Homemade incubator hatchalong

[Kiki]

I only have the one in there, but I want to buy another to make sure that one is reading the right temp. It has an auto calibration thing but idk how accurate it is

Get another one or another 3.

 

[kittycat1356]

You can calibrate your submersible thermometer in a cup of warm water with a medical grade thermometer. Get your water around 100*, put both thermometers in, but don't let them touch the bottom or sides of the container, wait for them to stabalize, and then check the difference. Most medical thermometers are guaranteed to be accurate to .2*F.

Rush Lane Poultry has lots of how to videos for wiring a thermostat. You can buy a good digital thermostat for around $10.00.

I’m not sure I can submerse my current thermometer?

 

[Kiki]

I’m not sure I can submerse my current thermometer?

Walmart sells these for a dollar something:

 

[lazy gardener]

I use one of those. It is hard to read, it's very old, but accurate. 2 thermometers of same brand and style may give very different readings! That's why it's important to calibrate against a known accurate thermometer.

 

[Kiki]

You need to put that humidity gauge black thing in a zip lock bag with a little container of salt mixed with a little water like this:

#2222
(I have the exact same one and mine was wrong.) (Calibrate it too)

 

[Kiki]

I only have the one in there, but I want to buy another to make sure that one is reading the right temp. It has an auto calibration thing but idk how accurate it is

Assume it is wrong.
It was hard for me to understand/realize how wrong a brand new thermometer can be.
I mean aren't they new?
Shouldn't they be correct?

They are not.
I now understand why calibrating is so important.

 

[Hyroler]

View attachment 1329248 View attachment 1329249 View attachment 1329251 I recently lost my favorite hen to no idea what, maybe cold, maybe cat maybe opposum. I was devastated to the point I considered selling my entire flock because she was my top favorite and the others were just to keep her company.
Since I lost her it gave rise to some of the more love-neglected chickens, who ended up being just as sweet as her, so it’s not a 100% loss.

The hen I lost was a brabanter hen, and the breed isnt too common to come upon. She was probably a mix but I loved her anyway. I whipped up a styrofoam incubator with a similar design I’ve used before and had very successful hatches before. (Better than the Chinese incubator with yellow lid, but I liked that one for its ease of use and how many it could hatch)

This incubator can only hatch maybe 15-20 eggs if they are small enough.

I got 2 brabanter roosters and 12 eggs, I let them settle and warm to room temp, and put them in the incubator with a handful of my recent eggs. (I hope I get a hen in color of my EE rooster cause I have too many roosters now and I don’t care for him as much, he’s too insecure and has been crowing his head off.)

I’ll be turning them when I remember, a few times a day. Usually 3-7 times. I will be incubating dry until 3 days before hatch I will boost humidity to as high as I can get it.
I lower the temp by pulling out a cut out piece. Labeled for my ease for putting them back if it gets too cold and I don’t have to puzzle piece them together. It’s held 99°f-100°f for about a week now so I think it’s ready. It will loose heat when I open to turn them, but I can just plug the holes for a minute or two to bring it back up to temp.

My incubator ingredients are:
Small styrofoam cooler 2-3$
Plug socket I think it was 5- $
USB port 1$
USB fan 5-7$
Extension cord 3$?
Bags of sand from 1$ tree 3$
Probably put them onto a wash cloth soon so they aren’t sandy when they hatch 2~$
40watt Light bulb 2$ (25-35 watts work too)
20$ for the eggs.
AND.
1 plastic piece, mine came from a 3d printer viewing window I don’t use, but like a plastic cookie tin or something works too. My last one had a glass window from a 50¢ Picture frame I bought used. dollar tree has them too 1$~
And tape 3$?
A lot of the stuff I already had, or bought some things a while ago so it wasn’t exactly expensive.


We will see how this turns out, I’ll be happy if only one hen hatches, but if I fail, the man I bought them from is setting his own eggs in the incubator in about a week and will sell chicks.

You did a fine job with incubator.I only have 1 recomendation add a dimmer switch to light socket.You can buy one at hardware store for few dollars or just find old lamp or any appliance cord that has one.If you have thrift store nearby Im sure you can find one on something.Probably get it for $1 dollar.Dimmer will allow you to control temp the bulb puts out.If you use dimmer switch to get proper temp with a couple vents removed then as weather changes you will be able to add or remove vents to fine tune.Without dimmer switch im afraid on warm day all vents removed wont be enough to lower temp.

 

[kittycat1356]

Assume it is wrong.
It was hard for me to understand/realize how wrong a brand new thermometer can be.
I mean aren't they new?
Shouldn't they be correct?

They are not.
I now understand why calibrating is so important.

I actually have the fish tank thermometer I put it in there but idk if it works. It’s only reached 75-80°ish. Does it need to be in water?

I also added another thermometer same brand, different model bought somewhere else. It says about same temp ( if I put them in exact same spot in incubator, but there is a side that’s reading cooler by about 1 degrees

It says (according to where they are in incubator)

102° ~78°(fish tank one) 99°
I’ve never seen my thermometer go to 101, so I assume it’s 100.5-101.5 and just rounds up weirdly.

Btw why the salt?

 

[kittycat1356]

You did a fine job with incubator.I only have 1 recomendation add a dimmer switch to light socket.You can buy one at hardware store for few dollars or just find old lamp or any appliance cord that has one.If you have thrift store nearby Im sure you can find one on something.Probably get it for $1 dollar.Dimmer will allow you to control temp the bulb puts out.If you use dimmer switch to get proper temp with a couple vents removed then as weather changes you will be able to add or remove vents to fine tune.Without dimmer switch im afraid on warm day all vents removed wont be enough to lower temp.

I’ve considered getting a dimmer switch but I’m not a handy person at all. And I’m not sure how to connect one either since my incubator is so small. (I’ve looked it up a few times, I just lower my bulb wattage, ( like 10 watts lower would work better imo)

The temp doesn’t swing so much that I’d be concerned, at most it goes to the 102( pretty sure it’s 100.5-101° rounded up for whatever reason, I read it does round up 2 sometimes.) and when it does go that high it’s only for maybe an hour?(it’s usually cause I plugged a hole and forgot) I live in PA currently and the temps are crazy low, I have 2 holes covered and the rest open, with a really good (according to the thermometer) steady temp of 99-100 and when I open to turn them I plug the holes for about a minute after to raise temp back, and it will go to 102. After I unplug them it goes back to 100-99 in about 5-10 minutes

I’m like always in my room, so I can turn my head and see the temp pretty much whenever lol ( I wake up and look over the bed and see it at 102 and run to unplug a hole)

 

[kittycat1356]

I managed to get the cool side up a bit and the warm side down by covering holes on cool side but opening them on warmer side. I do have a fan but idk how much that works.

And there’s the fish tank thermometer slowly going up still