Solitary chicken - need advice

[Lewis]

I have decided that I want to make an incubator to hatch some quail, and I started off wanting to use a wooden box, but as I have been reading it I have got more and more confused.

Has anyone made one themselves and was it a wooden one or an aquarium or a cool box or a polystyrene box and if so which was most successful?

 

I am going to use a lightbulb on a dimmer so that I can change the temperature. I already have a digital thermometer, but I need to buy a Hygrometer.

I started off planning to use a computer fan to circulate the air, but a few people have said it will cause humidity promlems

Edited July 20, 2008 by Guest

[Duckmomma]

There are always make your own incubator instructions for sale on e.bay

I think they charge something like 99p to download it

that might have some usefull information in

And I saw instructions somewhere, where some one used an old fridge, I will see if I can find it.

Also on the poultry keeper forum I think The Henman made one from what looked like a microwave.

[Duckmomma]

Sorry I was a hatcher he made, but there won't be that much difference

Here is a link to his message

 

http://forums.thepoultrykeeper.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=158073&highlight=#158073

[Lewis]

Whats the difference between an incubator and a hatcher?

[Duckmomma]

I think it would be little if any,

A hatcher would not need any kind of turner I suppose

Here is a link to a web page that has some links to make your own pages

 

http://www.longshadowfarms.com/links.html

Hope it's some help

[Lewis]

I know you have to turn the eggs as mine will be a manual one, and an even number of times a day, but is the number better to be bigger, or is it best to keep it at 3?

[Duckmomma]

Egg must be turned an ODD number of times a day

Three is ok but if you can manage five All the better.

Make sure you turn them first one way and next time the other, not always the same way.

This avoids over twisting the stringy threads(chelazee?) that hold the embryo in the centre of the egg.

I always keep a list so I know which way I turned them the last time(I'm easily confused )

[Lewis]

I did mean odd so that the egg isnt left the same way two nights in a row Hence the three.

[Duckmomma]

Good luck with the incubator, maybe some pics when it,s made?

I love to see how creative people are.

[Lewis]

Ive got an idea, apapted from a few I have seen on the internet, just because if they worked for them, they should work for me

I will take pctures of making it, at the end, and then eggs

Does anyone know, should I use a little computer fan inside the incubator to circulate the air?

[Duckmomma]

I think a fan is a good idea, but some people are against it, they think it dries the eggs at hatching time when humidity is important.

The most succesfull incubator I have had is a fan assisted one.

It's called eggsmart or smartegg I think and is egg shaped. the fan is situated in the top of the big clear dome shaped top half, apparently it's this that makes the incubator so succesfull, (I have had 100% hatches from it)

As long as you don't put the fan too close to the eggs I would say go for it, all the better if you can give the top part of the incubator a curve rather than just square, to help air circulate evenly.

Can you give the fan a seperate power source so you can turn it off if you change your mind?

You will also have to bear in mind that you sometimes need a different temp in a still air incubator to what you would have in a fan assisted one.

The difference is very small, but anything that raises your chances of a good hatch is good.

I'm afraid I can't remember off hand what the difference is but will see if I can find the instuctions I had later(might be in the loft so no promises )

[Lewis]

It would be very hard to make a domed wooden incubator .

I may turn the fan off for the last day of incubating to keep humidity up.

I have found a few temperatures and humidities, so this week I will have to go through everything, write it down and then start "designing" my incubator.

[Lewis]

I've started to draw it (badly) its shaped like a box, should I have the bulb on the top, pointing down OR on the back, pointing out towards the door

[JamesH]

great project! *thumbs up*

 

pointing down would be best, centred, so heat distribution is even. but space wise, mounted on the back would be better.

 

You could use 2 small bulbs wired in parallel so if one went temp is maintained.

 

Are you going to wire it to a thermostat to turn the bulbs on and off when the temperature is reached?

[JamesH]

I thought i'd show you this temperature switch you could connect the bulbs to.

 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?C=SO&U=strat310&T=Wolverhampton&ModuleNo=220003&ma=Wolverhampton+-+Temperature+Activated+Switch+Kit

 

You may also need a different thermistor to the one supplied

 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criteria=thermistor&source=15&SD=Y

[Lewis]

So on the back it is then!

I will probably use 2 small bulbs, I wasn't going to use a thermostat initially, but use a dimmer to controll the temperature, but now I think I will.

 

I don't want to spend a lot of money and I'm not very good with soldering etc so won't use a maplin's DIY one incase something went wrong, but I have seen a few on the internet which use a room thermostat, so this is what I will be looking into. Any ideas how to wire the room thermostat?

[Lewis]

Sorry, I was typing as you posted about the maplins one. I haven't seen those before, but as I said I'm not a solderer (only done a PCB at school) so wouldn't trust myself!

Are they easy/good to use? and would I have to attach this to the light bulb fitting.

[JamesH]

I think you'll have to use a thermostat or you'll be checking it endlessly.

 

I haven't wired a thermostat before but it shouldn't be that difficult. I would imagine it will just be something like this

 

--------------                  bulb
                                       |      |
thermo    L   ------------       ---------------------  240
stat         N  --------------------------------------  v AC

--------------

 

Also you need one that will go upto 40 degrees C. I was thinking of a room thermostat for above.

[Lewis]

I'll pop to B&Q and see what they go up to, I was also worried about where I would have to place the thermostat inside the incubator, as I think it goes on the level the eggs are at, but it could be difficult with a room thermostat.

[JamesH]

I have used maplins kits before they are good but you can muck them up, the tracks are weak in particular so trimming the legs of the resistors etc requires care. Depends how good you were when you were soldering. of course if you don't have a soldering iron, that adds to the cost. Your other idea might be cheaper, something to think about though.

[JamesH]

I'll pop to B&Q and see what they go up to, I was also worried about where I would have to place the thermostat inside the incubator, as I think it goes on the level the eggs are at, but it could be difficult with a room thermostat.

 

Well it wouldn't have to be right there as you would set the thermostat roughly and then compare your thermometer reading and then adjust it a little. so place a thermometer next to the eggs and then adjust the thermostat till the thermometer is right. You prob were thinking this anyway.

 

Looking at mine on the wall it is labelled upto 30 but twists round further so might go upto 40? See if there is a specs sheet on them.

[Lewis]

You prob were thinking this anyway.

I wasn't untill I read the post that I posted and realised I could answer my own question

Thanks though, I'll post up pics when I start making it. I can't wait

[JamesH]

can't wait to see it.

 

Just a quick note on safety incase anyone else follows this. 240volts mains is dangerous and could give you a bad jolt or kill you. The thermostat will have an earth connection as will the bulb holder these should be connected to the earth on the plug so should the case whatever it is made from and any pieces of grill that you use should all be connected to the earth also. The 12volt maplins route is safer. 3 amp fuse in plug.