has anyone covered, sealed a foam bator?

[jnjross]

I've been toying with the idea of covered the outside of my lg with real duct tape, the foil kind, dh is a hvac tech we have tons of it. but i fear there's an unseen problem with doing this.

 

[MissPrissy]

If you seal it air tight the eggs will suffocate and the embryos will die. While the embryos do not breath with lungs until they hatch there is an exchange of gasses and fresh air from outside must circulate through the bator to keep the eggs healthy and the embryos alive as they develop.

 

[Davaroo]

I do it to all my bators. I make a jacket of bubble wrap and duct tape, sort of an insulating "coozy." I highly recommend it.

As Prissy says, DONT cover the vents. Just work around them so they remain open and oxygen can circulate.

 

[jnjross]

i wasn't gonna cover the area near the window where the vents are, but the bottom tray and the top sides like a shell over the foam,

 

[MissPrissy]

Look carefully around the bottom. You should have some small circulation holes.

 

[jnjross]

oh i forgot about the holes on the bottom

 

[horsechick]

Hi,
I could never get my humidity up in the LG to hatch.
So I put the bottom inside a 13 gallon kitchen trash bag and it fit perfect. Opened the vents on top. The holes on the bottom of an LG are directly on the bottom, (Bad design), So they are sitting on the table (I don't know how air flows gets thru when its sitting on them?)
Filled the bottom with water and had awesome humidity.
Not to mention clean up was a breeze, poured water out, and flipped the bag inside out to take off, all junk came with it!
Easy clean up!
Best of luck!
Take care,
Angela

 

[jnjross]

yeah i thought they were drain holes but if i cut them out i think i should be fine,

 

[Davaroo]

I added taller feet to my foamies by gluing on some rubber pads. That way there is more circulation from the bottom up.
Foamies were first designed as still air units, so convection is the key to air exchange in the bator chamber.
That is why the holes are on the bottom - heat rises, so fresh air is drawn in the through the bottom holes.

I also open the vents by pushing a pencil through the holes. This nearly doubles the area of the vents, yet still allows use of the top plugs to help regulate humidity.

Chicks respire heavily in the shell, and require a lot of oxygen. This is especially so when they begin to make their own body heat, after about day 10. I wouldn't recommend using a plastic bag to raise humidity unless I was certain I did nothing to impede proper air circulation.

If you want an insualting jacket, just make a bubble wrap-and-duct tape "coozy cover," leaving the vents and bottom open. I also site mine on a piece of insulating "blue foam" board in the bottom of a little used closet. The less air disturbance around the bator the better.
In fact, if you site it where there is little environmental disturbance, a cover is probably not needed.

 

[horsechick]

We had our best hatch ever using the plastic bag on the bottom.