Advice needed on incubators

[rnoyster]

Hey all.... I need to know your opinions as to what the best incubator is for a classroom of K-5 kiddies! The wife is a teacher and she and her fellow teachers would like to get incubators to hatch some eggs while the kids study the life cycles. My home made incubator works great, but is very large (24"x24"x20") and is made out of 3/4" plywood so it is very heavy. Plus the viewing window is only about 12" square so the kids would have a hard time looking in to see what is happening. I know there are some good, small incubators on the market so what should we get so that the kids could all watch at the same time and it would n't be so heavy that some small ladies would be about to work with it?
Any ideas? Thanks! Dick

 

[Mahonri]

Hovabator Genesis 1588... most folks call it a plug and play.

Best I've done with it is 12 chicks per hatch... still that's plenty for a classroom.

 

[HBuehler]

The Genesis..I have had all the smaller ones and for the kids this is by far the best..I still use one as a hatcher so my kids can all sit around it and have great viewing from any angle..Plus,it is plug and watch easy.

 

[jenjscott]

What about that round top hatch incubator. Is it a brower?

 

[thespinningcottage]

Quote:
I'm a first grade teacher and will be hatching this year for the first time. Brinsea worked with me and I got an Octagon 20 Eco and auto-turn cradle, scratch & dent and sale items both. The scratch & dent wasn't scratched or dented, it just didn't have an original box. I'm thrilled and will do duck eggs with my kids soon. The set-up is light-weight and relatively small, and the motor of the auto-turn cradle is very quiet. The auto-turn cradle is important if they, like me, don't have weekend access to their classrooms. I've already started planning and have put up posters for my kids. I don't know who's more excited, me or them! Good luck to your wife.

 

[rnoyster]

Hey all.....I've done some research and what I have found is that there is no way that 25 five year olds will be able to see what is happening in any commercial incubator on the market due to the window size and the size of 25 little heads not even being close to the same size!LOL! So............I have decided to make another incubator like the one I use, but to make it entirely out of Plexiglass, except for the bottom, of course. A friend of mine owns a glass company and he is going to put it all together for me with the proper adhesive that will hold it all together, but does not have any vapors that would invade the egg shells and kill the developing biddies. I will then wire it with a thermostat and a light bulb for heat. Install a water tray and set my extra turner on the inside tray above the water tray. It will be 24"x24"x16" and will be able to be seen from any angle by all the kids as they sit gathered around the big table in the classroom. What do you all think of this idea? Any criticism would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your thoughts. Dick

 

[thespinningcottage]

Will you make me one for my classroom?

 

[rnoyster]

Let's see how it works first. But you should know that the sheet of plexiglass is $129.00 for a 4'x8'x1/4" sheet. It won't be cheap for sure!LOL!

 

[FenDruadin]

rnoyster--I've heard of people using fish tanks for incubators. Wouldn't that work about like the plexiglass in terms of visibility? And you could buy one used for A LOT less than $129...

Either way, good luck!

(P.S. You could also just have those little munchkins take turns--not so easy when a hatch is in progress, I know!)

 

[Junkmanme]

A "hot-Plate" and a "Dutch-Oven"?

just kidding..........