My fancy, home made incubator.

[cbiblis]

Thanks for the input. i have actually built a 96 bator. i have picture here. i thought about adding another tray and having a matching hatcher to set next to it. I will do it for others but the problem is that it seams some people don't understand that the wood upgrade (insulation) , control switching, bigger viewable window ( 1/4" glass), and energy star rated turner and heater/fan cost more money. The dickeys, as you know, is made of painted plywood, has only an on/off switch, a 6x12 window covered by a temp/wet temp gauge, and is selling now for 608 plus shipping. I offer a better looking more interactive, and functioning unit for a little over 500 and most people cringe. Well i understand that i don't have my name out there but i can't take a lose right know to get my name out. So i will sell them locally where people can check them out in person. I will put the dickey next to them for comparison. In all honesty i could build a duplicate of a dickey for 120 dollars less but that isn't what I'm trying to do. I want to offer a better unit for the same price.
Dickeys 2 egg tray runs for 498 and is 2 trays deep. My 2 tray ( 1 tray deep) cost 450 with the upgrades, the 3 tray (auto) with hatcher runs 608, mine is 500. Anyhow, i look at it like this, dickey started out copying the sportsman but made it cheaper, i am copying both, adding extras and beating the price of the dickey. Time will tell.

 

[muddstopper]

Maybe I should stay out of this, but I'm a hard head so here goes.

I bought all the parts for the first one (300egg) before it was even built. I would have to add up the actual receipts, but material cost is over $300. Heck, 6 plastic hatching trays are $45 by the time you pay the tax and freight. Chris had a few things on hand, but those things have value also. Then you add the labor, even just working for wages and you are at the $500 price range. Tooling that Chris already owned, such as the metal bender for making the trays, Saws, Routers etch. All of these things have consumables that go with them. These consumables dont last forever and if you dont add something for replacement when its needed, you have lost money. I can honestly say, neither the Dickey or the Sportsman, if made using the same materials, would even be close to Chris's incubator in price. As it is, His incubators are made with better materials, look better, and work just as well as the Dickey or Sportsman, and do so at a lesser price. Even if the prices where the same on all three models, if they where placed side by side Theres no doubt in my mind which one I would choose.

I Have the first one he built and the eggs are cooking and everything is working fine. Temps holding steady, Humidity holding steady, theres no reason these eggs shouldnt hatch in about 2 more weeks. As soon as they hatch, this incubator is already sold and Chris will be building me another smaller one. If the person that originally wanted it changes their mind, I will keep the big one and probably still order one of the smaller ones.

 

[walkswithdog]

Quote:
Go back a bit Bama - Chris has built an awesome 96 egg one that I would just die to have. Here's his link to it....

All the good stuff and moderate size. Not that tiny brinsea won't hold more than 20 or 40, not the huge can't reach the back Dickey/Sportsman size.

Gorgeous work and fast on top of it all

 

[BamaChicken]

Okay, where did you say the pics of that one is? I would love to see that one. Sounds great.

 

[cbiblis]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=41326-96-egg-cabinet-style

You should find it here bama.

 

[BantyRooster]

Looks like I just found one of my wife's Christmas presents. Hope she likes it better than the chainsaw she got last year...

Better yet, I'm thinking twin end tables for the man cave. Stained with Golden Oak mixed 50/50 with Early American and finished with matte poly...awesome!

Seriously though, excellent work.

 

[cbiblis]

Yeah, i'm trying to talk my wife into letting me replace our end tables with this unit on one side and a hatcher on the other. The cool thing is that the 96 bator has the room to talk out the hatching tray and install yet another tray. However i'm still negotiating with her. I might have to do more chores on the weekend to swing it.
It's cool you think mixing stains. my personally favorite is 50% golden oak,40% cherry, and 10% red mahogony.Topped with a high gloss high build laquer. I did my whole house in it.

 

[BantyRooster]

I really like the idea of being able to switch out the hatching tray for an extra egg tray on the 96 model. Would that tray be able to be hooked up to the turner?

I'm thinking that I'll have a bunch of extra chores to do around here too, before I can even try to talk her into more "chicken expenses".

So far the eggs we've gotten have cost approximately $255.00 each, not counting the carton.

I'd like to see some pics of your coop that Mudd was talking about earlier, too.

 

[BamaChicken]

How much are you selling the 96 for?

 

[cbiblis]

yes bantyrooster, the bottom tray would turn with the rail system. Then it would be considered a 144 egg bator. I'll see what i can do about the coop pictures. it's been raining none stop hear for a week.