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homemade incubator questions

post #1 of 8
2/11/12 at 9:04am
Thread Starter 

I made a Cooler Bater and used the hot water heater thermastat.I drilled the holes and all but still got high variance. But I can keep a small pill bottle filled with water warm and hold 100 degrees. should i worry about the variance if the inside of the eggs hold the same temp?

2 Cochin 2 Golden Comet 2 White Leghorns 1 Buff Orp. 4 RIR 4 Barred Rocks 3 Silkies 2 Polish 3 new EE,  and Growing

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2 Cochin 2 Golden Comet 2 White Leghorns 1 Buff Orp. 4 RIR 4 Barred Rocks 3 Silkies 2 Polish 3 new EE,  and Growing

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post #2 of 8
2/11/12 at 9:15am

As long as the temp changes don't last very long, it may be ok. The temp of the air takes quite a while to change the temp inside the egg. When you speak of the pill bottle, do you have a thermometer probe in there?

I live with my partner and our daughter in the foothills of NC. We LOVE our critters!
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I live with my partner and our daughter in the foothills of NC. We LOVE our critters!
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post #3 of 8
2/11/12 at 9:17am
Thread Starter 

yes sorry, i forgot to say i have i probe in the pill bottle of water and another one in the cooler just to monitor the temps.

2 Cochin 2 Golden Comet 2 White Leghorns 1 Buff Orp. 4 RIR 4 Barred Rocks 3 Silkies 2 Polish 3 new EE,  and Growing

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2 Cochin 2 Golden Comet 2 White Leghorns 1 Buff Orp. 4 RIR 4 Barred Rocks 3 Silkies 2 Polish 3 new EE,  and Growing

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post #4 of 8
2/11/12 at 10:38am

I have a few suggestions on your incubator. (I have done the thermostat modification too.)

 

First: The back side of your thermostat should be within 1 1/2 inch away from the bulb.

Second: The light bulb wattage DOES matter. I use 60-75 watt light bulb in my cooler incubator

Third and last: The fan should be placed in a certain way.

 

I have some pictures for Ya.

 

In this picture you can see that the thermostat is within an inch and a half of the bulb.

 

UpdatedCoolerBator 004.JPG

 

Notice the placement of the fan to the light bulb, and the thermostat. It should be this way. The fan should face the light bulb, and the thermostat, but it shouldn't be in any other order. Your fan needs to face the bulb and the thermostat, NOT towards the eggs.

 

UpdatedCoolerBator 005.JPG

 

 

Hope this helps! smile.png  Ask any questions, I enjoy helping with homemade incubators.

In the beginning there was nothing. God said, Let there be light! And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better. Ellen DeGeneres   
also//////// Y'all also need to check out my homemade cooler incubator, my homemade fridge-a-bator, and my cabinet incubator on my BYC page.

 

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/homemade-cabinet-incubator

http://www.backya...

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In the beginning there was nothing. God said, Let there be light! And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better. Ellen DeGeneres   
also//////// Y'all also need to check out my homemade cooler incubator, my homemade fridge-a-bator, and my cabinet incubator on my BYC page.

 

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/homemade-cabinet-incubator

http://www.backya...

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post #5 of 8
2/11/12 at 9:56pm
Thread Starter 

ok i moved my bulb 1 and a half from the thermostat and spaced the fan further out from the cooler wall. Now my i can get it to kick off at 102 and kick back on at 99. Is that workable?

2 Cochin 2 Golden Comet 2 White Leghorns 1 Buff Orp. 4 RIR 4 Barred Rocks 3 Silkies 2 Polish 3 new EE,  and Growing

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2 Cochin 2 Golden Comet 2 White Leghorns 1 Buff Orp. 4 RIR 4 Barred Rocks 3 Silkies 2 Polish 3 new EE,  and Growing

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post #6 of 8
2/12/12 at 9:23am
Thread Starter 

and it seems to be holding steady.

2 Cochin 2 Golden Comet 2 White Leghorns 1 Buff Orp. 4 RIR 4 Barred Rocks 3 Silkies 2 Polish 3 new EE,  and Growing

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2 Cochin 2 Golden Comet 2 White Leghorns 1 Buff Orp. 4 RIR 4 Barred Rocks 3 Silkies 2 Polish 3 new EE,  and Growing

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post #7 of 8
3/17/12 at 6:08pm
Thread Starter 

so far after going into lock down thurs nite my homemade bator has hatched 9 out of 25 eggs one has died and 3 are for sure not fertile!

2 Cochin 2 Golden Comet 2 White Leghorns 1 Buff Orp. 4 RIR 4 Barred Rocks 3 Silkies 2 Polish 3 new EE,  and Growing

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2 Cochin 2 Golden Comet 2 White Leghorns 1 Buff Orp. 4 RIR 4 Barred Rocks 3 Silkies 2 Polish 3 new EE,  and Growing

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post #8 of 8
3/17/12 at 9:10pm

I am sorry that I never replied earlier than lockdown. Good luck. If I were to have answered a little sooner, I would say to adjust the thermostat down a bit, because 98 to 101 is do able. It averages out at 99.5. I wouldn't fret about temperatures now though.

 

By the way, your 99 to 102 temperature reading, Is that air temperature, or pill bottle filled with water temperature.

In the beginning there was nothing. God said, Let there be light! And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better. Ellen DeGeneres   
also//////// Y'all also need to check out my homemade cooler incubator, my homemade fridge-a-bator, and my cabinet incubator on my BYC page.

 

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/homemade-cabinet-incubator

http://www.backya...

Reply

In the beginning there was nothing. God said, Let there be light! And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better. Ellen DeGeneres   
also//////// Y'all also need to check out my homemade cooler incubator, my homemade fridge-a-bator, and my cabinet incubator on my BYC page.

 

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/homemade-cabinet-incubator

http://www.backya...

Reply
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