Anyone built an Egg incubator?

[LordEoin]

Anyone here built an egg incubator?
We've got all the bits and pieces (temperature control, insulation, heating, etc).
Just wondering if anyone has experience putting one together.

[Will_D]

I think basically its an insulated box with a lid!

I'm not sure if the lid should be transparent or not! I think maybe it should!

Depending on the size a brew belt in the base would probably give a nice even heat.

The eggs are laid in rows on corugated plastic and need to be turned every day.

Also I think you need a damp sponge in there to keep up the humidity.

I assume temperature is of the order of 35 C or whatever a chickens body temperature is!

I know 50 years ago me and my friend tried to incubate pheasant eggs for to stock the farm up with something tasty to shoot. I think some hatched!

Linky here:

http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/poultry_environment.html

[LordEoin]

lots of googling and youtubing and it's mostly complete

started off with some scrap insulation and marked it out for about 2 foot X 1 foot X 1 foot


Cut assembled and taped up:


bought two cheap picture frames for glass, used both panes spaced with skewers and glue to make it into one double glazed pane for insulation


Mounted back into the frame, cut a hole in the incubator lid and glued it in place:


Heat needs to stay between 37.5 and 37.8C for 3 weeks. It is from  two 40watt filament bulbs (the bulbs here are just for show). The bulbs will be controlled with an STC1000
Air flow is from a 12v CPU fan constantly running. There'll also be a bowl of water in here for humidity.


a look at the incubator compartment:


I just need to do some finishing touches on the wiring, install the STC1000, and build a turner to avoid having to manually turn all eggs 3 times a day.
Then it's time to order some eggs!

[johnrm]

Super job LE.
Yoghurt next?
Cheese?

[Will_D]

Looking great LE

Keep us posted.

Remember the old incubationist's saying: "Don't count the chickens before they're hatched"

[DEMPSEY]

I know who I am hanging out with if a nuclear war starts. McGyver has nothing on you

[LordEoin]

They're rebooting mcgyver as a woman to get girls interested in science 

[johnrm]

Beer flavoured chicken

[LordEoin]

there's probably already guinness flavor chicken. There seems to be guinness flavor everything else these days!

[Will_D]

Aren't they called Guinne(silent ess)afowl

[LordEoin]

  get out! 

Guinnea fowl are a weird bird. they go adventuring!

[LordEoin]

3 weeks on and they're due to start hatching over the next 24-48 hours
I got 16 eggs. less 1 that arrived broken. 4 never developed. leaving 11 hopefuls.

If you want something to occupy a corner of a monitor at work, check this out:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/hatching-chicken-eggs-2015
They'll be hatching live soon.
The lights turn on and off as they are the heat source, so if the screen is dark just wait a minute for the heating to kick in again.

I can hear them tweeting from inside their shells as i type. It's cute.

[LordEoin]

OMG one's hatching right now!  (top right)

[Garry]

Wohoooo! It's a boy!

[johnrm]

He's falling around the place.
You been feeding him beer! (Somehow)