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Barnyard Buddies:  Ever made a homemade incubator?  |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 17 2011 : 10:56:01 AM
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I'm thinking about putting together this simple plan for an incubator I found made from a styrofoam cooler.
I'm hoping to raise some holiday goose dinners next year from my pair and while the previous owner said they were broody, she was trying to discourage them from reproducing so who knows if they can handle it themselves. I'm also hooked on the idea of buying hatching eggs from breeders for heritage poultry breeds that I can't get locally or from hatcheries. Many people will ship fertile eggs, but not chicks.
It sounds like fun! Or does anyone have an inexpensive electric incubator appliance to reccomend that isn't very expensive? I'm looking at incubating maybe 6-12 eggs at a time?
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2011 : 6:41:17 PM
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I have known several people (includeing myself) over the years that have made incubators with styrofoam chests and have bad luck after the 1st hatch, they are inmossible to clean and will harbor bacterias and other creeping crud that will ether cause death shortly after hatch, or cause dead chick in the shell...anyone who asks my opinion, I tell them "don't"...they have hard plastic that will not absorb the crud incubators on the market, that are in the egg capacity size you are looking for at MurrayMcMurray.com...and several other hatcheries...good luck
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1145 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1145 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2011 : 7:03:10 PM
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I made an emergency one out of a plastic Kritter Keeper and a heat pad. Regulating temps was pretty much a nightmare, but I did hatch out both of my duck eggs. If you are familiar with the workings of an incubator (heat/ventilation/humidity) and are fairly handy with electrical work, I would say go for it. However, if you have no previous experience with incubators, then I'd say save up for one.
I have 2 Little Giant incubators. One I use for hatching (it has a fan and egg turner...two things I wouldn't go without) and the other I am going to make a hatcher/brooder, so that it's the only one to get dirty from hatching eggs. Many people do not like the Little Giants because the thermostat is a wafer type and tends to vary more than a digital model, but I have had no problems with temperature spikes. :0)
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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Megan
True Blue Farmgirl
155 Posts
Megan
Hudson
South Dakota
USA
155 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2011 : 09:34:50 AM
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you can make an incubator as simple as a 5 gal bucket and a heat lamp, adjust the temp by moving the light bulb up and down, the harder part is the humidity.
at our farm we have a wooden incubator, a newer plastic own, and a styrofoam one out of all of them the wooden one works the best because the humidity is easy to keep right.
www.rockriverexoticsandkennel.net |
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natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2011 : 10:22:50 AM
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I made a carboard one last year. I managed to hatch a few ducks from it. I used a spray bottle to moisten the eggs about 5 or 6 times a day. I kept the bottle directly under the heat lamp so it would stay warm and I put little bowls of water with sponges sticking out of them all around the box. The sponges sticking up into the air put off more humidity that way.
It's a fun project to do! I have an uncle who made a wooden one with a temperature and humidity gauge and eveything. He even made the racks so the eggs could be turned with a hand crank from the side of the box. It was better than any store bought job and he could run 6 racks of eggs at a time. The racks were 2 foot by 2 foot with 3 different size trays for quail, chicken, and turkey eggs. It is something my Hubby hopes to one day reproduce for us!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2011 : 11:33:47 AM
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So it sounds like the Styrofoam cooler plans are for like a one time science experiment for the kids or an emergency stopgap. Sort of like a paper plate. Once you've used it it's trash. Makes sense. I don't think it's something I'll need so much for next year (unless my goose refuses to brood properly...)
Your uncle's brooder sounds amazing Angela! So it seems my best bet is to buy either a well made wooden incubator, or a a manufactered plastic one. You know wood incubators and brooders sound like a good Amish-type cottage industry.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2011 : 3:16:49 PM
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just remember that wood too is porous, so make sure you seal it well with non-toxic sealer...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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Barnyard Buddies: Ever made a homemade incubator? |
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Ever made a homemade incubator?
