What would be the cheapest way to build a temporary incubator?

[harleyjo]

I am in a situation that usually doesn't come up for me. I had someone ask me to hatch some silkie eggs for them. I told them when to start collecting their eggs and when to bring them to me.

At the same time I was planning to set some of my own for a poultry auction coming up in my area about a week after the hatch would be.

So in the meantime I won some free hatching eggs and so I coordinated them with these eggs. Well you can by now figure out what has happened. The hatching eggs didn't get to me until about 4 days after I had to set the other eggs. I just have one incubator and can't afford to go get a new one now.

These hatching eggs I just got yesterday, set them late last night after they settled all day, are Blue Breeds, Blue Andalusian, Blue Hamburg, Blue Copper Marans, Blue Birchen Marans.

I set the first eggs last Thur. night and the good blue breeds last night. I am really concerned about the effect of lockdown and higher humidity during hatch on these late eggs and am trying to figure out what to do for the best possilbe hatch.

I would really appreciate some help here.

 

[SierraView]

Bunch of build yourself incubator ideas

 

[quintinp]

I am in a situation that usually doesn't come up for me. I had someone ask me to hatch some silkie eggs for them. I told them when to start collecting their eggs and when to bring them to me.

At the same time I was planning to set some of my own for a poultry auction coming up in my area about a week after the hatch would be.

So in the meantime I won some free hatching eggs and so I coordinated them with these eggs. Well you can by now figure out what has happened. The hatching eggs didn't get to me until about 4 days after I had to set the other eggs. I just have one incubator and can't afford to go get a new one now.

These hatching eggs I just got yesterday, set them late last night after they settled all day, are Blue Breeds, Blue Andalusian, Blue Hamburg, Blue Copper Marans, Blue Birchen Marans.

I set the first eggs last Thur. night and the good blue breeds last night. I am really concerned about the effect of lockdown and higher humidity during hatch on these late eggs and am trying to figure out what to do for the best possilbe hatch.

I would really appreciate some help here.

I think that you could just do a staggered hatch. I used to do staggered hatches a lot. My suggestion is to dry incubate 20-30% humidity for the eggs, and day 18 comes for the early eggs, crank the humidity up, and during these 3 days, your eggs will be fine, if they were incubated in low humidity in the first place. Then when they are ready to hatch, they will a little bit wetter than they would normally, but they should be fine.

You have an egg turner Right?

If you do, take out about 5 rails, and during lock down place the eggs in a tall tupperware container so that they can't get near the moving egg turner.

Try to keep the humidity at around 70%.

 

[PsychedChicken]

Ive seen them built out of coolers. Styrofoam or plastic. Light bulbs for heat, computer fan to circulate. Make a chicken wire rack for the eggs/chicks to sit on, then pour some water in the bottom. Biggest expense would be thermo/hygrometer.

 

[harleyjo]

I think that you could just do a staggered hatch. I used to do staggered hatches a lot. My suggestion is to dry incubate 20-30% humidity for the eggs, and day 18 comes for the early eggs, crank the humidity up, and during these 3 days, your eggs will be fine, if they were incubated in low humidity in the first place. Then when they are ready to hatch, they will a little bit wetter than they would normally, but they should be fine.

You have an egg turner Right?

If you do, take out about 5 rails, and during lock down place the eggs in a tall tupperware container so that they can't get near the moving egg turner.

Try to keep the humidity at around 70%.

No, I do not have an egg turner, I turn them myself. I have been doing dry incubation my last few incubations so I am familiar with it. My humidity is running between 20 to 25% most of the time.

 

[redhen689]

I would increase the humidity a couple of days before the first batch is about to hatch, Maybe 50-60%.
Remove the chicks to a brooder, shortly after they are dried and fuzzy.
Then lower the humdity. The other eggs should be just fine.
My hens have hatched lots of eggs and they don't do anything differently on day 19 than they do on day 2.

Or you can make an incubator using a cooler, with a heat source, and a thermostat.

 

[quintinp]

No, I do not have an egg turner, I turn them myself. I have been doing dry incubation my last few incubations so I am familiar with it. My humidity is running between 20 to 25% most of the time.

Well, in that case, separate the late eggs from the early eggs, so that the chicks that hatch don't walk all over the late eggs