Home made incubators and egg turners

I made this one. It will be my first incubator so I'm asking the pro's for any suggestion or feedback on whether this thing will work.
I would have made an egg turner but I'm finding that task a bit harder. Has anyone made their own egg turner?

I used an old cooler.



I cut a square whole in the top and glued a piece of clear hard plastic over the whole.



I took a fan from an old computer and hooked it up to a 12 volt power supply.


I bought a water heater thermometer and took the thing that u screw on the light bulb from an old lamp.


The rocks are from the yard. The 2x4s are to hold the rocks in place. I have a container full of water that lays on the right side.(not in photo)



The black material is to keep a renegade bird from falling on the light bulb/lower chamber. The metal basket is where the eggs will go.


Now I just need an egg turner but I don't want to spend $60.00 on one...

The only way to know if it really works is to install one of these and monitor your humidity and temperature for a few days... only kidding, one of these would suffice. One thing that I did on my incubator was to drill a small hole to allow a flexible tube to fit through so I could add water without having to open the lid to the incubator. My incubator is made mostly of Styrofoam, so a hot soldering iron went though with no problem, then I used aquarium sealant to ensure a tight fit. The tubing leads to the water reservoir, and on the outside of the incubator, I used duct tape to hold the tubing in place and a small funnel to add warm water.
This link goes to a YooToob video of somebody who made their own egg turner. I hope it helps, and good luck,
James

James the Bald said:

The only way to know if it really works is to install one of these and monitor your humidity and temperature for a few days... only kidding, one of these would suffice.  One thing that I did on my incubator was to drill a small hole to allow a flexible tube to fit through so I could add water without having to open the lid to the incubator.  My incubator is made mostly of Styrofoam, so a hot soldering iron went though with no problem, then I used aquarium sealant to ensure a tight fit.  The tubing leads to the water reservoir, and on the outside of the incubator, I used duct tape to hold the tubing in place and a small funnel to add warm water.
This link goes to a YooToob video of somebody who made their own egg turner.  I hope it helps, and good luck,
James

Click to expand...

The tube is a great idea! I will do that next. What about the egg turner?
I've been using this to monitor temp and humidity. The temp fluctuates between 98 and 102 degrees depending on I'm not sure what.

Thx James. I just saw that video. It's a little intimidating but I will give it try and post how it turns out

practic said:

The tube is a great idea! I will do that next. What about the egg turner?
I've been using this to monitor temp and humidity. The temp fluctuates between 98 and 102 degrees depending on I'm not sure what.

Click to expand...

That could be a problem. I'm not a rocket surgeon by any means, but I'm guessing that the distance between your heating element, the computer fan and the heat source has to do with the 4 degree fluctuation. I can't say if the fan is distributing the air evenly, but it is something to figure out before you put some quaility hatching eggs in there.
James

The hot water thermostats can be the cause of a huge swing.

Most folks spend just a bit more and get this.

Bi-Metal Egg Incubator Thermostat Kit - Mechanical

I'm still waiting for part to build my first incubator so my input maybe worthless. But I noticed you used a CFL light bulb. I thought you'd need at least a 40W incandescent light bulb to generate enough heat for your incubator. I though the CFL generate more light than heat. NO?

Fred's Hens said:

The hot water thermostats can be the cause of a huge swing

Most folks spend just a bit more and get this.

Bi-Metal Egg Incubator Thermostat Kit - Mechanical

Click to expand...

Have u used one of these?

cookiesdaddy said:

I'm still waiting for part to build my first incubator so my input maybe worthless.  But I noticed you used a CFL light bulb.  I thought you'd need at least a 40W incandescent light bulb to generate enough heat for your incubator.  I though the CFL generate more light than heat.  NO?

Click to expand...

You may be right but the one I have in there has been keeping the temp up. Also I think depending on the size of the incubator 40watts seems like too much.

James the Bald said:

That could be a problem.  I'm not a rocket surgeon by any means, but I'm guessing that the distance between your heating element, the computer fan and the heat source has to do with the 4 degree fluctuation.  I can't say if the fan is distributing the air evenly, but it is something to figure out before you put some quaility hatching eggs in there.
James

Click to expand...

I'm going to try a different bulb and run the fan 24/7 to see if that helps. I will post my results. Thx