a few questions about building a hatcher

[gladahmae]

we are getting ready to build a hatcher, and I have a few questions about placement of a few of the items since looking through the 'coops' section has shown a lot of different setups without much follow-up.

for starters, we will be using a styrofoam cooler, cutting out the lid and putting plexi-glass in for the viewing window. We have a 3.1in x 3.1in computer fan we will be using, a lightbulb, and a water-heater (I think) thermostat.

do we need to mount the fan IN the wall of the cooler? I saw examples in the 'incubators' page where if was installed (like a regular forced-air) in the wall, and others where it was simply set in the inside.

should I place the fan so it blows ACROSS the lightbulb, ABOVE the lightbulb, or at the opposite end of the cooler from the lightbulb?

do we place these items (bulb and fan) in the MIDDLE, the BOTTOM, or closer to the TOP of the cooler? I've seen alot of DIYs where they are at the bottom, but the heat-source in our hava bator is at the top.

I'll pobably have a few more questions, but I'm sure this is enough to start with.

 

[SupaChickn]

Hey there. I see your embarking on the same kind of project I did last year (building your own incubator) i have successfully built 3 different kinds and finally decided on the one i have now. A couple things i would say is bulb placement isnt important, the fan placed inside the closed box will ensure the temp stays relatively stationary. i WOULD however make sure that there is some kind of shield to ensure that the light from the bulb isnt DIRECTLY going onto the egss. It could cause some to be hotter than others. I now used a piece of metal roof flashing around mine to fix this problem. Also, for humidy i have found that a small dish filled with water and a sponge in it does wonders works great. I have posted pictures of mine if you want to see what it looks like adn if you have any other questions i would be gad to help. Good luck!

 

[Brookhavens]

There is a GREAT video on Youtube that shows you how to build a cooler incubator. I have built 2 of them so far and both have kept temp and humidity perfect. Here is the link: How to Build an Incubator