My Incubator

[rosyposyosy]

I ordered eggs aproximately 3 days after my broody went broody. a few hours after I ordered, look who was off the nest. Since then she hasn't been broody, she still screams and puffs up, but that's only the hour or so she takes to lay her egg. I'm still getting broody poo's though... :sh

So what do I do? I go to IKEA. Why you may ask? Because IKEA is awesome.

What I Bought:
A tupperware container
A wire for a light
A dimmer that attatches to the wire
A wire cup to cover up the light bulb
I didn't get any light bulbs there because they didn't product much heat, they were all very thick glass. I also didn't get a thermometer there because they only had one, but it was a meat timer too, but didn't measure humidity.
I got the remaining materials at Fred Meyers.
I got:
A 60 watt bulb
2 thermometers that measured tempature, and humidity. I didn't get digital ones, because they were $40. I ended up spending $4 on each thermometer that I bought. They seem pretty accurate.
Final cost from both stores: $28
The eggs cost $16 a dozen, and $7 for shipping, a total of $51 spent, $11 more than an automatic egg turner.
What I did:
1. Drilled a hole inside the top of the tupperware container, big enough for the light bulb
2. Drilled 3 holes on the top for ventilation. 1 bigger one, 2 smaller ones.
3. Hooked up the wiring for the bulb, and attatched everything so that the dimmer would work.
4. Put the thermometers in there, both facing different directions.
5. I already had little iddy bitty cups handy, put a little water in each. So I put 4 in, too high, 2 in, too high, 1 seemed to do it.
Now for the pics:
General View, btw, it's on an IKEA stand.

View from the top, you can't see it, but the temparature says 100 degrees, and the humidity says 47%

And inside the incubator, you can see the wire cup I used, as well as the cup used for humidity.

 

[BirdBrain]

Wow, that's quite a set up!! That is obviously a still air bator, but have you thought about putting a small fan (like from an old computer) opposite of the bulb, attached to the end of the "tub" so that the air it blows across the water cups and toward the bulb? (Speckled Hen, Did I get the order of those correct?) That way you would have quite a set up. Are you going to do anything about insulating the sides? You know, this probably sounds really goofy, but instead of wrapping it in towels or blankets, you might try that spray on foam stuff that expands and then hardens (from the hardware store--don't know what it's called). That way at least the bottom would be insulated and maybe help with temperature fluctuations. Also, you might try putting a water-wiggler in there with a temperature probe slid inside it to help you know what the temp inside the eggs is likely to be? See this site for more info about that http://shilala.homestead.com/weasel.html

Edited because I can't spell...

 

[MissPrissy]

Excellent job!

I have to ask how well it maintains your heat due to the lack of insulation. Flux in room temps in the slightest will surely keep you on your toes.

 

[rosyposyosy]

So I should insulate it more? If I put towels on the bottom, would that work? It fluctuates a little, but only 100-101. Humidity stays about 50. I'm not going to add a fan, not nearly enough room.

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, Birdbrain, the best way would be for a fan to blow gently across the bulb and the water holder to move moist warm air around. For insulating the unit, if you have something like a knitted afghan or a blanket just make a big "nest" out of that and nestle the bator in the middle of that, sitting on top of a thick towel folded over several times. It just need to sit flat for the water not to spill, but a blanket or a layer of bubblewrap glued around it would help the insulation factor.
I can't tell, but do you have holes around the bottom to bring air into the bator? Most bators have a series of small holes that never are plugged around the bottom with holes at the top to draw air through. That's what many people forget, the ventilation. I just cant tell if you have some drilled in the picture.
BTW, what is an IKEA store like? I've never even seen one. What other store is it like?

 

[rosyposyosy]

There is nothing like ikea. NOTHING. It is like a disney land, with furniture, food, stuffed animals.

I have holes drilled in the top. Do I need to drill some in the bottom too?

 

[speckledhen]

Rosy, on at least one side, about an inch up from the bottom, drill maybe 3 holes in a row, evenly spaced. The holes only need to be maybe 1/8" or so, not very big at all. Air will be drawn through the bottom and out the top-that's how still air works, if I'm not mistaken.