DIY Incubator Project....thoughts?

[Hippiefrog]

I've been working on setting up a diy incubator. It's not the prettiest but, I think it will work with some tweaking. I just need ideas and recommendations. I've never hatched any chicks myself but have two hens that have and I'd like to have something set up for the just in case scenerios(which we recently had but sadly ended with the loss of a chick) and to attempt hatching some chicks myself, as well.

Here is my current set up:

-Styrofoam cooler(14.5"x11.90"x13.60")
-Vivosun heat mat(10"×20")
-Cooling rack
-Shelf liner
-Microfiber cover and towels
-4 small mason jars with water

I have the heat mat wrapped in a microfiber cover from a heating pad. That's not quite long enough so I added a microfiber towel to cover the rest(I have to cover it or the heat mat sticks to the styrofoam). I placed the mat, along the bottom and curled it slightly up the sides. I placed a small jar of water, in each corner, for humidity. I then wedged the the cooling rack down enough so that most of the heat mat was under the rack, then lined it with the shelf liner. The cord for the heat mat is pulled through one of the holes that the handle was attached to(fun times taking that off lol). There is some gap but i left that for ventilation. I also left the hole on the other side, for the same reason and poked five holes at the top front of the cooler. Right now, I'm borrowing a friends hygrometer which is a Thermopro TP50, it seems decent but, I'd like recommendations for those that have them for incubation purposes, before purchasing my own. I see so many reviews that say so many of them are inaccurate.

With my current set up, I've seen temps as low as 96 and I've seen them as high as 104 but, most of the time it stays between 99-103. I'm not confident enough that it won't drop or spike, to put eggs in it yet hough.

The humidity is hard to regulate, as well, again making me not confident enough to try using yet. Any ideas on that would be great too!

What I've tried...

*I tried using a thermostat but, sent it back because it was causing more fluctuations in temp, than what I have without even using it, so I sent it back. Maybe i need another brand. The one I used was a BN-LINK digital heat mat thermostat. I wasn't impressed, at all. What is the most affordable yet accurate one that you can recommend?
*I've also tried using a small light fixture that I had taped to the inside of inside of the cooler but it got way too hot even with a tiny 15 watt bulb. I honestly don't like the idea of using a bulb, in styrofoam, anyway. Thoughts on that?
*I have tried this same set up in a regular cooler that is larger but I'm unwilling to drill holes in it and I wasn't having luck with regulating the heat or humidity very well in that. I haven't tried using the light bulb in that cooler but I would imagine I'd need more ventilation than I could get, using that one plus, it's kinda of bulky.

I've attached pics of what I've made. I wanted to use things that I already had on hand. So I'd like to keep any out of pocket expenses, to a minimum.

Any tips, suggestions for improvement, and recommendations, are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!

 

[HuffleClaw]

Looking good so far

 

[Floof]

I use an inkbird thermostat. You plug one end into an outlet and then plug your heat source into the inkbird and run your thermostat sensor into the incubator. It cycles on and off very reliably and keeps my incubator within about 1.5 degrees as long as my room temps are steady. One of my kids kicked on the heater in the room I incubate and it got a few degrees higher than my max setting but the built in alarm let me know immediately and I was able to bring it back to temp within about 10 minutes. I have great hatches using it!

Edit: here's mine
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wine-fridge-incubator.1171866/

 

[Hippiefrog]

I use an inkbird thermostat. You plug one end into an outlet and then plug your heat source into the inkbird and run your thermostat sensor into the incubator. It cycles on and off very reliably and keeps my incubator within about 1.5 degrees as long as my room temps are steady. One of my kids kicked on the heater in the room I incubate and it got a few degrees higher than my max setting but the built in alarm let me know immediately and I was able to bring it back to temp within about 10 minutes. I have great hatches using it!

Edit: here's mine
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wine-fridge-incubator.1171866/

Wow I really love your set up. Super cool idea! Thanks for the link. I think you may have given me my next project. Lol I'll be on the lookout for an old wine cooler now. I looked online at amazon at the thermostats but, i didn't see one called plug and play. Do you have a pic of the one you use? I'm wondering if a fan would be a good idea for my current set up?

 

[Floof]

Wow I really love your set up. Super cool idea! Thanks for the link. I think you may have given me my next project. Lol I'll be on the lookout for an old wine cooler now. I looked online at amazon at the thermostats but, i didn't see one called plug and play. Do you have a pic of the one you use? I'm wondering if a fan would be a good idea for my current set up?

I use this inkbird and although they make fancier ones, this one works great for me: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_WNuSFbKEW1FDS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

And I upgraded to this fan this year: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009OWRMZ6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

For humidity I just bought a hygrometer/thermometer at walmart for about $9 and I adjust as needed. During incubation I use containers of water but during lock down I switch to using wet sponges. I had a chick fall into the water dish once and drown so I'll never make that mistake again.

 

[Hippiefrog]

Awesome thanks! I don't need fancy just accurate and reliable. Thank you so much for the recommendations, I'll definitely check them out. And thank you for that tip about using sponges, during lockdown. I'll make sure to do that. I'm really sorry for your loss, that had to be difficult.