My Basic DIY Incubator

[torilovessmiles]

I cracked open an egg from this batch to test fertility. Looks like the "bullseye" to me. Guess my boy is done with his celibacy kick

Maybe it'll work this time!

 

[chirtinecluck]

WOW i have been folloowing this feed from the beginging, I am very new on here, to having chickens , and to incubating i have made a home made incubator and put eggs in with out looing up anything. now all i do i read i have one chick hatching as i type and 7 more growing in my homemade incubator. I am having a really hard time regulating my temps because the temp in my houe goes up and down a lot any ideas please. Also sorry for my really poor spelling and grammer

 

[torilovessmiles]

WOW i have been folloowing this feed from the beginging, I am very new on here, to having chickens , and to incubating i have made a home made incubator and put eggs in with out looing up anything. now all i do i read i have one chick hatching as i type and 7 more growing in my homemade incubator. I am having a really hard time regulating my temps because the temp in my houe goes up and down a lot any ideas please. Also sorry for my really poor spelling and grammer

I suggest keeping them in a low-trafficked room where you can control the temperature the most. I have mine in my bedroom, because only I control the thermostat in there. I'm keeping my room at about 70 degrees or so, while the rest of the house is heated by a wood stove and fluctuates constantly. If you can't control the temp of each room with your central unit, a space heater can be used to keep one room at a steady temperature!
It may also help to add a water heater thermostat to your incubator. I've never done this, but it doesn't look that hard to do for someone with minimal electrical experience. I plan to have a family member who is an electrician help me with a larger DIY incubator later on!
I hope all goes well!!

 

[chirtinecluck]

i think i will go and get a thermotat tonight for it the little guy hatching just died and i think its because the temps went up and down so much from the begining that he just did not grow right

 

[torilovessmiles]

i think i will go and get a thermotat tonight for it the little guy hatching just died and i think its because the temps went up and down so much from the begining that he just did not grow right

I so sorry sometimes that happens. I wouldn't make any changes until your next batch of eggs, however. Especially with the chicks hatching, you don't even want to open the bator except for emergencies. The more you mess with it while eggs are in, the more unstable it becomes.
The great this about chickens, though, is that it only takes three weeks. If the first shot doesn't work, you can try again with new adjustments. And again. And again, and again!

 

[chirtinecluck]

WHat would you recomend i do for now i have duck and chicken eggs in there all put in at different time some still have a ways to go. Like i said i didnt read up on it first like i should have

 

[torilovessmiles]

WHat would you recomend i do for now i have duck and chicken eggs in there all put in at different time some still have a ways to go. Like i said i didnt read up on it first like i should have

 

[chirtinecluck]

Wow thank you very much you have been very helpfull. I will do that. the next one is not due to hatch till march 9th and the last one on march 23 so i will have to just wait and see

 

[torilovessmiles]

Wow thank you very much you have been very helpfull. I will do that. the next one is not due to hatch till march 9th and the last one on march 23 so i will have to just wait and see

You're welcome, I hope they hatch!

 

[torilovessmiles]

Pic is upside down (thank you, iPhone -.-) but 9 eggs set this time!
The weird angle makes the light look positioned weird, but it's actually directly above the eggs. It stays pretty even! Fingers crossed it works this time!