Assembling an incubator with your own hands is good because the owner has the opportunity to make it the way it is needed for his purposes. In particular, we are talking about the size of the device. In addition, quite cheap materials are used to create such equipment, and with the current electronics market, it is possible to fully automate the operation of the unit.
Varieties and dimensions
Before you make an incubator with your own hands, you need to decide which unit you can assemble. Styrofoam, cardboard boxes, plywood or wood can be used as the main materials. It is also possible to assemble equipment based on an old refrigerator. The list of these materials covers only the main details. That is, a case will be assembled from them, as well as a cover for equipment.
The size of the incubator, of course, will depend on the number of eggs that will be placed inside it. Another factor that affects these characteristics is the location of the lamps that heat the device.
In order to represent the correct dimensions,an example can be given. The medium-sized incubator has a length of 450-470 mm, a width of 300-400 mm. With these dimensions, the egg capacity will be approximately as follows:
- chicken up to 70 pieces;
- duck or turkey eggs up to 55;
- goose up to 40;
- quail up to 200.
What you need for assembly
How to make an incubator with your own hands? The main part for breeding chicks in this way is the body. The selected material must necessarily retain heat well. If sudden temperature fluctuations are noticed, then the probability of obtaining a he althy brood of chicks will drop sharply. Therefore, to make the case, you need to take plywood, polystyrene, a case from an old TV or refrigerator. The eggs themselves will be placed in trays made of wood or plastic. The bottom of such trays is assembled from rails or mesh.
Today it is possible to automate the process of turning eggs. To do this, a special device is installed, which, after a certain period of time indicated on the timer, will reject the content to the side.
But when assembling an incubator with your own hands, the heating system becomes the most important part. As practice shows, incandescent lamps are used quite successfully for these purposes, with a power of 25 to 10 kW, depending on the size of the equipment.
You can carry out the temperature control procedure inside using a conventional thermometer. However, here you can also automate the process if you install a thermostat with a sensor. Also inside you need to monitor the air circulation, it does notshould stagnate. For this, either natural or forced ventilation is equipped.
If you assemble a small incubator with your own hands, then a few holes made in the lid and bottom will be enough. If, for example, a case from an old refrigerator is used, then fans will already be needed at the top and bottom.
Styrofoam units
Styrofoam is one of the most popular materials that is used when assembling an incubator with your own hands at home. Its advantages are that it is quite cheap, has a low weight, and also has excellent thermal insulation characteristics. In order to make such a unit, you will need to have the following materials on hand:
- 2 sheets of styrofoam with a thickness of 50mm;
- glue and tape;
- 4 incandescent lamps with a power of 25 kW;
- fan (you can use small models that are installed in the computer);
- thermostat;
- egg trays and one water tray.
Before proceeding with the assembly, it is better to draw up a drawing so as not to be mistaken with the dimensions. Further work looks like this:
- One of the styrofoam sheets is cut into 4 pieces, which will be equal in size. These will be the walls for the incubator.
- The second sheet of material is cut in half.
- After that, one of the parts needs to be cut into two more parts. This must be done in such a way that one has a width of 60 cm, andother 40 cm.
- That part of the sheet, which will have dimensions of 40 x 50 cm, is used as the bottom, the part with dimensions of 60 x 50 cm will serve as a lid. Thanks to just such an assembly with your own hands at home incubator, it will be possible to assemble a unit that will close tightly. And this is very important.
- After that, you need to cut a small viewing window in the part that is the cover. The dimensions of the window are 13 x 13 cm. It is used for observation and ventilation. The window is closed with glass or transparent plastic.
Assembly of individual elements into a single device
To assemble the frame, you must use the cuts that were made from the first sheet:
- First, the side walls are assembled. Glue is used for fixing.
- When it dries, you can start gluing the bottom. The edges of the sheet (40 x 50 cm) are smeared with glue, after which it is inserted into the frame of the side walls.
- To increase the rigidity of your DIY Styrofoam incubator, wrap it with tape. To do this, the first step is to fit the bottom in such a way that there is an overlap on the walls. After that, the whole structure is already wrapped.
- In order to create uniform heat and ensure good air circulation, the egg tray should be placed on two bars. They are also cut from foam with dimensions of 4 cm in width and 6 cm in height. They are glued to the bottom along those walls that are 50 cm in size.
- In those walls thatshorter (40 cm each), you need to drill three identical holes of 12 mm at an equal distance from each other. To do this, you need to step back 1 cm from the bottom. Since polystyrene foam is cut rather poorly with a knife, it is better to make holes with a soldering iron.
Completion of works
When assembling a simple do-it-yourself incubator, care must be taken to keep the lid tightly:
- To do this, bars 2 x 2 cm or a maximum of 3 x 3 cm are glued along its edges. The distance from the edge of the sheet should be 5 cm, then they will fit tightly inside and fit against the walls.
- After that, you need to fix the cartridges for installing incandescent lamps. You can hang them using mesh strips.
- Further, a thermostat is mounted on the lid of the box from the outside. The sensor itself must be fixed inside the incubator 1 cm higher than the eggs.
- A hole for the wire is made with a sharp awl.
- The tray can then be installed. Here you need to ensure that the distance between this element and the walls is 4-5 cm, otherwise ventilation will be disturbed. If it seems that it is not enough, then you can install a fan, but it should blow on the lamps, not on the eggs, otherwise they will dry out.
Manual or automatic drive
In order to successfully carry out the incubation process, it is necessary to constantly turn the eggs 180 degrees. However, doing it manually is rather problematic, asas the process will take a very long time. To facilitate this procedure, craftsmen assemble automatic incubators with their own hands. Several drives can act as an automated mechanism. It can be a moving grid, roller rotation, or a 45-degree tray tilt.
The movable grid option is most often used in simple models of the device, such as a foam incubator. The essence of the unit is quite simple. The grid is constantly moving slowly, which is why the eggs lying on it will constantly turn over. You can rotate the grid manually or automatically.
The disadvantage of using such a device is that the egg does not always turn over. It happens that it just "drags" along the grid.
Making an incubator with your own hands at home is quite simple, but adding roller rotation is already more difficult, since many round elements and bushings are used for this. Such a device works with the help of round rollers, which are covered with a net, most often a mosquito net. In order for the eggs not to roll in any direction, the tray is divided into many small compartments with sides. The contents will be rotated as the tape moves.
A self-made incubator from a refrigerator (with auto-rotation) most often provides for a third option - an inclined grid. It is worth noting that such a device copes with its task better than the previous two, since each egg will definitely turn over.
BAutomatic egg turning kits include power supplies and motors. In this case, the tray is divided into several smaller compartments. The motor will rotate each of them after a certain period of time, which is set by the user.
What you need to assemble an incubator from the refrigerator
How to make an incubator with your own hands at home from the refrigerator? In order to assemble such equipment, you will definitely need a drawing and a diagram on which all connections will be marked. Next, you need to free the old refrigerator from all shelves, including the freezer.
Progress looks like this:
- From the inside, holes are drilled in the ceiling for installing incandescent lamps, as well as one through, for arranging ventilation.
- In order to increase the time that the refrigerator will be able to retain heat, it is recommended to finish its walls with polystyrene foam.
- The racks that have been installed in the refrigerator can be used as trays or used as tray stands.
- Closer to the bottom of the refrigerator, you need to drill at least three holes 1.5 x 1.5 cm. This will be ventilation for the incubator.
- In order to improve ventilation in a self-assembled egg incubator, you can install fans on top near incandescent lamps. If fans are mounted from above, then the same number must be installed from below.
Assembly of the device from bars and plywood
In the event that there is no possibility of assembly from the refrigerator, then materials such as wooden beams and plywood can be dispensed with. In this case, the frame will be assembled from bars, and plywood will become sheathing. It is important to note here that the skin must be two-layer, so that insulation can be placed between the layers.
Lampholders will be attached to the ceiling, and two additional bars will be attached in the middle of the structure, which will be a support for the tray. In order to achieve better evaporation of water, another lamp is mounted below. It is important to remember that the distance between the tray and the lamp should be at least 15-17 cm.
In the lid for such an incubator, it is necessary to make a viewing window, which will be closed by a shifting glass. If necessary, it will be removed to create additional ventilation. In addition, closer to the floor, along the long walls of the structure, you need to drill several through holes.
Approximately according to the same principle, some people assemble units from old TV cases. In this case, you will not adjust the dimensions of the incubator, made by yourself. They will depend on the case of the device.
This option is suitable when you plan to raise a small number of chicks, since a large tray will not fit inside. It is also worth adding here that the process of turning eggs is not automated here. All work is done by hand, as there are few eggs and it will not take much time. In addition, to equip ventilation is notyou will have to, as fresh air will enter the incubator every time you open the lid.
Incubator heating
One of the main topics is the heating system for a homemade incubator. Since there are several types of it, you need to know the general rules that must be followed in any case:
- The basic rule concerns the placement of heating elements. They should be under the tray, on top, on the side and around the perimeter, to evenly heat the eggs.
- If heating is carried out using nichrome wire, then it should be at least 10 cm away from the tray. If lamps are used, they are placed at a distance of at least 25 cm.
- Draft must be avoided in any type of incubator. The error of the maintained temperature should not exceed more than half a degree.
- Electric contactors, barometric sensors or bimetal plates can be used as a regulator.
- In addition, special attention should be paid to safety, as home-made devices are highly flammable. It is worth noting here that assembling an incubator from the refrigerator with your own hands is perhaps the safest.
Main recommendations when assembling the unit
There are also general rules and recommendations that must be followed in any case and when assembling any type of apparatus:
- First, it is very important to keep warm. This applies even when there is no electricity. To heat the incubator when notelectricity, a special battery must be provided into which hot water can be poured. By covering it with a blanket, it will be possible to heat the incubator for 11-12 hours.
- Secondly, it is very important to ensure that the heat is distributed evenly throughout the incubator. In order not to have to constantly move the tray, it is necessary to equip two heat sources. One is installed from below, the other from above.
- Another very important point is temperature optimization. In order to ensure a faster supply of warm air to the eggs, during the manufacture of the trays, their bottom is made of mesh. In addition, the tray must be mobile, not stationary. In this case, there will be no problems with temperature fluctuations at all.
- Another important point is the different temperatures for the eggs. In the first two days of incubation, you need to warm them up well, so the heat is maintained at 38-38.7 degrees. If we talk about chicken eggs, then the temperature should constantly drop. In the first days, the regulator is set to a value of - 39-38 ° C. By the end of the incubation period, it should reach 37.6 ° C. For duck eggs, a decrease is also necessary - from 37.8 to 37.1 ° C. But quail eggs throughout the entire period should be kept at a temperature of 37.5 degrees.
- It is also worth noting that you need to place the eggs horizontally. If you place them vertically, the percentage of chick yield will be significantly lower.
