Those with Sportman Incubators....

[chickentracy]

Yes! I

my Sportsman. One problem is I can hatch out

WAY TOO MANY chicks

LOL

Second problem is that the sportsman is so low to the ground that it is hard to clean out and to reach chicks that have jumped out of the hatching tray. (Though I am going to retro fit some hard wear cloth over the hatching tray to keep em in)

So I am wondering about a Stand or frame to set the Sportsman on, something with storage (for hatching trays and supplies) would be excellent.

Looking for ideas from others who may have built something for theirs.


Last Fall I found an AWESOME "find" a Redwood Leahy cabinet incubator looks to hold 400+ eggies and get this, the guy was giving it away!!!

My dh and I are going to refinish The Leahy and put it to use. Guess this means we'll have to get building more chicken housing...

 

[rittert3]

what i would do is just build a table about waist high or so with a cabinet underneith just make sure you build it sturdy enough to support your bator (the wall of the cabinet would help with this) and i would also make the top 4"-6" longer and 4"-6" wider to make some edge space. could use 2x4 for your legs and frame for top and bottom then 5/8" ply for cabinet walls and top and even a shelf or 2 if you wanted them.

 

[erthymom2]

I found 2 used kitchen cabinets at a yard sale. set them up next to the wall with a slavaged countertop layed on top. the incubator sits on top and there is room for me to have work space next to it for cartons, notepads to keep track, etc. I also put the whole srt-up close to the sink area so i had access to tap water and a sink to wash hands, pans, and have water to add to the bator.

 

[Bird Brain]

I have always put my hatching eggs in the bottom, and that way I dont have to turn off the turner, and I have more space sooner!

 

[embkm]

What about something like a TV stand? A lot of those are inexpensive, esp on Craigs list, and have cabinets or shelves underneath.

 

[Tailfeathers]

I would imagine just about any kind of stand would work but a suggestion might be somelike like a filing cabinet that you can put the incubator on top of and then supplies in the bottom drawers. Perhaps even one of those plastic organizers that Wally World has with all the drawers in them would be sturdy enough to put the Sportsman on top of.

I thought I'd also let you and the others know that I recently had a friend from church make me a divider for the inside of my hatching trays. He owns a sheetmetal business and basically he made something that fits together and goes inside the hatching tray so that it makes 10 columns length-wise and 3 columns width-wise for me to put my eggs in.

He made me two of them and an extra hatching tray lid so that if I have a really big hatch I can just switch the tray turner off, put the divider in and slap the extra lid on top and now have two hatching trays.

This allows me to keep my chicks separated until I can take them out and toe punch them to identify for future breeding purposes.

God Bless,

 

[chickentracy]

Quote:
Thanks for your Stand ideas Tailfeathers.

You wouldn't have a picture of these tray dividers would you? Thanks in advance! Sounds like something I could show my hubby and have him make for me.

I did once have a cardboard divider I made up myself but over time it broke into bits. Then I never really got around to making something better.

 

[ChanceRider]

Quote:
I've been following this thread as I have 2 Sportsman incubators that I'm using for the first time and discovered that they ARE too close to the ground. I love the idea of a filing cabinet, with drawers for supplies. Thanks for the idea

... off to post on Freecycle and start searching Craigslist!

 

[Tailfeathers]

Here are two pics. I hope you can see them ok. One is of the divider and the other is of the hatching tray lid. The divider comes apart.

Hope they help.

God Bless,

 

[chickentracy]

Those pics are GREAT!

Thanks so much tailfeathers.That helps a lot.