First homemade incubator(let's see how it goes )

[tacothechicken]

So since I like to keep busy and was thinking of wanting to hatch some chicks to sell in a bit I decided I needed
A larger incubator than my 3 egg mini(as great as it is! I've had 100%hatch rates always) so I went out spent 25 bucks and set up a Styrofoam incubator. Right now I'm monitoring it as I build up the temp before putting airholes in for airflow. I know 3 of my 5 hens laying currently should have fertile eggs. I just dont know whos are whos other than my banty due to all being brown egg layers :/ I plan to put in a surplus of eggs and candle on day 8 then remove the duds. Any tips from
Experienced diy incubator users?
Humidity is already at a constant 55% and we're at 79.7 F and rising. Floor space is 12x6 in how many eggs would be suitable? I have 5 bantam and 6 standard eggs on hand but I'm not sure if the standards are all fertile.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Tell us about the Styrofoam. Is it a cooler?
What are you using for a heat element and thermostat?

 

[fire370]

Tell us about the Styrofoam. Is it a cooler?
What are you using for a heat element and thermostat?

Ditto.... Fan? Vents? Pics of your setup?

 

[tacothechicken]

Yup Im using a Styrofoam cooler theres a single glass window. 2 holes on each width side (one set up top another down low) using a hygrometer for temps and humidity and currently a 70 watt bulb it's 1 ft deep× 1 ft long× ~6in wide. Humidity is steady but my heat won't raise past 85 :/ maybe find a higher wattage? Its been shut closed all night (9 hrs straight) and it was 83 when I went to bed so I assume it not gonna keep climbing?

 

[tacothechicken]

No fan I'm cheap and suck at electrical so I figured id try a still air set up then depending on success, work on a forced air one.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If you don't have a thermostat, just relying on a lamp to maintain a steady temperature - it won't. As the ambient air in the room goes up (during the day), the incubator heat will rise. When temps drop at night, so will they in the cooler.
If you were able to get it to hold steady at 100.5 at the top of the eggs(required in a still air), If the room temperature were to rise 4 or 5 degrees, the temperature inside would likely kill the embryos. Cooling at night would probably do the same but not as fast.
Here's a couple cheap ones.
https://www.ebay.com/i/173037802039?chn=ps

https://www.zenhydro.com/ipower-dig...23PnYH9JwGXz2vnytv_B5RjL5mCIB_fRoCBEUQAvD_BwE
A metallic heat element will be much more reliable than a light bulb.
https://www.ebay.com/i/263753144389?chn=ps
In lieu of a fan which would eliminate thermal stratification, You could use some flex watt heat element to wrap the inside of the incubator. It puts out 20 watts per linear foot.
https://incubatorwarehouse.com/egg-incubator-accessories/flexwatt-11-inch-incubator-heater.html

Or perhaps a usb fan.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Flexible-U...f84d1478:m:mK1peO3iIj-XZDxtdyYi07Q:rk:28:pf:0

 

[Acre4Me]

I had success hatching quail eggs in a homemade, still-air incubator. I’ll post pics later. I used a 25watt bulb with success. I used 2 coolers nested for better temp control. These were the super cheap styrofoam only coolers. I also found placing it inside a much larger cardboard box minimized drafts. But placing it somewhere with a draft shield could work if you have drafts (like even from a HVAC vent or a high traffic area). Lastly, I had cut out a rectangle view hole on the top lid. I had used a single layer of plexiglass, but found that I got too much humidity...drops of condensation. So, added another layer of plexiglass, air space between the two since one was taped on top, the other on the underside of the lid. This was perfect.

The eggs were hand turned 3x per day. This allowed some venting. Temps recovered pretty well bc I had layered the bottom with rocks (heat sinks) and covered them with HWC so everything was elevated, allowing cool air to fall below, get heated by bulb, rise, and have some air circulation.

I did have one temp spike..not sure why. It was enough to possibly kill chicken eggs, but quail eggs are a little more forgiving I’ve heard. Overall, set 55 quail eggs (but some were from my very young quail and likely not fertile). We hatched 33 healthy quail. Some more were partially or full formed, but died before hatch or during hatch.

Good luck!

 

[Acre4Me]

Heres my homemade incubator. The only thing not in here in the picture is the jar of water I had above the light bulb. When I needed more humidity, I put the jar more above the light. Less humidity, I moved it to the corner. I had covered the top of the jar with foil tape. As I needed more humidity, I was able to easily and quickly enlarge the holes.

The main thing I would change is to move the light bulb lower on the side. It would heat up the cool air and provide more of an air flow if it was lower in the chamber. The heat shield (from a busted metal lunch box) was necessary to keep the egg area a more constant temp. The light bulb was 25 watt old-style light. I tried 4 types/ wattages, I recall and this one was the best since it did not get overly hot. I also had a dimmer attached, but used it only a few times.

The eggs were easy to rotate. bottom layer moved to top. Then the two layers rotated 180 so they were tilted in a new direction, yet still in the same place in the incubator. The piece of wood is just sitting on the sides of the cooler - I had cut it on an angle so it would wedge itself at a certain height.

I actually tested 4 thermometers and these two seemed to be the most consistent and reliable. But with still air it was important to get more than one temp.