Make your own incubator

Copied this info from another site I go on thought other people might be interested:

Poly box incubator.

Materials

Polystyrene box
Water proof glue
Picture frame with glass
Piece of fine hole chicken wire mesh cut to size
Piece of net curtain
Four house bricks
Fish tank heater with stat
Dinner plate
Vermiculite
Wax worm containers, or cricket boxes.
Water.

Take one polystyrene box. An animal box that has been ventilated won’t do… it must be air tight. Any tropical fish supplier and they’ll charge you about two quid.

Lid

Get a cheap picture frame. Secure the glass into the frame with a waterproof glue. Heat a knife on the cooker to cut and cut a hole in the box lid just large enough to fit the picture frame into. This gives you your viewing window so that you never have to open the lid and disturb the temps. Worst thing you can do while incubating.

Box.

Upturn dinner plate in the bottom of the box and secure fish tank heater to it

Place one brick on its end in each corner.

Fill box with water to two thirds of way up bricks.

Cover chicken wire with net curtain.

Sit the wire on top of the bricks, but try and stick the ends into the polystyrene at the sides so that there are no baby sized gaps.

Fill each wax worm tub with vermiculite, no need to dampen the box will do that for you, indent with finger.

Before moving from the nest gently mark each egg on the top with a marker pen. Sit one egg into the indentation marker side up. One egg per tub.

Alternately fill a cricket box with vermiculite indent in rows and put several eggs in one tub. I prefer the wax worm tubs.

Some people cover their eggs with a sheet of kitchen roll. This is good because it catches any condensation drips and stops them falling on the eggs…. However the downside of this is that you have to lift the lid to check the eggs and change the paper … personally I wouldn’t use it. The beauty of this system is that from the minute the eggs go in, to the minute they come out, you don’t have to disturb them. Using the separate tubs any ruined (infertile) eggs need not be taken out.

Set heater to required setting and leave eggs to cook.

I usually take 3 eggs with cheese and ham and a side order of bacon.

JK!

I found a couple of sites and liked this best:

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

Construction of a still-air incubator

Small incubators, suitable for use in the home, can be purchased from stores that sell farm equipment. An egg incubator can be built at home with a little work and expense.

The first incubator is constructed from a polystyrene ice chest. It is inexpensive, and because it is insulated, is inexpensive to operate. It can be damaged easily. The eggs and chicks can be observed through a window in the lid. This incubator will hold about 40-45 eggs.

The second incubator is more expensive, but is more permanent. It is constructed of plywood and glass, and will accommodate up to 100 large eggs. Both incubators are heated by a commercially available heating cable. The heating cable can be replaced with two or three ordinary light bulbs. Get a list of organizations that sell incubator supplies and equipment from your county agent or state poultryman.

Polystyrene Incubator

You'll need the following equipment and supplies to construct this incubator.


Polystyrene ice chest (12-16" x 20-24" x 12"-15")

Heating cable

Micro-switch assembly (thermostat)

Glass (approx. 10"x14")

" welded wire - hardware cloth (24"x36")

Cake tin (9"x14"x1 1/2")

Thermometer

Masking tape

Get all equipment and supplies before starting construction. Carefully read and understand the instructions. Expect to spend about 2 hours building the incubator and 4 hours testing it. A description of the construction process, complete with illustrations, is available online.

Plywood Display Incubator

This incubator is more expensive and will take longer to construct than the polystyrene incubator, but it is more durable. It is built of ½-inch exterior or marine grade plywood and glass, and will accommodate up to 100 large chicken eggs. Building plans for this incubator are available online.

1/2"x4'x6' A-C Exterior Plywood
3/8"x3/4"x8' Pine
3/4"x1½"x13' Pine
3/4"x3¼"x4' Pine
1/2"x3/4"x8' Pine
1/2"x18"x27" rigid insulation board
18"x27" heavy duty aluminum foil
1/2"x30" semi-rigid plastic pipe
10"x20" single strength window glass
10"x14" single strength window glass
1½" roundwooden drawer pulls
metal drawer pulls (cup type)
2" hooks with eyes
8' felt weatherstripping 1/4"x1/2"
20"x27" - ¼" hardware cloth
vent covers - sheet metal
incubator electrification kit *
attachment plug
No. 18-2 flexible service cord
duplex outlet for surface mounting
small porcelain knobs for heating element
4"x1" flat hinges
water pan - minimum 360 sq. in.
1/8"x16½' steel rod
3/16"x8' steel rod
Assorted nails and screws
Waterproof wood glue

Both incubators are heated by a commercially available glass-covered heating element. For the plywood incubator, it should provide 160 watts of heat. Slightly less heat is required in the polystyrene incubator.

Although, for the price and lack of self-energy needed in the purchase-over-building ratio, I went and bought two of these:



http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay_10551_10001_28385_-1______?rFlag=true&cFlag=1

It would depend on the type of eggs, the incubator the instructions i've put on would be for hatching beardie egss and such that need to be kept in conditions that will not allow the eggs to dry so need humidity, whereas the one you've put would be for eggs that need to be kept in dry warm conditions.

Thanks Mummybear i have been looking for something like this on the net. I did have a site bookmarked but lost all my stuff when I got a new pc. I have just been given quite a few poly boxes and should be getting some more. If anyone is struggling to get hold of one just give me a shout :)

The two that I bought, that I listed at the end of my article along with the picture and the link from Tractor Supply, I housed my caiman clutches in four times. 85 degrees at 85% humidity.

Heck, you can see the moisture:


Here's the stacking:


Here's me pulling them out of the nesting material they were in and placing them in the water-soaked mangum peat moss inside the incubator, which kept it moist for the 80 or so days they were in it.


And I'm fairly sure that even the one I posted that could be made by someone with the energy to do so, after adding soaked peat moss, would stay humid, too.

Reptile Rescue Den wrote:

Thanks Mummybear i have been looking for something like this on the net. I did have a site bookmarked but lost all my stuff when I got a new pc. I have just been given quite a few poly boxes and should be getting some more. If anyone is struggling to get hold of one just give me a shout

You're welcome

caimanhunter wrote:

The two that I bought, that I listed at the end of my article along with the picture and the link from Tractor Supply, I housed my caiman clutches in four times. 85 degrees at 85% humidity.

Heck, you can see the moisture:


Here's the stacking:


Here's me pulling them out of the nesting material they were in and placing them in the water-soaked mangum peat moss inside the incubator, which kept it moist for the 80 or so days they were in it.


And I'm fairly sure that even the one I posted that could be made by someone with the energy to do so, after adding soaked peat moss, would stay humid, too.

That's fantastic Bam. Wonderful pics... don't those lil' caiman look sweet and cute enough to kiss In my minds eye I see the sweet, cute caiman hanging off my puckered lips.

caimanhunter I was just going by the pics but now i stand corrected, as with everything though everyone has their own preferences so at least people reading this thread now have 2 available options which can only be a good thing yeah?

The more options the better as some people often find one method don't work for them or others work better. :)

mummybear wrote:

caimanhunter I was just going by the pics but now i stand corrected, as with everything though everyone has their own preferences so at least people reading this thread now have 2 available options which can only be a good thing yeah?

Nah, don't feel that you have to stand corrected. Sitting takes so much less energy. Lots of options. Lots of ideas. I was just adding a few more. Thanks for posting yours.