21 Days of Anxiety Leads to Building My Own Incubator

[Eggsakly]

I am 5 hours away from the end of the 21st day of my first hatch, or non-hatch as the case may be, and there is not a single pip. This may change. My temps may have been low. They may have been too low. I attempted to use an old Hovabator still-air incubator, and I can now see how people who are knowledgeable and skilled can work with the still-air styrobators, but I'm afraid the learning curve for a complete novice like myself, especially with this particular incubator, was more intense than I would have liked.

For one thing, when measuring the temperature at the top of the eggs, the fluctuation was about 3 degrees Fahrenheit. So, is the 101 at the "top of the egg" the maximum temperature reading, or the average? In other words, should the 3-degree fluctuation range between 98 and 101 (maximum), or should it range between 99.5 and 102.5 (for a 101 average)? Should bantam eggs have a different/lower temperature? It seems that they would. I only found one source of information that addressed these questions, and the answers were different than what I found everywhere else.

In the mean time, as I wait for my eggs to do or die, I have begun gathering items for a homemade incubator. I have ordered a digital thermostat ($17 including shipping) that is due to arrive on Monday, and acquired a CPU fan ($10), and 2 porcelain light sockets (<$3 each). Now I must decide on my form for the incubator. Styrofoam and plastic coolers are cheap and readily available. I have an old plastic cooler I could use on hand, but I admit I really really like the Jenki Bator design here on BYC. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-jenki-bator-wbjdmds-chicken-incubator Awesome, I think! It looks like a refurbished old-fashioned bread box.

A single large sheet of Styrofoam insulation at Home Depot/Lowes costs about $16. A 1/4" sheet of plywood that is 2'x4' costs about $8. Either one or both could be used to construct a form similar to the Jenki. Perfect pieces of plexiglass for a large viewing window are also available for $3 - $8 at many hardware stores, depending on thickness.

Thinking about building a new incubator helps me to keep from obsessing too much over the eggs that haven't started hatching yet . . .

Any comments on DIY incubators?

 

[PD-Riverman]

I am 5 hours away from the end of the 21st day of my first hatch, or non-hatch as the case may be, and there is not a single pip. This may change. My temps may have been low. They may have been too low. I attempted to use an old Hovabator still-air incubator, and I can now see how people who are knowledgeable and skilled can work with the still-air styrobators, but I'm afraid the learning curve for a complete novice like myself, especially with this particular incubator, was more intense than I would have liked.

For one thing, when measuring the temperature at the top of the eggs, the fluctuation was about 3 degrees Fahrenheit. So, is the 101 at the "top of the egg" the maximum temperature reading, or the average? In other words, should the 3-degree fluctuation range between 98 and 101 (maximum), or should it range between 99.5 and 102.5 (for a 101 average)? Should bantam eggs have a different/lower temperature? It seems that they would. I only found one source of information that addressed these questions, and the answers were different than what I found everywhere else.

In the mean time, as I wait for my eggs to do or die, I have begun gathering items for a homemade incubator. I have ordered a digital thermostat ($17 including shipping) that is due to arrive on Monday, and acquired a CPU fan ($10), and 2 porcelain light sockets (<$3 each). Now I must decide on my form for the incubator. Styrofoam and plastic coolers are cheap and readily available. I have an old plastic cooler I could use on hand, but I admit I really really like the Jenki Bator design here on BYC. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-jenki-bator-wbjdmds-chicken-incubator Awesome, I think! It looks like a refurbished old-fashioned bread box.

A single large sheet of Styrofoam insulation at Home Depot/Lowes costs about $16. A 1/4" sheet of plywood that is 2'x4' costs about $8. Either one or both could be used to construct a form similar to the Jenki. Perfect pieces of plexiglass for a large viewing window are also available for $3 - $8 at many hardware stores, depending on thickness.

Thinking about building a new incubator helps me to keep from obsessing too much over the eggs that haven't started hatching yet . . .

Any comments on DIY incubators?

I built my incubator and hatcher with No plans, built from used plywood(not nailed) and a lot of stuff I had laying around----had to order a few things------over 7000 chicks later---its been fun.

 

[Eggsakly]

That's encouraging. Thank you for saying so. I have to revise my costs down, I believe. I found a better porcelain socket for <$1.50, and my case fan was only $3. It appears that making an incubator is much, much cheaper than purchasing one. Fortunately, I have all the tools I need, and likely all the wood.

Does your homemade incubator have an automatic egg turner?

 

[Bryam]

Eggsay homemade incubators are highly unpredictable. Get a brinsea, then your worries will be behind you!

 

[Eggsakly]

I'm certain that the Brinseas are much more consistently reliable, but I shall have to hope that my homemade incubator will also be reliable. An RCom would be nice, too.

 

[PD-Riverman]

That's encouraging. Thank you for saying so. I have to revise my costs down, I believe. I found a better porcelain socket for <$1.50, and my case fan was only $3. It appears that making an incubator is much, much cheaper than purchasing one. Fortunately, I have all the tools I need, and likely all the wood.

Does your homemade incubator have an automatic egg turner?

Yes, the 2 you see in my pic under my name are my home-made. I made the turner racks from scrap aluminum pieces one of my renters gave me, but I have a 4ft metal brake. I used a rotisserie motor of a grill to turn the racks BUT when I got to 200 eggs in it that motor would not turn them But I could have made a 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 gear reduction deal and it would have worked. I just ordered the real turner motor. The hatcher on the right I only had spent $60 in it but again I had the metal for the trays, plywood etc. I will post a pic of a cabinet incubator---that might give you a idea--- I bought it used at auction for $40---yep with those 4 turners in it---It works good. I think it had a hatcher tray built for the bottom to hatch in. I only incubate in it and move the eggs to my hatcher. Note, I bought this for the 4 turners, but tested it and it incubated good so I use it as a back up--when the other are loaded. The second pic is it on the right---not bad for $40. The red one on the left in the second pic I bought for $60 at the Auction. Its a older Dickie. I changed the thermostat to a high tech electronic which had a turner motor option on it because the turner motor timer was bad in it-----this is a great working incubator too. The 3rd pic is the inside of it loaded with eggs. The 4th pic is a bigger pic of my home-made. I bought a used GQF at a deal at the Auction so Do You Have Any Chicken Auctions in your area----I could have not built this GQF for what I payed for it used. Here is a pic of it (4th pic).

 

[draag80]

Hatching and successful hatching are two different things. Successful hatch is more than 90% hatch rate. The two most crucial components are the thermostat and thermometer. U can order chinese made incubators which are really cheap and effective. I have tried them recently and achieved almost 100% hatch rate. U can view the thread in hatch section

 

[Eggsakly]

Great photos! Thank you. Very helpful. And amazing. That is a lot of eggs.

There is not a great deal where I am that is used or secondhand. I'm in a semi-rural area of Alaska that is on the road system, but with limited immediate consumer options. I often check the local craigslist for used incubators, however. There has been nothing for months, which played into my decision to just do it myself.

Unfortunately, with 7 hours remaining in the 22nd day, there is still no sign of hatching life in my eggs. I found that my incubator simply would not hold a stable temperature for long. I could establish a stable temperature for a while, but within a few hours the temp would either climb or drop by more than a degree, and with a variable of 3 continually changing degrees the best it can do to begin with, I fear it proved too much for the developing embryos.

i did buy a lovely small piece of 1/4" birch plywood yesterday for a few bucks. Not sure if I'll use it, but it's the kind of thing I've been looking for.

 

[Eggsakly]

Good going on the successful hatching! How many eggs can your incubator hold? I've looked at those, and a couple of models are receiving some very good reviews. They are quite affordable on ebay.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

Eggsay homemade incubators are highly unpredictable. Get a brinsea, then your worries will be behind you!

i am not in agreement with you, i use a home-made coolerbator and my temps dont fluctuate .5*f

Great photos! Thank you. Very helpful. And amazing. That is a lot of eggs.

There is not a great deal where I am that is used or secondhand. I'm in a semi-rural area of Alaska that is on the road system, but with limited immediate consumer options. I often check the local craigslist for used incubators, however. There has been nothing for months, which played into my decision to just do it myself.

Unfortunately, with 7 hours remaining in the 22nd day, there is still no sign of hatching life in my eggs. I found that my incubator simply would not hold a stable temperature for long. I could establish a stable temperature for a while, but within a few hours the temp would either climb or drop by more than a degree, and with a variable of 3 continually changing degrees the best it can do to begin with, I fear it proved too much for the developing embryos.

i did buy a lovely small piece of 1/4" birch plywood yesterday for a few bucks. Not sure if I'll use it, but it's the kind of thing I've been looking for.

the hardest thing with the styros and still air styros specifically is that there are hot/cold spots
then of course temp swings, to control temp swings you need to add heat sinks (rocks or water bottles-unopened)
and calibration is a huge one as well
here are some notes to look at

Thermo/hygro suggestions post #40275
HEAT SINKS/ Stones/Pebbles ADD THEM TO STYRO! post #43903
ziplock water wiggler for estimating internal egg temps with a probe thermometer post #115296
Calibration is a MUST: HOW TO CALIBRATE post #262



and NEVER trust the included thermo/hygro

Good Luck!!!