How is this as a homemade incubator ?

[dagger_e88]

I made an incubator for my chicken eggs recently and this is basically how it works:
It’s a laundry basket (with holes all over all 4 sides) and the heat source is a mini space heater. It’s about 18 inches away from the basket. It blows hot air so it also acts as air flow. I taped all the holes shut on the basket except the ones in front of the space heater obviously so the heat can get in that way, and have paper towels and bowls of rice on the bottom to keep the humidity around 40%. The lid is just a cardboard box right now until I can find a piece of glass instead. I turn the eggs by hand every few hours. I check the temp and humidity gauge every few hours too and adjust the position of the heater closer or further from the basket as needed depending if it’s a degree too cold or hot but usually it’s about where it should be (38°C) I just put eggs in yesterday so I don’t have a success rate yet. The only thing that I’m not sure of is if the temperature is the same throughout the entire basket, because the eggs are a few inches away from the thermometer so they might be a degree colder or hotter. Obviously not a fancy incubator in any form but as long as it works (hopefully) anyway, just wanted to share this with everyone, and will give an update in a few weeks on how it went. (I know in the pic it looks 41° based on the angle but the temp is in fact 38°)

 

[cavemanrich]

There are many ways to make a home-made incubator,. My method would be a Styrofoam cooler, and a 60 watt incandescent light bulb, on a dimmer. (to finely adjust temperature.).

Your setup should work, but you will use up much energy in the 21 days.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[dagger_e88]

There are many ways to make a home-made incubator,. My method would be a Styrofoam cooler, and a 60 watt incandescent light bulb, on a dimmer. (to finely adjust temperature.).

Your setup should work, but you will use up much energy in the 21 days.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

Thanks…for yours though, with a bulb as the heat source, how would you get air flow? Do you really need that or do you have another way to get it with that one?

 

[cavemanrich]

Peeps have used a small computer cooling fan that runs on 5 volts and use a phone charger type transformer to power it.
I have a drawer full of miscellaneous chargers from everything I saved over time.
The transformers do have stamped the Voltage, and Milliamps capacity.
You can get a laptop cooler and that would work,,,,, ALL IN ONE. no need to cannibalize a computer for parts.

 

[cavemanrich]

Do you really need that or do you have another way to get it with that one?

You could experiment, and look up the still air incubators, and their construction structure.

 

[dagger_e88]

You could experiment, and look up the still air incubators, and their construction structure.

So as for using a fan for air flow, that obviously does work but for me whenever I try any kind of fan it blows cool air and lowers the temp in the bator, but in my case my space heater blows hot air to heat it so I guess I don’t need another air flow source since the heater combines as one right? And the still air incubator apparently has vents on top and bottom to have ventilation of air.

 

[cavemanrich]

I try any kind of fan it blows cool air and lowers the temp in the bator,

A fan inside an incubator will only circulate the air inside, It will not cool anything.
What you are feeling, is the wind causing evaporation on your skin.
Try some more experimentation, since it is something you are doing quite well.
If you are blowing the air across a water moist sponge, yes, you will experience evaporation cooling. In that case, you just raise the electrical output to your light-bulb heat source.

I'm not suggesting you abandon your incubator. I'm only suggesting you could try making a second incubator and test drive it empty, before putting eggs in it.
You may also consider using a controller such as below.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

@dagger_e88 how did this go?

 

[Canina]

I just wanted to report that I successfully incubated eggs using a Vivexotic repti home wooden vivarium!

 

[cavemanrich]

I just wanted to report that I successfully incubated eggs using a Vivexotic repti home wooden vivarium!

First,,, wanted to welcome you to BYC.
Since you do like to experiment,,, consider what @yakitori did in thread below using crock pot.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/crockpot-slow-cooker-incubator-take-2.1485891/

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,