Biggest Incubation Mistakes

[BigBlueHen53]

That's cool we still have to build our coop

Oops! Lol

 

[Crazychickengirl2]

Oops! Lol

We just got one done bug its temporary until my dad has time to build one

 

[BigBlueHen53]

We just got one done bug its temporary until my dad has time to build one

Lol, you think you're gonna have a couple weeks to build one and then before you know it they've outgrown their brooder and the coop's not quite ready yet and you're like and right? Lol. No worries it'll all come out right in the end!

 

[ChicksnMore]

My first incubator was built for me by one of my kids. She used a styrofoam box used for shipping fish...super thick, solid and huge. Then lightbulbs, water dish, computer fans, etc. She even built a window into it so I could look in without opening it . It worked great for years and years. A few years ago though I overfilled the water dish which sat directly below a lightbulb. The lightbulb was cycled off at the time so no immediate problem...then I went to bed. Sometime during the night, the light came on and exploded. It had two lightbulbs on opposite sides so the eggs didn't completely freeze, but the broken glass was everywhere and a piece of it had been hot enough to melt a hole in the bottom of the incubator. The hatch rate on those eggs wasn't so good, but we did manage to get at least half to hatch.

I now have a nice fully automated incubator, but I kinda miss that homemade one just for the love and care my middle schooler put into it.

That same kid went out and got a wine cooler ands working on turning it into a cabinet incubator for me. Lessons learned mean the water dish won't be too close to the heat source and no more light bulbs for the heat source...heating coils don't burn out or explode.