How do you build a styrafoam incubator?

[chicken_china_mom]

Ok, I have a styrafoam container that I received when we ordered steaks from Omaha Steaks a few months back, and both my bators are full, so I would like to turn this one into another bator so that I don't have to run out and buy another bator. It's not as wide or long as my Hovabators, but it has a lid, and I'd like to see what I could do with it. What do I have to do to heat it, and what's the best method for keeping the humidity up? I don't think a turner would fit so I would have to hand turn. Could I move my geese eggs into it since I am already hand turning those? Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to start making it today if possible. I have someone that wants to ship me A LOT of eggs, and I don't want to pass up the opportunity, so if I could get it up and running today, that would be wonderful. Then I could run it for a few days to test it before I tell her to go ahead and send the eggs. Could I use a brooder lamp with a regular lightbulb in it? Or do I need the 250 watt heat bulb? I'll be watching this thread close to see what everyone says. Thanks for any help with this!

 

[catwalk]

Hi there! I've made quite a few styrofoam incubators, and I'm still using my original one! The size light bulb you use will depend on the size box you want to heat, but 250w is much to big! I'm using a 23w spiral bulb in mine. it's in a little "uplight" canister, and I've placed it on a tile to protect the box from meltage. I've lined the side where the light is and the side the light is facing with foil to deflect light back onto the thermostat, which is right in front of the bulb. My humidity source is a yogurt cup full of water, with a bit of sponge sticking up as a wick. I wired a combuter fan to a power pack (both from Mendelson's in Dayton), and that blows the heat all around. For viewing, I cut a hole in the top slightly smaller than a piece of glass in a picture frame, then glued it on top. For ventilation, I used an apple corer and placed a couple of holes on each side. These can be plugged up with cotton balls or wine corks if needed. There is a lot of heat loss through the window at the top, so I'd recommend making the viewer as small as is acceptable to you, no matter how big your glass is. I don't like the shreddy look of cut styrofoam, so I smoothed the edges with a paper bag and an iron. Just iron (on low) the bag to the styrofoam, and peel it off quickly. I also leave a blanket on top, for insulation as well as for a nice place for the cats to nap! This is my new drawer-bator, to show you my set-p. It looks the same in my styrofoam incubator.

 

[chicken_china_mom]

That looks neat. I am by no means tech saavy, and I don't think I could make a blower for it, so it would have to be a still air. How good is your hatch rate usually?

Here are a few pics of the container I have.

And here with a few of the eggs that my kids colored:

 

[catwalk]

Maybe you can use a little battery powered personal fan instead? I've looked in the air freshener aisle at stores, but I couldn't find one that blew continuously. My hatch rate has been deplorable this year, but I think my eggs lose humidity when being transferred to the hatcher in the basement. That's why I designed the drawer-bator, so I can stash it under the couch. 95% of my fertile eggs make it to lockdown, so the incubator portion is working great. My last hatch, the first one using the drawer, was 50%, or what I expect a Serama hatch to be.

 

[Sooner]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=8510

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I got a computer fan and went to Goodwill and bought something that had a 12volt cord on it wired it to the computer fan and mounted it on the hardware cloth with zip-ties. The metal tray underneath is for the water. I also cut a spot in the lid for a window using a piece of glass and I also cut a hole in the side, like you would the top off a pumpkin, just big enough to get my hand through for turning the eggs. That way I don't have to open up the top lid and lose all the humidity.

 

[FrenchHen]

Here's mine:

 

[chicken_china_mom]

Quote:
That was a neat little explanation. I love the addition of the band aid. I was reading the materials needed and thinking "A band aid? What could that possibly be for?"

But it is very informative, and one I can get a hold of a pc fan, I'll try to do it that way. The pictures help a lot. I might call up my uncle to talk me through the wiring cause I am NOT an electrician! In fact, I might burn the house down. But I like the way it looks. Makes me wonder what else I can make an incubator out of...

 

[panner123]

Learn from the best, search for MissPrissy and look at some of the different ones she has made. She makes them good and makes the direction easy to follow.

 

[FrenchHen]

Let me know if you have any questions. It worked quite well for us. WE haven't used it in a while because we ordered chicks and had a couple of broodies.