I finally found the time to take pictures of my newest "masterpiece". It's not much but I am very proud of it none the less. Hubby found a crate laying outside one of the dumpsters at work and was thoughtful enough to bring it home. He thought it would make a good incubator and that meant we wouldn't have to build a box from scratch. It had some kind of foam "rails" in it so i removed those and set to work. I added a porcelain light fixture in the top, added my wafer thermostat and a small desk fan. The largeish hole next to the wafer did have an incukit, unfortunately, it malfunctioned from the start and has been sent back for possible repair. Hubby wired everything up and I put a 125 watt brooder bulb in. Next I used a sheet of plexiglass for the door, added a "frame" for stability of the door. Put weather stripping around the front edge. I used magnetic locks in the upper corner to seal it up, the bottom corner fits a bit snug since the box is not 100% square (works good for me). Finally, I insulated it with black foam insulation on both sides, top,bottom, and back. Again brought home by hubby from the work dumpster. I can't believe they tossed a whole box of this stuff. Finally I added a basket in the bottom and a cake pan with water. The egg turner sits on top of the basket and the plan is to place the eggs under the basket for hatching, where the chicks will be safe. And finally the finished product. It holds a rock steady temp. I plan to possibly add actual shelves in the future.
Woah that's so strange, I built one from an insulated shipping crate that someone had given to me. Here are the pictures. I have 83 eggs in it right now, they are hatching next Tuesday.
Very nice..I love your hatching trays. My crate looks alot like yours((wish my crate had come insulated..lol), It's amazing what people just throw away and waste, thank goodness hubby has no shame in dumpster diving.
Heck ya! I got 2 bird houses from the public dump right before Christmas, and sanded, painted, and covered with Polyurethane. They were very nice when I was finished, and my aunt Loved them. Roof to the bird house is green, and the sides and bottom are barn red. She really appreciated what I didn't put ANY money into.