Incubator with escape box for chicks.

[Quyen Le]

I think I got well over 100 chicks hatched from 152 eggs that includes 2 of the cracked then glued with plastic bag. 55 chicks have gone thru the escape door and are moved to brooder. The 2nd egg which is glued with plastic bag is pipped. Those 2 eggs thought to be used for experiment then left untouch since I was busy. I removed a quarter size of egg shell on the 2nd one and glued with clear plastic but never got a chance to follow it's developement process. Will take pictures later.

 

[The Bird Sitter]

Wow! A hundred little chicks a peeping! Peep!

 

[Quyen Le]

110 and some pipped eggs. The bottom tray is cooler and hatch later. The second egg that has plastic glued on, the chick died, I should have helped.

 

[Quyen Le]

120 hatched, still some more viable eggs left. 80% hatched so far. I opened up all the unhatched eggs and chicks fully formed but can't make it. Some, I have to help since humidity was low and they have problem coming out of the shell, just 2 or 3. Will update later. Below are pictures of the inside that you want to see

I removed the foam to see inside the incubator.


Chicks in bottom tray


Escape door


Chicks inside escape box

 

[Quyen Le]

There are some room for improvement, This is a test run of newly designed incubator, I will make the next one even better. Thanks for your comments, thanks for reading my posts

 

[Quyen Le]

127 hatched, 3 eggs left. 85% is not bad for first run with lots of problems during the first week since I have to fix the incubator to put in fans, larger fan... I am using light bulb for heating source now but thinking of using conductor later. I also will implement the upper fan to make the temperature more even so they will likely hatch on the same day from top tray to bottom tray. Hope this will help some of you making better incubator down the line. Don't forget to check out my egg turner diagram https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/708252/egg-turner-schematic#post_9914232

 

[Quyen Le]

Final count, 129 hatched, the last egg, the chick died. The beak was badly deformed too. I then turned off my incubator leaving 4 eggs that I thought they were no good any more. 6 hours later, I took those eggs out and I heard peeping, 1 of the egg is still alive. I just don't want to fire up the incubator for just 1 egg, so I put it in the brooder with 4 little chicks that we want to keep them indoor because of deformity and 1 of them from very small egg and I think it's a banty. That egg is now pipped. I use wet paper towel wrap around to give it needed humidity to hatch. The membrance looks moist enough. Hope this one hatch OK.

 

[Quyen Le]

The last one hatched OK, so the count is 130 but I am affraid 1 will die because s/he has splayed legs and can't walk.

 

[stevetone]

I think I get it--the eggs are already in the lower tray, and then when they hatch the chicks just go through the hole to their "escape."

Initially, I thought they were falling 2 feet from the upper trays to the lower tray and then out the hole.

Or do they?

I like the idea, I am just a little confused...

 

[Quyen Le]

The top tray is only less than 1.5 ft away and the chicks landed on cardboard box. I got this idea after watching Japanese people throwing chicks after sexing day old chick at a hatchery at greater distance. If you affraid this will hurt the chicks, then put some cushions where they will land. This is just a very simple version of this incubator. I will design this incubator to be the best possible in the market. I aim for highest possible hatch rate. Thanks for watching.