Homemade vs buying an incubator/brooder

[Chickenjoe123]

Is it cheaper to make your own incubator? If i make it wrong I don't wanna spend more money and have my incubator end up as a fail same goes for a brooder. Also since I am short on money I was wondering if anybody who might have an old incubator or brooder they don't use anymore might send it to me for free or less then buying a new one. Also the automatic turner is it better then doing it myself. I am scared I might break my eggs or not turn them enough if I do them myself.

 

[TimBaumann]

In general I think if you buy a good incubator life will be easier for you. Of course this is expensive. I tried building my own but I couldn't keep the temperature perfectly steady with the type of thermostat I got. Here in Namibia it's hard to find a good thermostat that can be used for a incubator. If you live in a developed country like America or somewhere in Europe you will probably have no trouble building your own. You just need to do it the right way and there is tons of info on this site! I stopped trying to build incubators and bought 2 silkie hens. They are my incubators

SO it depends on how much money you're willing to spend and whether you can get the right equipment for building your own.
And I don't think an automatic egg turner is necessary. People have no problem with turning eggs by hand. I think the egg turner is just less work.
Good luck with finding or building an incubator!

 

[gimmie birdies]

The even temp of you house is important, 70 is best, I use a cardboard computer paper box, and put it inside a bigger one that is slightly shorter.I put a glass from an old pic frame on the top of the box Duct Tape works. I use a 25 watt light bulb that has a Metal heat reflector, and a clamp, (I don't use the clamp) I cut the short edge of the box down the middle 3/4ths the way down. and slide the lamp down the slot I made, so the rim of the deflector rests on the pie pan I have underneath, and I put in 3 air holes. above that I suspend a wire basket with the wings on the edges (i make it out of small hole chick flooring) that fold over the box. this takes advantage of the rising heat, get a thermometer and get the temp 99.5 right for a couple of days. for water I put in a 1/2 cup in the evening every other day or so, watching the air cell as I go, on day 7 if air cell is too high I put out less water if to low more water. Water is most important day 18. I Turn eggs 3 times a day until day 18.

You will hear a lot of squaking in here about lamps and yes you have to be careful, I have enlarged the lettering above to show where I am being careful with the lamp, but if you have animals or kids in the house than this whole do it yourself idea may be for the birds. I have been raising chickens for 40 years, and have hatched out may chickens this way so if you screw up you are on your own. You can lose a lot of sleep hatching chicks, best advise is to just by some. Especially if you are new to chickens.

 

[missnu01]

I am going to get a brinsea octagon 20 eco. It's way cheaper than the one that turns the eggs automatically, and I hear that they hol dthe temperature really well. We have a wood stove, so we sometimes have really high temps, and other times pretty cold temps. There are some incubators made for that kind of situation, they have the capability to run both heat and cold so if it gets too hot then it will cool the incubator, and if it is too cold it will heat it up. I have only seen a couple that can do that, and I can't afford them, so I am hoping that leaving the incubator in my bedroom that is evenly cold will help with the fluctuations. Anyway I worry that a homemade incubator won't hold the temp right and I would end up buying the materials to make one, and then have to buy a premade one anyway.

 

[tristancolli]

Well you don't want to make one and then figure out that it isnt going to work and have spent the money on it already. here is the bator i have it is a nice one it is $109.99 you can have the fan kit installed for an extra 10$ but if not you can install it your self. http://incubatorwarehouse.com/hova-bator-egg-incubator-combo-kit.html

 

[Chickenjoe123]

I found a used one that was on strombergs chickens with an auto turner for 40 dollars, now all i need is the brooder. I want to make my coop first out of pallets. The reason I was asking about an incubator is because the breed of chicken I am wanting are icelandic chickens. They look really cool, and are rare. 12 eggs for 25 dollars. Although I may just buy california grey chicks if this all gets to be to much of a hassle and buy a brooder instead of a incubator, or keep the incubator for later down the road. Possibly do what one poster above me said and use my california greys as a incubator, or get a bantam i heard they are good for incubating other chickens eggs if my california greys aren't good mothers. Luckily the whole city is an underground movement and the ordinance against chickens isn't widely enforced at all. The cops don't care because they know some youngsters who's sound systems are louder then chickens, plus in the suburb i live in even though its part of dayton they allow chickens because the town used to be a big farm community in the fifties and still has many homes tucked back in the two lane roads. still lots of houses but their backyards are huge and divided up that used to be pastures. And we still have farms in the city limits , so the city allows it, but they don't have a minimum amount required to have live stocks, a house thats yard is reallly a divided up pasture ( about half an acre or just under is a block away from my friend who lives in a coldasac) have moo cows and the cops don't say anything.

 

[gimmie birdies]

Do not get one of those cheap bubble incubators, they are terrible!

 

[Chickenjoe123]

could you post a link to one so i know if its the one someone has offered me? i mean they used it for 4h and it looks like the one that the teacher used in my 2nd grade science class and it worked great

 

[gimmie birdies]

oh no the bubble one is just like a to-go pop cover and a 7 watt bulb that keeps going out because the electricals are cheep! looks like a ufo on tripods

 

[bilder]

I made my incubator out of a free cooler and 20 bucks worth of parts from Home Depot.

Does not have a turner, but I do not mind turning by hand. It is going through its first run incubating eggs, so I will tell you in 2 more weeks if it works or not.