Fun dream project: How would you do an "incubation room/hatching room" ?

[alpinewelsummer]

I know this is a forum for coop design, but it seemed like the closest topic I could get for this question.

I had this crazy idea/dream that years down the line, when I've got the money and know-how to do so.. I would LOVE one big temperature-controlled room just for incubating and hatching eggs. Like a cool old victorian greenhouse/sunroom... but just for eggs! It'd be totally crazy to try and keep temperature and humidity even in something like that, but where there's a will there's a way, right?

So I thought I'd ask on here; if you were to undertake a project like that, what are some ideas you'd have for it? Are there any other crazy home/homestead projects you'd love to try?

 

[ericbrbr]

Well it’s definitely doable but wouldn’t be very energy efficient. I prefer to make my own incubators over even buying cabinet ones. If your wanting just more room for more eggs and more stable conditions I recommend using old refrigerators. It’s well insulated and this day and time I have mine setup with alarms that send notifications straight to my phone anywhere I am if the temp/humidity drops or rises from my settings. Also have digital temp controller as well as humidity controller linked to a small mister maker/fogger to control humidity and lastly egg turner motor turning every 2 hours.

 

[ladybrasa]

Isn’t the incubators at big hatcheries pretty much the size of a small room? And there are certainly walk in coolers and freezers, so why not the opposite?

You could have a table and chair and some tropical plants in there, and a little fountain or water feature to help keep up humidity And maybe decorative bowl “nests” you could tilt fir the eggs!

 

[alpinewelsummer]

Many who incubate keep the room moderate in temp and humidity.

Oh yes I know, but I was more meaning a dedicated room in which no separate incubators were present.

This might be best asked here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/diy-self-sufficiency.16177/

That part was just a lil side note alongside the rest of the post, wasn't a big enough thing that I wanted a dedicated thread for it, haha.

 

[alpinewelsummer]

For a crazy idea, I would love to have an RV that is a chicken coop, so its like a huge chicken tractor

We've done that before! It actually works out great!

 

[Rose Quartz]

Well..... you're gonna have to worry about moisture getting into your house walls or ceiling. So maybe start with a fully tiled room with water barrier like a bathroom would if you were making a tiled shower.

After that, to hold in humidity and heat, I'd use the purple board insulation on the inside of the walls and floor, and maybe even the ceiling.... actually a room like a bathroom with a fan to the outside would work really well for fresh air too.

having a door that would really seal would be nice, to keep it separate from the rest of the house, but probably not necessary. A big fan inside to keep the air moving.

Heating would be the thing I wouldn't have a clue where to start. A lot of space heaters say not to use with livestock. Some of them have a Teflon coating and the off gassing of that can kill chickens.

 

[alpinewelsummer]

Well..... you're gonna have to worry about moisture getting into your house walls or ceiling. So maybe start with a fully tiled room with water barrier like a bathroom would if you were making a tiled shower.

After that, to hold in humidity and heat, I'd use the purple board insulation on the inside of the walls and floor, and maybe even the ceiling.... actually a room like a bathroom with a fan to the outside would work really well for fresh air too.

having a door that would really seal would be nice, to keep it separate from the rest of the house, but probably not necessary. A big fan inside to keep the air moving.

Heating would be the thing I wouldn't have a clue where to start. A lot of space heaters say not to use with livestock. Some of them have a Teflon coating and the off gassing of that can kill chickens.

It's a far future "when I've settled down" kind of idea, so there's no immediate concerns like that--but I was thinking a semi-detached sort of thing, almost like a greenhouse for plants.

Purple board is a great idea, and the bathroom fans! I didn't even think about that--they'd probably be easy to find too!

The sealed doors and large fans are also pretty common with greenhouses and nurseries from what I've seen! The biggest challenge really would be the heating, which I also have no idea where to start on.

 

[cherrynberry]

I know this is a forum for coop design, but it seemed like the closest topic I could get for this question.

I had this crazy idea/dream that years down the line, when I've got the money and know-how to do so.. I would LOVE one big temperature-controlled room just for incubating and hatching eggs. Like a cool old victorian greenhouse/sunroom... but just for eggs! It'd be totally crazy to try and keep temperature and humidity even in something like that, but where there's a will there's a way, right?

So I thought I'd ask on here; if you were to undertake a project like that, what are some ideas you'd have for it? Are there any other crazy home/homestead projects you'd love to try?

For a crazy idea, I would love to have an RV that is a chicken coop, so its like a huge chicken tractor

 

[aart]

Many who incubate keep the room moderate in temp and humidity.

 

[aart]

Are there any other crazy home/homestead projects you'd love to try?

This might be best asked here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/diy-self-sufficiency.16177/