Setting up DIY Incubator- Need some help, please!

[Kedreeva]

For all you people setting up incubators of your own creation! I over-purchased on some shipped eggs (rather, I purchased 2 under what my incubator would hold and EVERYONE sent extras... an unfortunately fortunate situation!) One of the shipments was delayed and I thought that this would give me time to remove eggs which were not starting due to shipping... but the postal service must have been in on these shenanigans because every single egg is developing *facepalm* Another unfortunately fortunate situation.

Having thought this might be the case when I candled on Day 3, I went ahead and salvaged a large styrofoam box from my work. I cleaned it out and I know it is big enough (with thick enough walls) to become a make-shift incubator. The question is.... how! I am planning on installing a window in the top piece of styrofoam. I have spare thermometers and hygrometers. I know I can level the humidity with a sponge + bowl of water... but I have no clue where to start with a heat source. I have a reptile lamp that would probably keep it warm enough... but no way to regulate it. Where would I get a thermostat or something that could help with this? And having no knowledge of thermostats and incubator heating, how does one set up a thermostat for this purpose?

I will continue to try to find information on my own, but would love if some of you that have already done this can help.

I still have a day or so before I should probably put these into an incubator and if push comes to shove, there's SOME space in my incubator if I want to hand turn and don't have this finished.

 

[paddock36]

You can get a regular hot water heater thermostat from Lowes, Home Depot, or your local hardware store should carry them. They are not too hard to install. This is from my homemade incubator. The thermostat is installed upside down only because it only had two screws to mount it on one end, but it didn't matter and it works great.

 

[Kedreeva]

Thank you, I will go and check for one tomorrow morning, as everything is closed right now. My biggest problem is that I am leaving for the weekend and won't be back till Sunday night. I'm debating trying to get an incubator to work while I'm on the road and then setting it up here, or setting them here before I go, or letting them sit until sunday when I return.

As it stands right now, with an under-bator heating pad I have rigged, the temp is holding just a few degrees shy of perfect, but it's only been a little bit of time and our house is being kept at arctic temps. If I can raise the temp of the house a little, I think I should be able to get it to hold at perfect.

 

[my4ladies]

I hear ya!! I had one night to do it after finding out my mom had sold hers after I was already given the eggs!!

Luckily, I had a light box my husband had made for me a few years ago for me (architecture classes). This is what I'm using now with a piece of rigid foam board insulation as a lid, but propped about 2" on one end, 4" on the other, vapor retardant (cut-up ziplock baggies)on the sides and a strip on top over my "window", and also on the 4" end except for an opening in the middle.

The lightbox itself is made of plywood and I took the plexiglass top off. The inside has 4 long 40W flourescent lights. 2 side by side on one side, 2 along the other side...leaving 7" or so of space down the middle. I laid hardware wire across, so the the eggs would be about even with the light bulbs.

It took FOREVER tweaking to finally stabalize the temp, which still moves from time to time. It's been a struggle, but we'll see in about 3 or 4 days if it did the trick.

Hopefully it put some ideas in your head and got your wheels turning. GOOD LUCK!