Homemade incubators? Do they work?

[Lrosell31]

View attachment 1458738 I put 2 15 watt incandescent bulbs in mine I originally had a single bulb with a dimmer switch in but one time it burned out and the dimmer switch was hard to use to get the heat correct. I have since put a wafer thermostat in at now it hold the temperature beautifully.

Do you have a picture of what the incubator looks like. I just don’t want to waste money on making a crappy one. Hahahaha

 

[cmom]

This incubator was less that $10. to make. I had a thermostat from an old styrofoam hova-bator. I did buy 2 new light fixtures but they were around $3. each. I had an AC fan not DC so I didn't need a DC converter and everything runs off of one cord. The original fan I had was a DC fan so I used an old cordless phone power plug for the fan.

 

[cmom]

 

[Kiki]

That’s good to know. I found a really good one that I’m going to make hopefully this weekend. It uses a dimmer switch and a computer fan.

I can't not stress how important a thermostat is.
AND calibrated thermometerS (at least three) and a calibrated humidity gauge.
Good luck.

Look through here for more ideas:
Incubators & Brooders

 

[cmom]

This was the original setup.

 

[Sara L]

I have two 40w appliance light bulbs in mine, with a computer fan set between the light bulbs so it blows the heated air from the lightbulb around the incubator. My original DIY bator was styrofoam and used a lower water heater thermostat and worked pretty well once I got it dialed in. I hatched several batches in it before building a second DIY bator using an ice chest and Inkbird thermostat. It was easier to regulate the humidity in the ice chest version. The Inkbird thermostats are really nice, you can find them on Amazon or eBay.
I followed a youtube video by Rush Lane Poultry for guidance on building my DIY incubator.

 

[Sseckel]

They can work beautifully. BUT you have to be patient and willing to take your time to really figure out what works best for you.
I tried to get fancy with my first one and it was more trouble than it was worth even though I had a few great hatches with it. Below is my current one. It is an older end table can get with a glass front. I have a small desk fan in the bottom and I heat it with 5 (small) light bulbs.
Most people would say that is crazy but it works great for THIS incubator. Plus if one goes out I have no major temperature dips. there is 1- 40 watt, 1-7.5 watt, 2-15watt and one 40 watt LED which produces almost no heat but gives just enough to bump the temp to 100F. It took almost a week to figure out which combination worked best. I used to use just a single bulb but after losing a hatch when it burnt out (it was brand new too) I decided having multiple bulbs was better for me.

 

[Tesumph]

@Cyprus has had good results with homemade bators. She just made a really neat one that should have its own thread soon (if it doesn’t already).

 

[Lrosell31]

They can work beautifully. BUT you have to be patient and willing to take your time to really figure out what works best for you.
I tried to get fancy with my first one and it was more trouble than it was worth even though I had a few great hatches with it. Below is my current one. It is an older end table can get with a glass front. I have a small desk fan in the bottom and I heat it with 5 (small) light bulbs.
Most people would say that is crazy but it works great for THIS incubator. Plus if one goes out I have no major temperature dips. there is 1- 40 watt, 1-7.5 watt, 2-15watt and one 40 watt LED which produces almost no heat but gives just enough to bump the temp to 100F. It took almost a week to figure out which combination worked best. I used to use just a single bulb but after losing a hatch when it burnt out (it was brand new too) I decided having multiple bulbs was better for me.

That’s an awesome set up. I will show my husband. I volunteer him to do all my projects. Hahahaha

 

[cmom]

http://incubatorwarehouse.com/48-watt-incukit-dc.html
http://incubatorwarehouse.com/hova-bator-wafer-thermostat-3122.html