Is my design going to work? PICS!!!!! PLEASE HELP! :)

[chikenlover123]

Hey everyone. I've decided to incubate and hopefully hatch some eggs soon. I gathered some eggs i've been collecting from my 4 hens. What i need to know is if the homemade bater i've put together will work. is it sufficient to help incubate the eggs? btw, i am going to the store later to buy a lamp to put under the wire you see below.

I've copied some ideas from others on here. The pan of water is for humidity, and the wire will allow me to turn and place the eggs in various places. If the eggs produce chicks, i will definitely put newspaper and cloths over the wire before they hatch.

NOTE: haha, don't judge me!

i didn't want to spend any money on this project, so i used materials i had around the house.

please give me your suggestions and advice! i sureeeee need it.

 

[Griffin Nest]

its kinda better if the heat source is INSIDE the incubator. i've tried your type of incubator you made 3 times and it never worked.

 

[chikenlover123]

well i have cut a hole under the wire on the side of the box, so the lamp will still be inside.

 

[cmom]

Here is what I have used. I had a pie plate in the bottom with water and also some paper towels. I adjusted the heat with dimmer switch which is on the side. I do have some holes cut in the lid for air flow. I use it now as a brooder for the chicks as they hatch. It works for me. Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[stitch81]

If you are really wanting to try and use your homemade incubator, you need to get everything set up and running for a few days to make sure the temps, humidity, etc, are on track. I wouldn't just throw in a lamp and eggs and hope for the best. I made my own incubator as well, but I had it up and running for a week before I actually put anything into it. Also, and I wish I had done this, put in some store bought eggs, because when you add eggs to the incubator, it will mess with your temp/humidity. I did some tweaking to mine in the week before I added eggs, but once I added the eggs, I still had to do some tweaking to it. By throwing in some store bought eggs during the few days before your "real" hatch eggs, this will give you a better idea of what your incubator is going to do with eggs. Also, the room temp is going to play a factor as well. I've had temp spikes in my incubator, so have been monitoring it very closely. And lastly, with the cardboard box as an incubator, you will want to be careful that your heat source doesn't get the cardboard too hot. You don't want a fire. Good luck with your incubator.

 

[cmom]

I agree...

Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[chikenlover123]

hey! thanks for all your replies and advice.

i've moved the eggs out of the box, and into the roosting box of my chicken pen. i've moved the thermometer and light out there as well. the temperature has been steady around 100 degrees today; it's scorching here in georgia! i plan on only using the light when i need it. that way i'll save electricity, and the natural heat of the air outside will keep the temperature more steady than it was inside my house. by moving them outside, i originally hoped one of the hens would step up and start incubating them, but they didn't. i'm sure my scent and the fact that they magically appeared one day makes them not want to deal with them.

any more advice for this new setup?

thanks again!

 

[LaGeniaLoca]

I made my incubator with a plastic rubbermaid bin and a plexiglass top. I made a hole in one end to attach a lightbulb, and put several small holes for ventilation all around the sides. Glass bowl for water and a wet bulb thermometer for humidity. Made the shelf with hardware cloth and put a towel over it to protect little feet. Added an oven thermometer to track temperature. When it got closer to hatching time, I also put a hardware cloth barrier around the towel to keep the chicks from reaching the light. First time I used it, I hatched 5 out of 6 eggs (one was a dud). I'm on my second hatch now, and just had my first pip today.

The pennysaver is just to cover the bulb so it doesn't hurt my eyes to look inside. I'm not promoting the ad or anything.