cluch.
30014_100_2641.jpg
I ran into a problem with my soldering gun.  The batteries were dead so I got side tracted.
30014_100_2639.jpg
(Warning: Before completing, this step should be modified from how I did it.)
I cut out a hole to mount plexi glass in, riveted in place & drilled holes to fill with AB foam.30014_100_2655.jpg
30014_100_2656.jpg

I cut too close to the sides & should have stoped on the shallow parts of the ridges & riveted them also.  Maybe too much AB foam also.
 
I will probley fire it up tomarrow & see how it works.
I am changing the bulbs out to incacndescent.  The flowerscent will work but I think incandescent would be better.  I think it would recover from heat loose faster & I dont know how the high humitity would affect the flowerscent.
I added some vent holes.
30014_100_2663.jpg 30014_100_2664.jpg
I used baby food jars for humitity & a few rocks to help stabelize heat.
30014_100_2669.jpg
 This is the part I cut from the top & I'm useing it to stop direct heat from the lights.
30014_100_2668.jpg
These were my volanters to test the habitat.
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Here is a look at my software.  It tells me if something goes wrong.
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I will be putting these guys in tomarrow.  Wish me luck.
30014_100_2673.jpg
There is so many pictures that this page would go forever.  The things that are still in the works are: I need to find me a new heat deflector that goes all the way across (I made one out of metal but it made it hard to control heat), build a auto egg turner (gears are turning in my head), & I need to find a better way to control humitity.  I hate to add a humistat but I don't know what else to do.
I'm sorry if you have to read through a lot of spelling errors but thats not one of my strong points.  If you have any suggestions for improvement please let me know.
 
Please check out my Chicken Pluckin Page !

Comments (1)

Sphynxcrazy 9/17/12 at 5:41pm
very nice!! So the turner's edge rest on the bottom each time its turned??
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