Best bator for under $75?

[DANNY]

All of them are as good as the components inside them. You can hatch eggs in cardboard box if you can get the temperature right. If the little giant won't hold temperature put a new micro switch and wafer in it.

 

[Andora]

Quote:
Wooo, that is quite tempting. I'm pretty frugal, so making my own is much more my style. I (&dh) may have to give this a try...Thanks for the info

No problem! I had fun making mine. I tried it first with a styrofoam cooler, but I couldn't get the temps steady. When I switched to a regular plastic cooler it was perfect. Also some recommend buying a wafer thermostat online instead of getting a water heater thermostat...I might have done that if I had the $$, but the single element water heater thermostat I got is working great now that I got everything stable.

 

[DANNY]

The thing is by the time you buy the stuff to build one right. You could just buy a hoovabator or something along that line. The hot water heater thermostats have way too much variance to use them.

 

[Peeper7]

Quote:
I wondered about the water heater thermostat being accurate to the half degree -- but it looks like lots of folks on the forum are happy with theirs. That tells me something...either:

1. they aren't even using their homemade incubators
2. the temperature fluctuations are acceptable
3. they can be accurate

I just dunno

but things like this make me crazy. I'm willing to do whatever it takes as long as it works in the end.

How would I know if the wafer or switch needed to be changed on my current HB unit?

 

[NancyDz]

A lot of people on here dog the LG but many of us have had numerous successful hatches with them also.

Here's a good thread showing how successful you can be with one.. especially if you
leave it alone and dont mess with it. Personally if you have it in a room without drafts.. the temp stays pretty steady and the reality is a chicken doesnt keep the eggs the exact same temp 100%of the time... they shift around so a variance of a degree or two once in awhile isnt going to ruin your hatch anyway.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2068831#p2068831


Nancy

 

[walkswithdog]

I built a homemade one, it uses a water heater thermostat. I figured out how to get it to work. Second batch of eggs in it due May 8th.

I built it in a blind panic because of a disaster broody and it took awhile to figure out but I got there.

Missprissy's design holds temps well. I needed a heatsink (big jar with water in it.)
Plastic coolers work.
Metal coolers work but need extra insulation outside to prevent the room temp from affecting it too much.
Mini-fridges really work and I got one off a "freecycle" list for nothing.

And if you get the cooler/housing for free it's quite a bit cheaper than a hovabator or LG even.

Of course once you begin to tinker..... there are modifications that occur to you, problems with addiction... you experiment... you get involved. It gets interesting.

I'm saving up for a Dickey. Until I can get a dickey I'm making my own, modifying as I go along on the cheap and learning a LOT about bators and incubation.

If you experiment with WHERE you mount your water heater thermostat and mount it onto a metal panel (some use a circuit box) as well as the side of the bator, it's much more stable.

People have incubated in cardboard with lamps for zero dollars.

I built a hatcher out of a foam shipping container, two used pieces of 8x10 glass, black duct tape and a lamp fitting. Worked fine.

Best bator under 75$ you build yourself.

 

[chickensandmore]

Build it yourself..homemade is all i use..I have used the water heated thermostat but I also like the greenhouse type off ebay..mine are Freezerbators from freecycle or just ask for a non working freezer from craigslist.
here is a small apartment fridge it will hold 36 and also works as a hatcher

here is a freezer

insides it will hold 300 eggs

Don

edit to add: they both cost under 75.00 and about a days work

 

[HappyHatch'en]

I agree, build it with love....you CAN DO IT!!! Just remember, nobody, repeat, nobody will get 100% Hatch in one they build our buy....good luck!

 

[Peeper7]

Quote:
Great thread, thanks!
Out of a sense of urgency I went and bought and LG and turner. LG is the ONLY bator I've seen in this area. TSC says they never had one returned, but offered to take it back if it does not work as expected.
My HB has had some really bad spikes in temp so I don't know if I'll have a hatch at all.

All was so good until I put eggs in the bator. I think these low end bators are very sensitive to user error. It seems that after each temp adjustment (when necessary) takes hours to stabilize. I guess that makes sense somewhat because the inner egg temps need time to change also. I'm determined to master it or else --
Can't wait to get my own made....I really think I will have better luck.