Mini-fridge Incubator

[Wyogirl]

I just left mine open but only used as incubator and had a separate hatcher. Would like to see how you make the remote fill tray, I wanted to make a bucket one that is like the big $$ incubators but ran out of steam LOL, used a large tray below the fan and filled it when needed.
Ayda

 

[bigoledude]

I know you bought a fan. I would add something to spread the air in different directions (louver) to try and eliminate any dead zones in the incubator.

Install a tube to enable you to add water without opening the incubator. A paint roller pan or a container set on an angle to use for your water tray works well. It makes no difference how deep your container is. It's the amount of surface area that determines how much water evaporates. So, by adding a very small amount of water you actually gain a lot of surface area. In my incubator, I am gonna use a rag hanging down into my water with a small "wire coat hanger" looking thing. It will have a wire connected to the "hook" and running through the the top of my incubator. If my humidity drops, I will pull up on the rag, which is now "wicking" the water out of the reservoir like a sail. If my humidity gets too high, I lower it.

An indicator light that goes on when the element kicks on is nice to have.

A built-in PVC candler with replaceable couplings (not glued) if you need to candle different sized eggs. If you are hatching really dark eggs like Marans and Welsummers, you may want a bulb with higher "lumen".

I bought three glass thermometers from the same store at the same time. I made sure that they all read the exact same temperature at the time of purchase. Several of the others of the same kind had readings 3-4 degrees difference. When I first crank up the incubator, I will place these in different locations that I can see from my double-glass windows. This is to help me determine if I have any hot or cold spots in the incubator.

This guy helped me the most understand hatching. Read these two threads and I hope you will learn alot from them. In both threads the first post is the most important.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/577310/a-guide-to-humidity-weighing-and-lockdown
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/491013/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed

 

[Hawgon]

Here is my incubator 90% complete. I have venting on sides and the tubes on top are for remote fill of the humidity pans in the bottom. In testing I found that with all 3 pans filled with the cloth wicks in them in runs at 70-75% humidity. It holds temps rock steady so far. The egg in there is on day 23 from a hatch from my Brinsea, All three racks will hold the auto turners for a total of 126 eggs. I plan on using the third rack down as a hatching tray as it has 1/4" hardware cloth bottom and I am putting some 3" tall sides on it for a hatching tray during lockdown. Let me know any yeah's or nay's.

 

[Hawgon]

Got 36 RIR eggs to test it with. 12 on each shelf. Wish me luck.

 

[gabrielle1976]

nice work good luck

 

[Hawgon]

I will post pics of my "never" finished project later....Thanks Gabrielle...

 

[bigoledude]

That's a nice machine Hawg!

 

[Hawgon]

Well, it is done....36 RIR eggs in it to test. Put 12 eggs on each shelf to test temp and humidity on each one. Seems to be pretty constant temp throughtout but I might add a 12vdc fan on the bottom just to keep the air stirred up more. I think the water resevoirs block some air flow even though they are about 1/2" up off floor on brackets. I have some frames that go around each shelf for lockdown to keep the chicks from falling off the shelves. I will post updates on this first hatch....

 

[Hawgon]

I checked 12 random eggs yesterday and all 12 have some action! Very excited and will continue to update.

 

[Hawgon]

Made some changes and added drawer slides to trays. Was to hard to left trays up and out when full of eggs, found out the hard way. I have 12 Silkie eggs in there now so I will keep updated. Last hatch was 21 out of 22 RIR eggs hatched that made it to lockdown with the 22nd egg pipped and zipped but died before hatching. Not sure why, my wife saw other chicks pecking at it but ?????.