Homemade Egg Incubator

Egg incubators are devices that render temperature conditions and various other factors for the smooth hatching of eggs. There are three types of egg incubators available in the market. Let's have a detailed look at them.

Still Air Incubator: Eggs in a still air incubator are heated by uncirculated radiant heat. Placing the eggs in the right position is very important for their smooth hatching. The thermometer too should be placed correctly. An incorrectly placed thermometer will show an inaccurate temperature, which would be enough to cause failure of the hatch or death of the baby chicks that will hatch from the eggs. The air must be evened out at least four times a day when you turn the eggs, so that the noxious gases that accumulate in the incubator are released.

Convection Incubator: This incubator has ventilation holes to ensure the smooth passing of fresh air and even distribution of heat. Fresh air is drawn in the incubator with the help of its upward draft, the air is then heated by radiation and then circulated within the incubator. Its disadvantage is the higher rate of evaporation which is caused by the warm air currents. If you want to maintain the humidity level, use evaporation trays and carefully monitor it with a device known as a hygrometer.

Forced Air Incubator: Forced air incubators are aired, but heat and air are distributed with the help of a fan instead of convection.

How to make a Homemade Egg Incubator

The above given egg incubators are good but are a little pricey. However, if you want to have an egg incubator, you can build one for yourself with inexpensive materials. Let's have a look at some points which will help you make your own homemade egg incubator.

• We will build an egg incubator which will have similar heating principles as a convection incubator. Get a box to serve as a lodging for your egg incubator. You can choose a cardboard box or an old cooler box. It should be clean and strong with a cover.
• Line the box with aluminum foil to help contain the heat inside. Place a tray at bottom that would contain water to give out humidity. You can use a disposable aluminum pie tin as a water tray.
• Now for the heat in the incubator, install four light sockets. Use four incandescent bulbs of 25 watts each.
• Place a thermometer inside or you can even use a thermostat switch and connect it to the bulbs. The switch will automatically turn the lights on and off to control the temperature.
• Make half inch holes in all the four corners of the cover and make two quarter inch holes in each side, just above the eggs. These holes will provide ventilation and even out the temperature and humidity in the incubator.
• The last thing you need to install in your egg incubator is a hygrometer to control humidity.

Homemade Egg Incubator Plans

While making a egg incubator you should have all the details of what are the things you would require in making it from scratch.

Flooring: The base of your egg incubator should be made from a material which is easily detachable and easily cleaned. Take care that you don't use materials which can be poisonous to little birds coming out from eggs.

Temperature: Your egg incubator should be capable of maintaining the required temperature useful for the smooth hatching of eggs. Always place a thermometer or a thermostat switch to monitor and control the appropriate amount of heat needed.

Humidity: The homemade egg incubator must be capable enough to maintain an appropriate level of humidity. To maintain the desired humidity, always place a pan of water under the incubator to raise the humidity, and vents or slots to decrease humidity.

Well, this was all the information you needed to build your own homemade egg incubator. Do try making an incubator and share your experiences with me.