Does anyone use a homeade incubator??

[XL506]

MissPrissy what was the cost of your incubator if u dont mind

 

[MissPrissy]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=61599#p61599

many of the items I already had.

The items I did purchase were -

- light bulbs - $1.84
- thermostat - $8.00
- lamp kit - $6.00 (I could have used an old lamp but decided to buy a new kit)
- surge protector - $4.00 (I did not have to buy this but I couldn't find the spare one I had - I found it today - go figure LOL)
- water wiggler - $0.88 (I bought 2, the kids want to play with it)
- thermometer/hydrometer with the probe $12.00 ( I probably would not have bought this either but the probe and the water wiggler intriged me.)
- small wire nuts - $0.09

I spent - $32.81 (but only really needed about $18 worth of supplies - )

The large ice chest can be purchased at walmart for under $6
The pane of glass can be cut for you at the hardware store for about $2
The adaptor/transformer can be found online for about $3
The pc fan can be found online for about $3
The hardware cloth is about $2 at a hardware store that cuts wire by the foot
Pink duct tape - $2.47

I already had the things in the second list. It was just a matter of gathering them together. If you purchased them it would be an additonal $18.47.

We are in an area of Virginia where prices are rather high. In smaller towns far away from Metro DC I am sure the prices can be less.

The most basic incubator runs around $45 plus shipping and that is not the model with the good thermostat and heating element or fan. I think those are over $140. Throw in the auto egg turner for an additional $45 and the prices add up.

Overall it was a great project to work on. Finding all the items and putting it together was fun and educational for my 9 year old who loves our baby chicks and will scream in delight at the sight of hatching eggs.​

 

[Mrs MIA]

The first one took two hours to put together... after that, I can do it in my sleep.

 

[mr.majestik]

I use the miss prissy special and it was a blast to make. I have two RIR egss about to hatch in there.

 

[Jaybr]

I made mine out of a spare kitchen cabinet using info I got off this site. My first hatch a couple weeks ago went very well.

 

[speckledhen]

My two are in the sig line below with diagrams and pictures.

 

[donnap1967]

I made a MissPrissy incubator. I have never made anything like that by myself before in my life. I have never wired a single thing or even looked at wiring before. I made the whole thing all by myself!! My husband swore I was gonna burn the house down but I made it, tested it, and got a 100% hatch rate with my silkie eggs! Yay!! I am so proud of myself

Thanks again Miss Prissy!

 

[tiki244]

I made 3 homemade incubators with Miss Prissy's and SpeckledHen's instructions. I ended up using a wafer thermostat I bought through the mail, because the hot water thermostat did not work for me. The best hatch rate I have had was 60%, and the worst was 0%.