Incubators Anonymous

[ChickyChickens]

Yes. I saw one of those electric wine racks at a thrift store & sadly passed it by. I went back the next day, & it was gone. I ended up building mine with a plastic cooler.
What I really insisted on having was a BIG viewing window. It felt warm on the outside during my 1st hatch, so I turned it into a double pane. It really keeps the temp now, and I can get some great pics.

Awesome looking incuabtor!! How does it work??

 

[Sustained]

Yes. I saw one of those electric wine racks at a thrift store & sadly passed it by. I went back the next day, & it was gone. I ended up building mine with a plastic cooler.
What I really insisted on having was a BIG viewing window. It felt warm on the outside during my 1st hatch, so I turned it into a double pane. It really keeps the temp now, and I can get some great pics.

Nice bator! I wish I'd used a cooler instead of the Styrofoam things when I made my first one. How many eggs does it hold? I can see the 14 but not sure if there's more in the back. I LOVE the big window! I've got an LG for hatching right now and I'm seriously lamenting the small windows and only having them on the top lol


On a side note, I moved eggs to my hatching bator and tossed some clears and quitters and my bator was looking so empty that I ordered almost 3 dozen more to fill the empty spaces....

 

[Faraday40]

Awesome looking incuabtor!! How does it work??

It's got the standard wafer thermostat, light bulbs, & a computer fan. Water tray below with tubing to add water. At the time of the pic I just used a carton of backyard eggs balanced like a see saw on a piece of PVC. (I couldn't wait to test it out.) Later I cut a plastic egg tray to hold 25 eggs. I usually have no need to incubate more, but once I had another carton of eggs in there as well. (so maybe about 40 eggs capacity.)

 

[TeaChick]

Yes. I saw one of those electric wine racks at a thrift store & sadly passed it by. I went back the next day, & it was gone. I ended up building mine with a plastic cooler.
What I really insisted on having was a BIG viewing window. It felt warm on the outside during my 1st hatch, so I turned it into a double pane. It really keeps the temp now, and I can get some great pics.

That cooler-bator looks like a toaster oven! =)
You're a genius; DD and I have been kind of designing a cooler-bator, but I've been stuck on the idea of it being "right side up". I'll show her yours and see what she thinks. TFS!!!

PS: super cute chick!!! looks like a little boy, huh?

 

[TeaChick]

I lost all the eggs I had shipped. (If I already said that here, I"m sorry).
I just candled the eggs I set from my own hens last night at 15 days. I have ten left from the fourteen I set. I'll candle Wed and lockdown and expect them to hatch next weekend.

I've got two green ones in there that I really hope hatch out and I really hope are girls and I really hope lay me green (or blue) eggs!!!

 

[calichicken]

Yes. I saw one of those electric wine racks at a thrift store & sadly passed it by. I went back the next day, & it was gone. I ended up building mine with a plastic cooler.
What I really insisted on having was a BIG viewing window. It felt warm on the outside during my 1st hatch, so I turned it into a double pane. It really keeps the temp now, and I can get some great pics.

That's AWESOME!!!!! I need one like that for my classroom...and heck me too!!!! I just have on with a small viewing window on top so hard for the kiddos to peek in and not disturb the bator

Unfortunately I am not crafty at building things....sigh

 

[calichicken]

I lost all the eggs I had shipped. (If I already said that here, I"m sorry).
I just candled the eggs I set from my own hens last night at 15 days. I have ten left from the fourteen I set. I'll candle Wed and lockdown and expect them to hatch next weekend.

I've got two green ones in there that I really hope hatch out and I really hope are girls and I really hope lay me green (or blue) eggs!!!

Awww...so sorry about your shipped eggs...man shipped eggs can be so difficult

So lucky you have eggs of your own as well

...wish I did, but no Roos allowed where I live

good luck with your eggs

 

[calichicken]

Nice bator! I wish I'd used a cooler instead of the Styrofoam things when I made my first one. How many eggs does it hold? I can see the 14 but not sure if there's more in the back. I LOVE the big window! I've got an LG for hatching right now and I'm seriously lamenting the small windows and only having them on the top lol


On a side note, I moved eggs to my hatching bator and tossed some clears and quitters and my bator was looking so empty that I ordered almost 3 dozen more to fill the empty spaces....

LOL....an empty bator is just soooooooo sad

You just have to fill it up

So sad mine are cleaned up and put away for now. I don't have fertile eggs of my own and this is not the best time of year to try to get eggs from others

 

[ladycat]

I lost all the eggs I had shipped. (If I already said that here, I"m sorry).
I just candled the eggs I set from my own hens last night at 15 days. I have ten left from the fourteen I set. I'll candle Wed and lockdown and expect them to hatch next weekend.

I've got two green ones in there that I really hope hatch out and I really hope are girls and I really hope lay me green (or blue) eggs!!!

Shipped eggs are a gamble. I've gotten anywhere from ZERO hatch to over 90%. But usually around 30-40%.

 

[Sustained]

LOL....an empty bator is just soooooooo sad

You just have to fill it up

So sad mine are cleaned up and put away for now. I don't have fertile eggs of my own and this is not the best time of year to try to get eggs from others

Very true but some of us(me) are insane enough to try anyway lol I don't have a roo yet so I have to rely on others for eggs until one of my silkies matures and turns out to be a roo