27th or 28th May hatch, looking for buddies

[GeoKan]

Quote:
You have a great start there Lightfoote! This isn't a small incubator either.

Nice job and good craftsmanship.

Can't wait to see it finished.

What kind of heat source will you be using? Are you going to latch the doors with window locks or trunk locks? How many shelve are you planning? LOL That's a few questions, huh?

 

[kraftyladies]

Nice work on your incubator. Can't wait to see more photos.

I have to say that 21 days sure is a long time to wait. Only on day 10. Sigh. I feel like an expectant mom... well in a way I guess I am.

 

[RonnieAtkeson]

21 is long, try turkey or ducks, add another week

I dont remember if i posted my candling specs but ive got 31 eggs growing, well 1 is a ? but im thinking its not a dud.

Dont remember who had but the person with the MT CUR cross could you post a pic? I love mountain curs, great hunting dogs and your dapple winnier sounds gorgeous. I just lost my winnie dog a few weeks ago but got a daughter and grandson of her's here.

 

[Lightfoote]

Thanks GeoKan!

You're right, it isn't small - finished outside dimensions are 24" d x 38" w x 38" h.

My initial heat source will be a waterbed heater pad with an electronic thermostat controller that operates between 70 and 100 degr. F. The model I have, I bought new many years ago, and it is supposed to be accurate to within +/- 2/10 of a degree.

Due to its age I will not simply trust to my luck, but test it against a thermometer, and see what setting is necessary to maintain the cabinet at 99.5 F.

Lock type - not sure yet.

I will apply weatherstripping to seal where the doors seat against the cabinet face...at some point I may take off a cabinet door and inset a plexiglas pane for frontal viewing...or not. I have the plexi to spare. At this point I have no shelves, rather one drawer on the upper left side of the cabinet - but I have all the room a sane person could want for incubating. I calculate I could probably set as many as 500 eggs (easily room for 5 shelves per side,and with inside dimensions of 21" x 16" on each side of the center partition - 50 eggs/shelf wouldn't even be crowded!)

Of course then where would I put that many hatchlings?

There's some "chicken math" that could really boggle the mind! LOL!

 

[Lightfoote]

In this sequence of 4 pics, you can see the center partition go in, then the top piece of osb framing with cutouts for the plexi viewing windows...the three 2 1/4" holes in the top of the center divider for air circulation and a 1/2" high "bridge" cut-out at the bottom of the divider (for the heater mat to pass freely through), the insulating "reflectix" going in, and the framing for the top left drawer. As well, I have drilled the access holes on the outside left for the power cord to the heater, and the thermostat sensor probe (the all-black cord with no prongs).

I'm still "holding out" on some details - I'll disclose with further rounds of pics...
okay! image link issue resolved, pics now viewable

 

[natchlaly]

Yet another crisis has occured

my fuse box tripped out at some point after I went to work this morning and on arriving home the temp in my bator had dropped to 69 and the humidity had shot up to 60%

. At a guess all of the little chickies that were growing so beautifully will now be dead

. Am warming them up just in case by some minor miricale any of the little ones have managed to survive this crisis

. gonna have a peek in one or two before i got to bed to see if there are any signs of life but I doubt it very much. Will let you know what happens

 

[Lightfoote]

Natchlaly

Sorry to hear about the awful turn of events with your fuse/circuit breaker box. Don't lose all hope, and certainly don't throw the hatching eggs out with the proverbial bathwater. I have no way of knowing how long the power was out, nor how long the temperature was below a safe threshhold for your chicks-in-waiting, but take heart, pray a little, and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Sometimes, nature is impressively resilient, and perhaps you'll witness some of that determination that (chicken) life has to find a way. Meanwhile, take a few deep breaths, pour yourself a glass of good wine (or beer), close your eyes, and let your blood pressure drop a few notches, my friend.

 

[Lightfoote]

In this sequence, the first image is a close up of the drawer framing and the guide rails inside. Although I may do so in the future, I have not installed a track/glide on the bottom or sides to hold the drawer in an entirely fixed position. My focus was on completing the basic structure.

The second pic shows the drawer front, and for perspective on the size of the unit, a drywall 'T' square, while the third image taken from slightly above, shows the open drawer where the 5 sided drawer construction is visible, as well as the screen material that allows free flow of heat from beneath the eggs...and in both the third and fourth pics, the plexiglas viewing windows inset in the top can be noted.

 

[Lightfoote]

These photos: 1) & 2) set-up of my table saw for ripping another inch off the edge of the plywood cabinet doors, 3) & 4) the installed cabinet doors and hatching drawer, wide open to display the fully completed interior, reflectix up in both sides of the cabinet. Only four more photos to post and you, my hatch friends, will get all the remaining juicy details...

 

[Lightfoote]

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


These pics are fairly well self-explanatory I think, but I'll happily answer any questions about what can be seen.

Now for the "big reveal"...

In all the pics you see, all the material I bought was; two sheets of 18" x 24" plexiglas ($8/ea.), two 10' rolls of 24" width "reflectix" ($11/ea.), one tube of silicone sealant ($6), two boxes of drywall screws($2.50/ea), 2 two-packs of 1/2" satin nickel overlay hinges ($3.50/ea)

Oh - and - long ago, a waterbed system, including the heater pad/controller - that I am now re-tasking... but current total "out of pocket" = less than $56.00

All of the wood - every piece - was salvaged from pallets and scraps - which should help explain why the frames around the plexi viewing windows in the top are not the same dimension.

The outside (visible) front of the hatch drawer is a solid piece of N. Red Oak - yes, even that was salvaged from a pallet!

I used my table saw to rip the rough edges smooth, and my compound miter saw to give it true, square corners and bevelled edge cuts on the sides, and hand sanded to remove most of the rough sniping...or "chatter" from a very crude job of planing (likely done with a cheap planer, labourer in a hurry, worn blades etc...)

It's not glamorous, shiny, fancy, or high-end home furnishing worthy - but it is sturdy, stable, offers flexibility, ease of maintenance, and once I apply some weatherstripping to the cabinet face against the doors - it will hold heat quite well, I believe!

Lightfoote

"Thy word O Lord, is a Lamp unto my feet, and a Light unto my path"