BackYard Chickens › Coop Designs › Lolliegee's Chicken Incubator

Lolliegee's Chicken Incubator

Lolliegee
By: Lolliegee
Posted 2/23/09 • Last updated 2/23/09 • 22322 views • 3 comments
Lolliegee's Page
 
 Here's my submission for the Incubator Contest:
 
I started with Bock_Bock's idea for modifying an aquarium. I don't really expect to win, just thought it was kinda cool. I started out by trying to use the original lid and lights for the aquarium. It had two 25 watt bulbs but they just didn't warm things up enough. I ended up getting an adjustable desk lamp ($11 and change from Wal-Mart) that holds a 60 watt bulb. I covered the top with heavy clear vinyl and cut a hole out for the light and another smaller hole so I could adjust the humidity. I also covered the back and sides with bubble wrap to insulate slightly from the room temperature. (We heat with a wood stove and occasionally forget to close the flue and get things too warm.) In the 2nd picture, I outlined the humidity hole in blue because it wasn't very visible in the picture. Also, sitting there is a piece of vinyl to put over the hole when I need to increase the humidity. My humidity runs about 58-63, but since I'm hatching duck eggs, I'm okay with that. If I were doing chicken eggs, I would've cut another hole.
 
So anyway, here it is. If I was going to be doing a lot of hatching, I probably would've just bought one, but since, for now, I only have room for a small flock, this is all I plan to do. I also bought the thermometer ($10 and change, also from Wal-Mart) and submersible aquarium heater ($24), but one of my fish tanks needs a new heater anyway, so I don't count that as an expense for this.
 
 
Incubator 1
 
 
 
Incubator 2
 
 
 Thought you all might like to see an update with 2 of the duckies hatched...All 6 successfully hatched (well, actually, I started with 8, but one was infertile and one died within the first few days). I'm totally amazed at how well this worked and that all 6 of the viable eggs actually hatched. They look almost dead in the first pic, but they're just tuckered out, the poor things...Hatching is hard work!!
 
 


Duckies011.jpg


Comments (3)

kenchirole 4/26/12 at 6:39am
nice work there!
lacasapollo2013 5/5/13 at 7:48am
i did the same thing but i changed alil bit bc the tank was so big i cut floor carpet insulation and glued them to the sides to help with the heat an i put a window by the light so i could see in...i cut a piece of plywood to fit the top an be snug inside...it works great an its keeping the temp around 89 to 92 degrees...i used a 75 watt bulb also
BackYard Chickens › Coop Designs › Lolliegee's Chicken Incubator