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Homemade incubator, not working :( Please help

Discussion in 'Incubating & Hatching Eggs' started by Smurfypop, Apr 1, 2016.

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  1. Apr 1, 2016 #1
    Smurfypop

    Smurfypop Hatching

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    Mar 24, 2016
    Ireland
    Hello Everyone [​IMG]

    With great intentions I made my own incubator for my duck eggs. It was my first time incubating at all.
    Well today I found that...it failed miserably. I was just keeping eggs warm really.
    The temperature was varying about 1 - 2 degrees give or take, the humidity.....admittedly I was guessing. [​IMG]

    Questions;

    Could it be my drake?
    Is humidity very important to keep constant?
    How do I keep a more constant temperature?
    Is it better to have a fan in the incubator or does it matter?

    Thank you so much,
    Sophia

    ~Ciao for now~
     

  4. Apr 1, 2016 #2
    tyler01

    tyler01 In the Brooder

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    Mar 31, 2016
    I just did my very first hatch with a homemade incubator for chickens, and I have a 2nd homemade incubator with more eggs to come soon. Through the course of this I've had 2 rotten eggs and 4 infertile eggs. The infertile eggs looked like I was just keeping them warm when I examined them. Are you certain that the eggs were fertile?

    My temp was all over the place many times, and my humidity was too, but I guess it was steady enough for these healthy little chicks to hatch. You should go to target or walmart and buy a 5 dollar hygrometer that measures humidity. As far as ventilation goes, I placed a hole in my cooler directly below my heat source which was a light bulb. The light bulb was mid-way up on the styrofoam chest wall. Then I put a bigger vent hole on the opposite side of the chest on the top. This created convection and surprisingly was pulling a good deal of air through the incubator. It certainly wasn't like a fan, but it was much more than I expected.

    Hope this helps for the future!
     
  6. Apr 2, 2016 #3
    Smurfypop

    Smurfypop Hatching

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    Mar 24, 2016
    Ireland
    Thank you sooo much for your reply.

    I have taken your advice and got a hydrometer and made adjustments to my incubator.
    I wasn't entirely sure if the eggs were fertilized. It's hard to tell for me. I am very new to this.
    Your post has helped me out so much. I hope it works this time.
    Thank you again,
    Sophia.
     

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