IncubatorDevice
Hatching
- Aug 9, 2015
- 8
- 0
- 9
Hello Back Yard Chickens, I'm here to ask for some advice before I start a project.
Recently we tried to hatch some fertilised eggs using a broody hen, then two weeks into the hen incubating them, the hen abandoned the eggs, and they died. To solve this, I've decided to start a project which should lead to a working device being made to prevent the death of chicken eggs.
I'm planning on building a very basic incubator like device which can keep chicken eggs warm and alive if they've been abandoned by the hen. If the hen returns to the eggs then the device will turn off and stop heating, but if the hen doesn't return soon then I can collect the eggs from the nesting box to put them in an incubator.
The basics of the design is that it will be a rudimentary pressure plate attached to a small heat source which will fit into a nesting box. When the eggs are in the nesting box and the hen has left them, it will switch on the small heat source. The pressure plate will be a very basic design (to limit potential problems), and I'll make sure it's barely noticeable for the hen, it should look like the wooden base of the nesting box.
One query I have is what heat source to use instead of heat lamps. Heat pads such as those used for lizards could be another option, it seems safer, and would be more compact. Either way, I would make sure no electric components are left uninsulated, or can be reached by chickens.
Do you think that the death of eggs is a serious problem for ‘hobby farmers’?
Can you identify any potential safety issues which might have been have overlooked, and would prevent you from using this product?
Do you have any advice regarding the heat source of the product?
What else would you like to see in this product?
Thank you for any advice! I'll answer any questions about the project if you have them.
Recently we tried to hatch some fertilised eggs using a broody hen, then two weeks into the hen incubating them, the hen abandoned the eggs, and they died. To solve this, I've decided to start a project which should lead to a working device being made to prevent the death of chicken eggs.
I'm planning on building a very basic incubator like device which can keep chicken eggs warm and alive if they've been abandoned by the hen. If the hen returns to the eggs then the device will turn off and stop heating, but if the hen doesn't return soon then I can collect the eggs from the nesting box to put them in an incubator.
The basics of the design is that it will be a rudimentary pressure plate attached to a small heat source which will fit into a nesting box. When the eggs are in the nesting box and the hen has left them, it will switch on the small heat source. The pressure plate will be a very basic design (to limit potential problems), and I'll make sure it's barely noticeable for the hen, it should look like the wooden base of the nesting box.
One query I have is what heat source to use instead of heat lamps. Heat pads such as those used for lizards could be another option, it seems safer, and would be more compact. Either way, I would make sure no electric components are left uninsulated, or can be reached by chickens.
Do you think that the death of eggs is a serious problem for ‘hobby farmers’?
Can you identify any potential safety issues which might have been have overlooked, and would prevent you from using this product?
Do you have any advice regarding the heat source of the product?
What else would you like to see in this product?
Thank you for any advice! I'll answer any questions about the project if you have them.
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