BUILD YOUR OWN INCUBATOR
Here's how to turn your flock's extra eggs into a whole new generation of omelet providers, including detailed diagrams, temperature, humidity, movement and ten tips.
Here's how to turn your flock's extra eggs into a
whole new generation of omelet providers:
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Most folks who keep small flocks of fowl (whether for
eggs or meat or both) likely have—at one time or
another—considered buying an incubator. The freedom
that the devices offer (in maintaining a controlled breeding
program and in exchanging less productive hens for better
layers) can be a real boon to a farmstead bird operation.
Unfortunately, you can purchase quite a few commercially
hatched day-old chicks for the price of one quality incubator
... since a store bought apparatus can run from about $150 up
(and I mean way up!).
Now it's true that an effective
homestead hatchery has to be able to accomplish several jobs
at the same time, and that it must do some of them very
accurately, but don't let those concerns discourage you from
building your own incubator. Once you match the necessary
tasks with the various mechanical systems that can handle the
chores, the contraption will begin to seem a whole lot less
intimidating.
TEMPERATURE
In order to hatch a good percentage of fertile eggs, an
incubator must be able to maintain a constant temperature.
Though different sorts of eggs require different heat
levels, most will grow and hatch well at 99 to 101°F.
When incubating chickens and quail, I aim for a steady
99-3/4 °F . . . though the actual temperature may well
fluctuate by as much as half a degree. Sure, that does
sound imposingly precise, but such accuracy isn't all that
difficult to achieve.
The incubator shown in the photos is
heated by an old box-type hair dryer (not the fancy new gun
variety), which is—in turn—controlled by a
thermostat that I purchased from Sears, Roebuck and Co.
(ask for Farm and Ranch Catalog No. 32AF88022), for $7.99.
Unless the air around the dryer is very warm (it is, after
all, designed to work at room temperature), the "high"
setting works out fine.
Because even 1°F of inaccuracy
in a thermometer could make a vital difference in the
percentage of the hatch, it's a good idea to use three or
four of the instruments and to average their readings. One
quarter turn on the thermostat adjustment screw will
produce about a 1°F change inside the incubator, so it
is possible to home in pretty close to the right level of
warmth. (Of course, you'll want to experiment a bit with
the various controls before trying the heating system out
on your first batch of eggs.)
HUMIDITY
If it's either too dry or too humid inside the incubator,
the chicks will suffer. The humidity, measured with a
wet-bulb thermometer, will ideally start at 85°F and
then rise toward 90°F during the last few days of the
incubation period. Low air moisture levels can cause the
chicks to stick to their shells, and excessive dampness
sometimes produces swelling. (It's important to remember
that eggs are permeable and that water, and other
substances as well, can get into the shell.)
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