My quail incubation is drawing to a close (hatch date is tomorrow), and I thought I would post some instructions how to make your own egg incubator. You may use slightly different materials or settings, or have a preference for one thing over the other, but please keep in mind that while this is not perfect, it has worked for me.
This is easy to make (it takes less than 30 mins to put together), and is not too expensive as well - you may have many of these parts laying in your garage already.
You will need:
One Styrofoam cooler (the bigger the better; mine is about 12" by 8")
At least two thermometers, one with external sensor probe
A hygrometer
Sand, or a brick
A mason jar, or a few baby food jars (if using sand) (ETA that credit for this bit goes to Emilys3guppies!)
A thermostat (make sure you buy one that goes to 100 degrees F)
Optional but highly encouraged: a very small fan
Optional: a water wiggler (more info below)
Some paper towels
A small tray for water
Some duct tape
A piece of Plexiglas or a glass pane from a photo frame
Something poky, like a pen or screwdriver
A light bulb (40watts is what I use) and light bulb fixture
A drinking straw
Set it all up on a counter or table - somewhere where you have plenty of space.
*** Cut a piece out of the top of the incubator (the lid) to match the size of the glass pane. Duct tape the glass pane to the top of the incubator - this gives you a window. Make sure to use a few layers of duct tape, as you do need to keep the heat inside the incubator.
*** Poke a small hole in the side of your incubator, at top-of-egg height - this is for the temperature sensor of the thermostat. Feed the sensor into the incubator.
*** Poke out a bigger hole; this is for the light bulb. The location of the hole depends on the rest of the incubator setup. The light bulb in my incubator is near the top, so the newborn birds do not accidentally touch it and get burned. However, you can put it towards the bottom if you can adequately create a barrier between the light bulb and the chicks, such as aviary mesh.
*** For the fan, I personally only use a little Coleman heldheld fan. I cut a hole in the side of the incubator, with the blades far enough away to not hit anything. I slid the fan in through the hole, and to control how often it is on, I just release the battery compartment catch to turn it off - that disengages the battery from its connection to the fan. However, if this seems too risky for you, you can use a small (4" desk fan). Poke a hole in the side of the incubator, near the bottom, and feed the cord through the hole to the outlet in the wall.
*** The purpose of the sand, or brick, is to retain heat and minimize temperature fluctuations. Fill the jar(s) with sand and place in the incubator.
See photo #2.
*** Poke a straw-sized hole in the side, and place the small water tray beneath the hole. The water tray is to provide the proper humidity level during the incubation (especially critical during the hatch). The hole is to allow you to use a straw or tube to provide water to the tray during "lock down".
*** To make a water wiggler, I suggest buying one of the those kids toys from the cheap toy section at a toy store. The toy is a water-filled sleeve, often in bright or glittery colors. Place the wiggler into the incubator, and slide the external temperature sensor from the thermometer into the middle of the sleeve. The internal temperature of your eggs is more important than the air temperature of the 'bator - try to keep it as close to 100 Fahrenheit as possible. No photo yet, but if you have one to represent a water wiggler, please post.
*** Place your thermometer(s) around the incubator, at top-of-egg height. Be sure they are properly calibrated - I prefer mercury thermometers but use both types.
See photo #2.
*** Place hygrometer (calibrate first) in incubator.
See photo #2.
*** Poke a few small air holes around the incubator - you need good air air circulation!
*** Rid inside of incubator of any stray Styrofoam pieces.
*** Turn your light bulb on, and keep the thermostat set to 100 degrees (F). Let sit for at least 24 hours before setting any eggs, checking temp often. Get the water wiggler to the proper temperature and adjust thermostat as needed to keep the temperature stable. Refer to incubation guides for your specific animal type for proper humidity levels.
Hope this helps those of you who want to make a low-budget incubator!
~Cherlyn
This is easy to make (it takes less than 30 mins to put together), and is not too expensive as well - you may have many of these parts laying in your garage already.
You will need:
One Styrofoam cooler (the bigger the better; mine is about 12" by 8")
At least two thermometers, one with external sensor probe
A hygrometer
Sand, or a brick
A mason jar, or a few baby food jars (if using sand) (ETA that credit for this bit goes to Emilys3guppies!)
A thermostat (make sure you buy one that goes to 100 degrees F)
Optional but highly encouraged: a very small fan
Optional: a water wiggler (more info below)
Some paper towels
A small tray for water
Some duct tape
A piece of Plexiglas or a glass pane from a photo frame
Something poky, like a pen or screwdriver
A light bulb (40watts is what I use) and light bulb fixture
A drinking straw
Set it all up on a counter or table - somewhere where you have plenty of space.
*** Cut a piece out of the top of the incubator (the lid) to match the size of the glass pane. Duct tape the glass pane to the top of the incubator - this gives you a window. Make sure to use a few layers of duct tape, as you do need to keep the heat inside the incubator.
*** Poke a small hole in the side of your incubator, at top-of-egg height - this is for the temperature sensor of the thermostat. Feed the sensor into the incubator.
*** Poke out a bigger hole; this is for the light bulb. The location of the hole depends on the rest of the incubator setup. The light bulb in my incubator is near the top, so the newborn birds do not accidentally touch it and get burned. However, you can put it towards the bottom if you can adequately create a barrier between the light bulb and the chicks, such as aviary mesh.
*** For the fan, I personally only use a little Coleman heldheld fan. I cut a hole in the side of the incubator, with the blades far enough away to not hit anything. I slid the fan in through the hole, and to control how often it is on, I just release the battery compartment catch to turn it off - that disengages the battery from its connection to the fan. However, if this seems too risky for you, you can use a small (4" desk fan). Poke a hole in the side of the incubator, near the bottom, and feed the cord through the hole to the outlet in the wall.
*** The purpose of the sand, or brick, is to retain heat and minimize temperature fluctuations. Fill the jar(s) with sand and place in the incubator.
See photo #2.
*** Poke a straw-sized hole in the side, and place the small water tray beneath the hole. The water tray is to provide the proper humidity level during the incubation (especially critical during the hatch). The hole is to allow you to use a straw or tube to provide water to the tray during "lock down".
*** To make a water wiggler, I suggest buying one of the those kids toys from the cheap toy section at a toy store. The toy is a water-filled sleeve, often in bright or glittery colors. Place the wiggler into the incubator, and slide the external temperature sensor from the thermometer into the middle of the sleeve. The internal temperature of your eggs is more important than the air temperature of the 'bator - try to keep it as close to 100 Fahrenheit as possible. No photo yet, but if you have one to represent a water wiggler, please post.
*** Place your thermometer(s) around the incubator, at top-of-egg height. Be sure they are properly calibrated - I prefer mercury thermometers but use both types.
See photo #2.
*** Place hygrometer (calibrate first) in incubator.
See photo #2.
*** Poke a few small air holes around the incubator - you need good air air circulation!
*** Rid inside of incubator of any stray Styrofoam pieces.
*** Turn your light bulb on, and keep the thermostat set to 100 degrees (F). Let sit for at least 24 hours before setting any eggs, checking temp often. Get the water wiggler to the proper temperature and adjust thermostat as needed to keep the temperature stable. Refer to incubation guides for your specific animal type for proper humidity levels.
Hope this helps those of you who want to make a low-budget incubator!
~Cherlyn
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