I actually watched someone else's video (search on you tube for rush lane poultry incubator.... I think he changed his Youtube name but it's the same video). I also got additional tips from @Sally Sunshine 's cooler-bator article.
One thing I didn't like about most people's cooler-bators is that when you open the cooler, the heat goes out the top. So.... I put mine on its side and attached 2 pieces of wood to make the new bottom level & to add a little clearance for the lid to open. In mine the front face of the incubator (formerly the cooler's lid) pulls down, so the whole incubator is accessible. I bought a cheap frame from Goodwill to use the plexiglass for my window and my daughter used the rest to frame a 4H drawing.
After a few hatches, I felt my window was the cause of some heat loss. (It felt warm to the touch on the outside.) I sprayed some sealing foam from a can into the hollow area of the cooler door and added another piece of plexiglass making a double pained viewing window. I accidentally tightened it a little too much, so some cracking occurred. However, the whole window is cool to the touch on the outside when 99.5'F on the inside.
Trouble now has all her chicks & is doing well.
Here's the happy family at bedtime:
She doesn't have the coverage for all of them, but I think they'll be ok in this heat without a "mama heating pad"
