So....here you go --- here is how we did it!
We started with an $8.88 styrofoam cooler from good ole Wal-mart -------
Next...we took the glass out of an 8 1/2 x 11 picture frame we were no longer using to make the viewing window. The kids helped Mike measure then he cut with a utility knife the opening for this window (b/c I am no longer allowed to use sharp objects for cutting when he is around - especially after having to get stitches after using a utility knife making nesting boxes :)). Then the glass was secured to the opening with duct tape!
Note -- I will explain all the little pieces of duct tape you see later!
We wanted to make sure the lid was securely attached and "hinged" for easy opening/closing so we secured the lid using clear packing tape that allowed for this.
We purchased a light bulb fixture kit at Wal-mart for just a few bucks for the next step. Some of you may have something like this just laying around the house to use. I will explain the light bulb we chose and why later. But...after assembling the light bulb kit, we cut a hole in the end where this would be inserted.
On the inside, I knew we would need to put a container with water in the bottom for humidity. So....I took some chicken wire we had and built a little shelf so we could put the container under it and not worry about chicks hatching and getting into the water. I also wanted to cover the light bulb to prevent little chicks from touching it when they were wobbling around -- so the inside isn't pretty -- but it works :)
Now it's basically finished. If you decided to build one and then hatch, I highly recommend setting your incubator up at least a week before you set eggs in it. This will allow you to make sure you can regulate the humidity and temp. Temp needs to stay at 99-101 consistently and we keep our humidity at 40-45%. So....to do that you need to have a thermometer inside the incubator that shows you both -- $6-$8 at Wal-mart will get you one of these ----
We had to play around with light bulbs to get the temperature correct. We finally ended up with an energy effecient bulb (free from our electric company when we moved in :). Whatever works and keeps your temp constant is fine!
We ended up having to cut some holes in the cooler our first round b/c we had trouble getting the temp right -- hence all the duct tape :) Once we got it regulated, we found that during the day, we sometimes had to leave tape off a couple of the holes to keep the temp from spiking. But...on our second hatch -- we rarely had to do this. I will speak from experience and say where you place your incubator makes a huge difference in keeping temps/humidity stable. We had to place ours in our sunroom b/c we had no where else -- so we had to work extra hard to watch temps/humidity. I suggest placing your incubator in a room that stays pretty consistent with temp. No drafts, no extra sunlight that beats in, etc. Away from the registers too! This will help and you probably won't have an incubator covered with duct tape holes :)
Lastly -- we cover the chicken wire with an old hand towel before setting the eggs. This can easily be washed after they hatch. You don't want a slick surface b/c they won't be able to easily walk after hatching and can hurt their feet/legs. We found a towel works best.
There are other things that are important for hatching, but this covers the basics of how we made our incubator!!!!! Hope it helps some future chicken hatchers out there!!!!
Happy New Year and Happy Hatching from The Jann Fam
