How much do you spend on hatching???

[Mycookoonest]

I'm very curious to know if my 2 bators and 2 brooder bulbs have cost me a ton in electric or if maybe I need to turn off a tv, or a light or maybe look into solar... I have to laugh because when we opened the electric bill the bill went up a full $100 YIKES

and all I could think of is... well the babies need to be at 100 degrees in that bator... we are also convinced since the brooders are in the same room as the thermostat the AC has been on overdrive! Not to mention the cost of eggs and shipping... My little hobby has become a serious hobby!!!!!!! Oh my if I had only known!

 

[Guitartists]

Hmmm...last I heard a brooder light only costs $5 or so a month to run. And my kids leave the lights on all the time...so my bator (maybe other types are different) don't consume that much elec. At least, I haven't seen a spike in the bill like that! Maybe you have a surge somewhere.

 

[kellim]

I haven't even noticed a difference in our power bill since I started incubating and brooding. I tend to lean toward maybe you have a surge going on somewhere. Maybe try putting a fan blowing toward the A/C thermostat if you notice it kicking on more than you would like. That way it would keep the thermostat cooler so there for it would't kick on as much. Just make sure you double check your bator temp and make sure that doesn't make it fluctuate too much. Just a suggestion. I know the bathroom we keep our bator in gets WARM if I close off the vent so I am sure if our thermostat were in there it would be running all the time!

 

[BirdBoy88]

only cost me 18$ for hatching

i got my incubator as a gift so that was free.. all i needed to buy was the heat lamp = 10$

And 25lbs bag chick feed = 8$

 

[PurpleChicken]

Big Brooder Light - 250 watt
250 watts x 24 hours x 30 days = 180 KW Hours x $.18(KW rate here) = $32.40 per mth

Average Bator with fan
60 watts and heater turns on and off = 43.2KW = $7.77 per mth

Reptile Brooder bulb - My Favorite for 20 chicks - 80 watts - $10.60 per mth

Average AC Unit - 8000 BTU - Running 75% of time - $100 per month

We have some of the highest energy rates in the country here.


It would cost you at least $10,000 for a solar system to run the AC alone.

Turn the AC up a few degrees. Your chickens will never know. Turn of a few
lights.

Be Conservative and conserve.