Before making an incubator, you need to decide how many eggs you are going to put there. If an incubator is planned for more than 50 eggs, then a fan is needed to stir the air in order to ensure an even distribution of heat.
Instructions
Step 1
In the case of the incubator, which is made of plywood, chipboard or ready-made ones, there should be well-insulated walls. The finished body of the incubator can be cardboard boxes, a refrigerator body and even a bee hive. The base area of the body is selected based on the area occupied by the eggs. Don't forget to make some ventilation holes in the bottom. A viewing window in the incubator ceiling will be just the thing, and in one of the walls it is reasonable to make a door for turning eggs and changing water.
Step 2
Egg trays are made of wood in the form of a frame; usually a metal mesh with cells of 5 by 5 mm is pulled over it. The main thing is that the mesh does not sag. The egg grate will not be superfluous, but you can do without it. The tray is fenced off with bumpers, after which it is installed on 10 cm legs. The pull-out tray is more convenient than usual, but the pull-out mechanism is not eternal and may fail.
Step 3
To prevent the eggs from freezing in the incubator, it has a heating system around the eggs. This requires an even distribution of heaters within the incubator. It is also necessary to monitor the distance from the heaters to the tray so that the eggs do not "overcook". When using incandescent bulbs, keep them at least 25 cm away from the tray. Heaters with nichrome coils can be positioned at a distance of 10 cm from the tray. The total power of heaters for an incubator designed for 50 eggs is 80 watts. It is better to use more less powerful heaters than a couple of powerful ones. The heat should be distributed evenly.
Step 4
Controlling a constant temperature is one of the main challenges in breeding poultry. Overheating eggs is even more dangerous than short-term hypothermia. Therefore, incubators must be equipped with a temperature control system. An electronic thermostat up to 300 W with a power - the very thing for novice poultry breeders. Its sensor is placed inside the incubator, and it works around the clock.
Step 5
Humidity control is equally important. A psychrometer is used here, which is not very difficult to buy. If you have 2 thermometers, make it yourself. We wrap the nose of one with a clean bandage, place the other end of the bandage in a container with distilled water, leave the other thermometer dry. Next, we determine the humidity by the difference in the temperature readings of two thermometers.
