galvanized hardware cloth as incubator/hatcher floor?

[CanadaEh]

Does anybody use 1/4" hardware cloth as incubator/hatcher floor? I need to make one, but my concern is a possible galvanized metal reaction with chick poop during hatching and affect that may have on the chicks. I will not be able to put any liner onto it because there will be another floor with eggs on it under it and I need incubator fan to be able to blow through it to ensure uniform temperature and humidity.

 

[Kiki]

Are you talking about in an incubator or in a brooder?

 

[CanadaEh]

Are you talking about in an incubator or in a brooder?

Incubator. Want to make a wooden box to add to 56-egg Chinese incubator to double it's capacity. That box will need a mesh bottom.

 

[Kiki]

There shouldn't be any issue using 1/4 inch hardware cloth in an incubator. My incubator has it as flooring.

What might be a problem is wood.

 

[CanadaEh]

What might be a problem is wood.

why?

also should I be concerned about chicks on upper level pooping on hicks and hatching eggs on lower level? I could remove the fluffed up chicks from upper level every few hours, but still..

 

[Ridgerunner]

Does anybody use 1/4" hardware cloth as incubator/hatcher floor?
I need to make one, but my concern is a possible galvanized metal reaction with chick poop during hatching and affect that may have on the chicks.

My incubator has a galvanized hardware cloth floor as a bottom above the water reservoirs. There are many commercial incubators that do that. I'm not the least bit concerned about any chemical reaction between chick poop or hatching gunk and that galvanizing,

also should I be concerned about chicks on upper level pooping on hicks and hatching eggs on lower level? I could remove the fluffed up chicks from upper level every few hours, but still..

As long as all the eggs are set to hatch at the same time (no staggered hatch) I would not worry about it. Whether you are on two levels or one, the first chicks that hatch will be crawling over the late hatching eggs, pooping on them and and spreading hatching gunk. To me the issue with this is that the poop and gunk can, over time, spread bacteria that can infect the eggs and cause it to really stink. But it takes a little while for the numbers of those bacteria to multiply enough to cause the problems. If you have a long slow drug-out hatch you can see some issues but that risk should not be any different if there are two layers or one.

I will not be able to put any liner onto it because there will be another floor with eggs on it under it and I need incubator fan to be able to blow through it to ensure uniform temperature and humidity.

I'm not sure how you are putting this together. The things I'd be concerned about is that the fan does adequately stir the air up so the temperature is the same everywhere in the incubator. That doesn't always happen with homemade incubators. The more the embryos develop the more they need fresh air to keep from suffocating. That's not important at the start of incubation but pretty important as you get closer to the end.

Good luck, it will be interesting to see how it goes.

 

[CanadaEh]

I'm not sure how you are putting this together. The things I'd be concerned about is that the fan does adequately stir the air up so the temperature is the same everywhere in the incubator. That doesn't always happen with homemade incubators. The more the embryos develop the more they need fresh air to keep from suffocating. That's not important at the start of incubation but pretty important as you get closer to the end.

basically i have similar 56-egg incubator (stock image), enclosed in styrofoam

that I want to convert to a 112 egg incubator (stock image)

by building upper box from wood with mesh bottom, no egg turner - will be not turning or turning by hand. Would have to work on snag fit between the boxes and insulation.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They need to be turned for the first two weeks of incubation for chicken eggs. After two weeks it's less important.