Some suggestions based on what did not work. We decided to build an incubator in the freezer compartment of an old fridge. I had a heating element, an electronic thermostat and an automatic egg turning tray. I also had several old computers so I scavenged a couple of fans and a power supply and installed it all in the freezer compartment. Try as we could, we could not get the temp to set and maintain at 100 so I ordered a wafer thermostat. and installed that. Same problem a nice constant 105 no matter what I did. We even switched from a heating element to light bulbs. Finally I had a Eureka moment and realized that my computer power supply was the heat source and of course I did not have it wired into the thermostat.
Also by this time I realized I was going to have another problem, now how to cool the incubator, summer is here and it will be 104 tomorrow.
Solution to it all is duct tape, well duct tape and insulation board and taped together a box but left the power supply on the outside and put it on a table in our back room where the AC does not let it get over 80. I did not have a phone charger power supply but could have bought one. I just did not realize that the computer power supply would create so much heat. You also have to identify the wires to the computer on button and connect them together. On the 20 pin connector to the mother board, when the clip is toward you, the wires you need should be the 2nd and 4th from the left on the front row. On this power supply they were a blue wire and a green wire. Just clip, strip and wire nut them together then you have lots of 12v dc for the fans.
Now we are waiting on a batch of Delaware chicks. I found it surprising that in the part of Breeds that I read, I did not find a mention of the Delaware. We had bought a 50 chick batch of straight run day old chicks last year. We did have one rooster that was aggressive but of course we ate him. All the rest are friendly and will come to you.
Thank you for the site... JD Pickering aka Tio Pick
