Still air hatcher?

[Knigge]

I have 3 silkie hens and they are laying like crazy right now. I know, crazy with the cold but either way they are. It's killing me putting these eggs in the fridge so I'm saving about 5 days worth at a time and sticking them in my Hovabator. I want to keep adding eggs each week, but eventually I'll get to lock down and not all the eggs will be ready for that. I'm thinking about getting or making another incubator just for hatching chick's. So the eggs would be in there about 3 or so days. Do you think a still air would be alright just for those 3 day hatching? I don't want to spend a bunch of ,only and buy another Hovabator since it's just for a few days, but I also don't want to ruin a Hatch with a bad hat check error. Any recommendations?

 

[Rose Quartz]

consider using the hova as your hatcher? and making a home made for your other eggs.

I've played with homemade incubators quite a bit. the most difficult thing is making something that will hold humidity, and provide enough fresh air, and not drop in temp significantly when the water is added.

Making something that will work for the first 18 days is actually a lot easier.

If you definitely want a still air IMO multiple smaller lights would be better than one large incandescent.

 

[cmom]

It will be fine. I incubate in my cabinet incubator and hatch in my styrofoam incubators. I often do staggered hatches during my hatching season. A couple of my styrofoam incubators were still air and I have since put fans in them. One was an LG and the other was a Hovabator.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

My still air hovabator 1602N works great for hatching at only $69.

I ran "rolling" (not staggered) hatches all year last year.. and actually prefer still for hatching. (I think)

Happy hatching!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

It will be fine. I incubate in my cabinet incubator and hatch in my styrofoam incubators. I often do staggered hatches during my hatching season. A couple of my styrofoam incubators were still air and I have since put fans in them. One was an LG and the other was a Hovabator.
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I thought I was bad with 3 incubators in my living room.

I see you are well aware of chicken math!

 

[paintedChix]

Sorry, not a response to the OP

It will be fine. I incubate in my cabinet incubator and hatch in my styrofoam incubators. I often do staggered hatches during my hatching season.

Showed your 1st pic to hubby, before he went to bed. His response was "O, NO...<lots of unprintable words>", the LOOK and "DON'T even THINK about it!!".... he probably won't sleep now and will get up to find me blow drying my two quads of Bielefelders in the living room before I go out to cover more of the extra "ventilation" their coops have (before the temp drops to 20s tonight) ...

 

[cmom]

This is one I made out of a stryofoam cooler. I put two 15 watt incandescent bulbs in it as a heat source. Originally I had one bulb in it as in the middle picture and during incubation the light burned out so I modified it and put a second light in and a fan that blows across the bulbs. I originally used a dimmer switch that I replaced with a wafer thermostat.

 

[Mosey2003]

A new 1602n is pretty cheap without a fan or turner, neither of which you really need for hatching. And if at some point you decide you want a fan for it, you can just order it from Incubator Warehouse and install it.

Are you on FB? Search the marketplace for "incubator" - usually there are a lot on there cheap.