Homemade incubators

[ChickenCanoe]

It was 165 degrees in the cooler with a 25 watt. Still 110 with the lid propped open and that was at the opposite end from the light.

That's hot but you will need a thermostat of some kind to regulate it.
Anything over 104 will kill embryos. Any fluctuation of ambient temperature will influence incubator temperature without some type of control.

 

[igorsMistress]

That's hot but you will need a thermostat of some kind to regulate it.
Anything over 104 will kill embryos. Any fluctuation of ambient temperature will influence incubator temperature without some type of control.

Then why not just buy an incubator? By the time you do all that the cost is about the same. Temp fluctuations impact an incubator also, almost all the institutions I’ve ever read said to keep it away from vents, windows, outside walls, etc. I’m not arguing your point, but the OP said they don’t have a lot of money to spend and I’ve seen a friend hatch ducks in a box in her closet with a towel, a lamp, a thermometer and a bowl of water.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Then why not just buy an incubator? By the time you do all that the cost is about the same. Temp fluctuations impact an incubator also, almost all the institutions I’ve ever read said to keep it away from vents, windows, outside walls, etc. I’m not arguing your point, but the OP said they don’t have a lot of money to spend and I’ve seen a friend hatch ducks in a box in her closet with a towel, a lamp, a thermometer and a bowl of water.

There probably isn't a great advantage to make one's own. Doing anything on a small scale adds to cost. (economies of scale)
There are ways to scrimp but precise temperature control is the only way to have high hatch rates and vigorous chicks. Cheap incubators present the same problems as well. I've used 3 different LG incubators over the years. That's the cheapest incubator and all have had extremely poor temperature control.
I call them my embryo executioners. For another 10-20 dollars upfront cost, even those could be much more reliable.
I'm in the midst of writing an incubation book and will post its release on BYC when it is available.

 

[igorsMistress]

There probably isn't a great advantage to make one's own. Doing anything on a small scale adds to cost. (economies of scale)
There are ways to scrimp but precise temperature control is the only way to have high hatch rates and vigorous chicks. Cheap incubators present the same problems as well. I've used 3 different LG incubators over the years. That's the cheapest incubator and all have had extremely poor temperature control.
I call them my embryo executioners. For another 10-20 dollars upfront cost, even those could be much more reliable.
I'm in the midst of writing an incubation book and will post its release on BYC when it is available.

I’m sorry you had a rough time of it with that particular incubator. There are so many options out there and it’s hard to pick what’s best for a hobbyist. Most excellent on the book, I’d love to read it!

I completely agree that control is the best. I have an incubator and while it’s not expensive it’s reliable anyway. My biggest issue has always been humidity control. I use a Hovabator with a fan and I added a humidikit; it has been pretty awesome.

 

[ozzie]

Nice. Very clever with the Legos.
Halogen bulbs are still available and generate heat.

I use metallic heat elements.

https://incubatorwarehouse.com/100-watt-incubator-heater-110v.html
https://www.amazon.com/Onpiece-Heating-Incubator-Element-Accessories/dp/B073DXGWL4
https://www.amazon.com/Constant-Tem...r+metallic+heat+element&qid=1604751435&sr=8-4
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ha...fVH3eN91aYlx6KutavC8By1Z2Bdxn9HBoCS5kQAvD_BwE

I tried with halogens and found that they didn’t seem to generate enough heat. Their smaller size meant that the heat seemed localized to a smaller area? Or maybe I didn’t put enough in. I have tossed up using heating elements. Because I live in suburbia I don’t hatch often enough to over complicate thing so I stayed with the light bulb. When they finally phase them out I will have to use elements like you have. I will bookmark the link for future reference

 

[Freie Family Farm]

We wanted to do it as part of my sons homeschooling. He knows it may not work but is still willing. We've seen all kinds and some have had some decent success. Since we are home 24/7, its easy to keep an eye on it. We also keep our house rather warm which is where we will be keeping the incubator. The brooder is going to be built in our basement until the winter months are done and we can redo our coops in the spring

 

[Tonyroo]

There's low cost options when you think outside the box. Like checking around your house for a suitable box/container, 40 watt light bulb, plastic container cap for water, egg carton. The part you'll spend a small amount of money on is a light fixture base, digital thermostat, and maybe a pc fan. You'll spend about $25 or cheaper if you can find better prices for some of these items.

 

[Freie Family Farm]

There's low cost options when you think outside the box. Like checking around your house for a suitable box/container, 40 watt light bulb, plastic container cap for water, egg carton. The part you'll spend a small amount of money on is a light fixture base, digital thermostat, and maybe a pc fan. You'll spend about $25 or cheaper if you can find better prices for some of these items.

My husband is a gamer so we have extra PC fans laying around. I have a few ideas now and know what to look for. Thanks everyone for the advice. As soon as its built, we will make a new post

 

[ozzie]

My husband is a gamer so we have extra PC fans laying around. I have a few ideas now and know what to look for. Thanks everyone for the advice. As soon as its built, we will make a new post

Mine was made of a styrofoam box (free from the green grocers). You don’t have to divide the compartments but I chose to do so (styrofoam is easy to cut but it does go everywhere so do it outdoors). Making the divider out of styrofoam also means it’s easy to put the fan in. I did this with my previous incubator which I retired a while back. I didn’t have a spare styrofoam box handy to make the divider but I did have plywood so I just used that. I prefer the heat source and the containers with water in a separate compartment to the eggs. Because when they hatch they stumble around everywhere and I have read that people have had chicks drown in the water containers as a result. Then I cut out 2 holes on the side. One for access to the water container and the other for the compartment with the eggs. I don’t ever have to lift the lid open. This way I find that even if I open the compartment to take the chicks out after they hatch, I don’t lose too much heat or humidity. The glass/Perspex on top of the lid is from an old picture frame just sitting around. Just make sure you cut the hole on the lid slightly smaller than the glass/perspex - I use that to peer in to check water levels, chick activity. If I get a chance I will take pics of the whole set up. It’s only the thermostat and heat source that’s the main cost (And the fertilised eggs).

Also, remember there’s other considerations like the brooder and coop/run to deal with after they hatch.

Give it a go. It’s a fun project and your kids will be learning heaps. Good luck.

 

[Minky]

This is mine. They are hatching now. So far 3 have hatched. 4 more pipped. I put in a dozen eggs. Of which 10 were fertile and started developing.

Homemade incubator

what is the lego pile for?