It's official- I'm the worst hatcher ever! -Updates-

[walkswithdog]

Two dimensional images are tough to answer questions on. I keep LIGHTS as heat sources up and AWAY from the eggs and use the fans to cycle the heat to the eggs. Close to a light can mean cooked, not heated.

Never a good thing.

I've built four bators now and I still have trouble interpeting other people's drawings. they don't want to say something that won't help is all

 

[BlueEngineFarm]

I don't know how to answer since I'm working on all of it myself.

Thank you walks with dog for being so helpful. Check out the University of Illinois extension website where they have cooler and box incubators- http://urbanext.illinois.edu/eggs/res20-incubator.html
Lynne

 

[walkswithdog]

I love incubator builds. You learn a lot. But it really can be frustrating getting positioning right and temps and air flow proper and stable.

My favorite success is still a mini-fridge bator.

 

[Cherlyn]

Quote:
Yup, I definitely agree. My light was on the bottom, but I had aviary mesh separating it from any potentially curious newborns.

You prolly already mentioned this in an earlier post, but do you use heat sinks?

~Cherlyn

 

[77horses]

Thanks everyone!

The bator is now with me at my mom's house and I brought 4 eggs from our own chickens with me to test, once I get the bator all figured out now that I've updated it. I just plugged it in and I'm seeing how well it holds temps. and humidity after adding another turner and more air holes. Here's a real picture of it that I just took with my cell phone:


To the left of the bator in that empty space is where the light bulb is(I hadn't put it in when I took this picture today). I couldn't decided where else to put it; If I put it in the middle of the two turners, it would be too close to them. if I put it on one side of the bator, it would be too far from one of the turners. Now, it is a bit too close to one of the turners, but instead I will just use the one farthest from it. have a water wiggler with temp. and probe in the turner that is farthest from the light bulb.
Picture: (sorry if the bator looks kinda dirty; I had just finished adding the new air holes and didn't clean it up before taking the pic)

 

[77horses]

Quote:
Yup, I definitely agree. My light was on the bottom, but I had aviary mesh separating it from any potentially curious newborns.

You prolly already mentioned this in an earlier post, but do you use heat sinks?

~Cherlyn

No. what are heat sinks?

 

[77horses]

Didn't have a chance to get a PC fan. Going to ask my mom id she has one or if she can get one this week. But I can only keep these 4 eggs out of the incubator for a week and after that I either put them in or wait longer and get new eggs.

 

[BlueEngineFarm]

Did you find out about heat sinks- here's a link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_sink So would filled water containers, bricks etc be a heat sink or is this something to purchase specifically?

Lynne