hi this is a 7th grade science teacher and were hatching eggs!I need to know how to build a incubater

-- rick (hobanr@hotmail.com), November 15, 2000

Answers

they are easy to build. I have found the plans on the internet, but when looking through my files I could not find it. Just do a search. Unless you are just wanting to build one, you can buy one at a farm store for aroung $25.00-$30.00. The thermostat and heat source sould cost you almost that much. I will be glad to give you more info if you want just write Grant

-- grant (organicgrange@yahoo.com), November 15, 2000.

We took two boxes, one a little smaller than the other, set the smaller inside the larger and stuffed newspaper between them. Stuff the paper on the bottom between the two boxes too. This is to insulate. Secure a ceramic light fixture on the inside of the box on one of the sides. Make sure it can't fall. Use a 40 watt bulb. Put a pan, like a cake pan, in the bottom of the box, and secure a grating above it to cover the entire bottom of the box. Cut a piece of glass the size of the top of the box and electric tape the sides. When you put the eggs in, fill the cake pan with water. Turn the eggs several times a day (at the very least, three times a day), if you can. A hen will turn her egg almost a hundred times a day! You can put an X on one side to help you remember if you turned. You can have your students make a chart of turnings, and waterings. Keeping the ideal umidity is difficult in these homemade incubators. Ideal humidity is 85% - 87%. The ideal temp is 99 degrees. Put a temp/humidity gauge in the incubator so you can keep track of the numbers. If it gets too hot, open the glass a crack. Too cold, put a towel over the top. It takes 21 days to hatch an egg. Don't help the chick out, even if it looks like it's struggling. (We made a mistake and did this once - tragedy). The chick must struggle, and it can take a long time. During this time it is sucking in the yolk of the egg for nourishment. If you help it out, the yolk won't be taken in and the chick will die. You can also make a candler to check the progress. Use a coffee can (a large one) and secure a ceramic fixture with a light bulb in one end. The light bulb will be in the can. On the other end, cut a small hole, about the size of an egg. When you turn on the light, put the egg up against the hole, and you should be able to clearly see the insides. Don't keep the eggs out of the incubator for more than 15 minutes to do this. Have fun with your project! Mary

-- Mary Fraley (kmfraley@orwell.net), November 16, 2000.

Try the book, HOMEMADE, published by Garden Way and sold by Storey Communications. I will send you a scanned copy for a SASE since this a non-profit project. Actually, I will try to e-mail it directly to you.

I understand homemade incubators can be less than reliable. For the cost of materials, a new one can be purchased.

Any thought to what you will do with the chicks? Plan ahead. I have seen many school who have not planned ahead. You would be surprised!

I suggest you speak to an experienced poultry person first. Your local extension agent may get an incubator on a loan basis for you. Most farmers want to help teachers in agricultural endeavors.

I applaud your efforts!

-- Christina (crublee@homer.libby.org), November 19, 2000.

I built one myself and it worked great. I had no real plans but I had read Belangers article about making one from a bucket so I just figured why not...

All I did was build a box out of particle board(that's what I had at the time) with a door that opened on the front. I even made me a little window in the door ...I used a little strip of wood on each side about 1/3 of the way up the inner wall and used a piece of stiff wire to fit on the strips and to hold the eggs. I put an old fixture (2 bulb) at the top wired with a wafer for regulating. I think two bulbs (40 watt) is better because if one burns out your eggs will still have heat. I drilled a hole on each side as a vent. A cake pan of water sat on the bottom for humidity. I always had great hatches but I was careful to turn three times per day and to occasionally mist the eggs with water. I also carefull monitored the heat but never had a problem with regulating it ...the wafer worked great. I had much better luck than my neighbor with her styrofoam thing....

-- Ruth Guida (RuthieG@mediaone.net), November 21, 2000.

I,M TRYING TO DO AS YOU ARE, I HAVE A STYROFOAM ONE THAT I BOUGHT LAST YEAR, NEW, WITH THE AUTOMITIC EGG TURNER AND I SET IT TWICE, LAST YEAR . WATCHED IT LIKE A HAWK, FOLLOWED ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS PURCHASED THE EGGS BY THE DOZEN AT AN INCREASED PRICE, OUT OF 100 HUNDRED EGGS I GOT FIVE TO HATCH. THE STYROFOAM IS ALSO HARD TO CLEAN. SO THIS YEAR I'M GOING TO TRY A BUILD IT YOURSELF ONE. OH YES I PAID ALMOST A HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR THE ONE I BOUGHT.

-- MARY PRATT (DISHES@IOWATELECOM.NET), January 15, 2002.