#Cabinet incubator free#

You’ll also need to drill a 3⁄4-inch hole in the wooden case right behind the box to allow for the electrical cord. Then carefully cut this shape out of the plastic foam. On the back of the cooler, toward one side, use a pencil to score the rough shape of the light fixture housing box (as shown). Next, begin the slightly messy job of making some cuts to the cooler. Finally, use the two 11-by-27¼-inch pieces to add the long sides. Add the two 11-by-16½-inch plywood pieces to create the short sides. Use the 16½-by-26¼-inch piece of plywood as a base. Using wood glue and 1-inch nails, create a five-sided cube, leaving the top open.

12-by-8-inch disposable aluminum baking pan.

5-by-7-inch piece of glass or plastic (from a picture frame).

electric water heater thermostat switch.

25½-by-13-by-16-inch plastic foam cooler.

1 16½-by-26¼-inch plywood piece, 1⁄2-inch thick (outer case base).

2 11-by-27¼-inch plywood pieces, 1⁄2-inch thick (outer case long sides).

2 11-by-16½-inch plywood pieces, 1⁄2-inch thick (outer case short sides).

During the last three days, you should not disturb your eggs at all-no turning. To help keep track, use a pencil to mark an X on one side and an O on the other to help you remember which side is which. If you’re not getting enough humidity, you can try adding a sponge to the pan this should help bring more moisture into the environment.įor the first 18 days, your eggs must be turned over two or three times per day. To control the humidity, adjust the amount of water in the baking pan. If your incubator get too dry, your eggs may not hatch.

Your eggs need a humidity of 50 to 55 percent for first 18 days, and 65 percent or more for the last three. (An incubator with a fan is called a forced-air incubator.) Because of this, you should aim for a higher temperature of 101 degrees F.

Here, we’re building a simple still-air incubator, meaning it has no fan to circulate the air. The goal of an incubator is to maintain a temperature of 97 to 101 degrees F at all times.

#Cabinet incubator free#

Feel free to modify these ideas to incorporate the parts you already have or can easily obtain. However, there are many variations that can be just as successful. Our incubator design uses a plastic foam cooler to insulate the eggs and keep the heat from the light bulb from escaping, and we built an outer case from 1⁄2-inch plywood to protect the foam. While store-bought incubators are convenient and offer additional features, building your own homemade incubator can yield excellent results.

If you don’t already keep a flock, obtain some fertile eggs from a fellow chicken keeper or have fertile eggs shipped from a hatchery that offers a specific breed you’re interested in. It can be a fun project for yourself or to do with your kids. If you’ve been raising chickens for awhile, you might be considering hatching chicks in an incubator.