We make the incubator ourselves. Making an incubator with your own hands: types and design features Homemade modern incubator

If you often raise chickens, you know that you cannot do this without a good incubator. Either the hen did not arrive in time, or a breed of chickens with poorly developed brooding instincts (most laying hens), or the absence of adult chickens altogether. In this case, of course, you need to buy an incubator. But you can do it yourself. Let's try to figure out how to make an incubator with your own hands.

Peculiarities

This name will probably surprise many, at least. How can a refrigerator be an incubator? The answer is - maybe even so! But everything is in order. As for the homemade device, many of our domestic poultry farmers successfully raise chickens even in the simplest incubators. Such a homemade device can serve as a faithful assistant until the breeder acquires an automatic industrial production one.

We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with incubators on aliexpress.

What do you need to make a homemade incubator?

1. The first thing you need for a homemade incubator is a convenient suitable chamber, box or box. They can be either wooden or plastic. At the same time, if your box is cardboard, then it can also be easily adapted by covering it with plywood and thick paper. It is important to seal all cracks and openings with sealant to prevent heat leakage during container assembly.
2. An important component is water baths. Make them the size of your incubator and place them in the bottom of the box.
3. Trays are best made from planed boards, the height of the sides being 70 mm. We cover the lower part with a metal mesh with a 10x10 cell.
4. Inside the box we attach guides from metal corners for installing trays. Our design should resemble the appearance of a bookcase.
5. For heating we use 4-5 light bulbs of 25 watts each. One of the lamps can be attached below so that the heat is evenly distributed throughout the entire structure.
6. Don't forget about the thermometer, it should always be inside the incubator.
7. We make exhaust holes at the bottom, about 16 holes of 25 mm each.
8. Also be sure to provide a viewing window in the top wall. This is important for additional control of incubation during the “hatching” of the eggs.

Drawing of a simple incubator by A. Varvarova

Materials and tools

As materials and tools during work we will need:

• cardboard or wooden box, sheets of plywood, plastic or foam.
• sealant;
• screws;
• metal mesh and corners;
• screwdriver;
• light bulbs;
• sharp knife;
• paper or foil;
• glass for viewing window;
• egg trays.

Manufacturing instructions

Incubator from the refrigerator

So, if you have an old refrigerator, then don’t rush to throw it away. From its chamber it is easy to build a homemade incubator for home poultry farming. The fact is that the design of the refrigerator itself maintains a constant temperature inside well, which is very convenient for our case. All you need is the former refrigerator itself, 100-watt light bulbs (about 4 pieces), a temperature controller, and a KR-6 contactor-relay. So let's get started.

1. Remove the freezer compartment from the refrigerator, if there is one.
2. Inside we attach lamp sockets, a temperature controller and a contactor-relay KR-6.
3. We cut out a small viewing window on the front door.
4. We equip grates for the supply of eggs and trays.
5. Attach a thermometer.

For visual clarity, we suggest viewing a drawing of a homemade incubator.

Drawing of an incubator from a refrigerator

Automatic incubator from the refrigerator

A refrigerator incubator with automatic egg turning is very convenient and completely replaces a conventional industrial production device. However, in order to do it you will have to work a little. But as a result, depending on the brand of refrigerator, you will be able to warm up about 50 eggs at a time without any problems.

1. Everything is the same as in the first case, we remove everything unnecessary, including the freezer.
2. We cut out a window in the front door and glass it. We seal all the cracks with sealant, and for a neater appearance, cover the edges of the window with a frame made from kitchen furniture baseboards.
3. The main control unit in this design is an automatic thermostat, an automatic tray turner Mechta 12 with a 12V power supply, and a humidity regulator.
4. It is good to use two computer units as a power source (one for the Dream-12 + heating bundle, the second for turning over the trays).
5. By the way, it is better to buy ready-made trays for automatic incubators.
6. We attach two light bulbs at the top and four at the bottom. We make a series connection of 2 light bulbs.
7. We check the operation of the lamps by making a positive wire through the Dream 12 thermostat relay and connecting the thermostat to the power supply.
8. We fix the temperature sensors.
9. For everything else, see photos, videos, and drawings in more detail.

Diagram of the device of S. Kozin’s homemade incubator: 1-temperature regulator sensor; 2-thermostat; 3-incandescent lamps; 4-fan; 5-knob for rotating trays; 6-trays; 7-plate; 8-bath with water.

The simplest incubator out of the box

For example, P. Yakimenko from Moscow offers us one simple design. He made a homemade incubator from an ordinary cardboard box measuring 56x47x58 cm. The inside of the cardboard is covered with paper or felt in two layers. A 12x10 cm viewing window is made in the upper wall. Small holes are also provided for wires. With their help, three 25 W light bulbs are installed inside.

Lamps for heat transfer should be installed at a height of 15 centimeters from the surface of the eggs themselves. It is important to seal the holes where the wiring is inserted with cotton wool to prevent heat leakage. Then they make wooden trays, a convenient door, and slats for the trays.

In such a simple homemade device, it is also important to maintain a high temperature, so we attach a thermometer to a special bar. For high humidity, place a container of water inside the device. In the first 12 hours after laying the eggs, the temperature in the box should be approximately 41 degrees, in the subsequent hours it is reduced to 39 degrees.

It is important to install such a device yourself not on the floor, but not on small bars 15-20 centimeters high. There must be constant air circulation, both inside and outside the box.

Video “Example of a homemade incubator from a refrigerator”

, current question for both amateur poultry farmers and professional farmers.

Industrial devices often have high price, and their application inappropriate in conditions little ones homestead farms.

For breeding poultry in small quantities are quite suitable home. Moreover, to design it with desire will be able every.

Important points when making an incubator

At independent manufacturing very important moment is to create comfortable, maximum close to natural, conditions for breeding birds.

First of all it is worth taking care to constantly maintain the necessary temperatures inside the incubator and arrangement in it ventilation.

When mother hen hatches eggs independently, creating natural temperature and humidity for normal development of chicks.

IN artificial conditions, the temperature in the incubator must always be maintained at 37.5–38.6 degrees at a humidity level of 50–60% . And for uniform distribution and circulation warm air is used forced ventilation.

Attention: Violation of the temperature regime at any stage of the incubation period (overheating, underheating, excessive or insufficient humidity) can lead to a significant slowdown in the rate of development of the chicks.

In particular, excessive humidity in the incubator negative affects embryo development in the egg and can lead to the death of the chick before it is born.

Insufficient humidity air in the device makes an egg shell overdried and very durable that unacceptable when hatching.

Making an incubator with your own hands

To create an automatic incubator with your own hands You will need to make or purchase the following from the store: equipment:

• Frame for the incubator itself;
• Tray system;
• A heating element;
• Fan;
• Automatic turning mechanism.

Incubator body

Corps For a homemade incubator, a washing machine made from plywood can serve box and even unclaimed Bee hive.

To maintain inside the incubator comfortable microclimate(heat preservation), walls the housings are sealed (most often with polystyrene foam), and for entry inside fresh air small holes are made.

Size incubator and quantity in it, egg trays are selected based on needs owner.

Tray system

As trays for eggs you can use durable metal mesh with cells size 2.5 cm. There will be trays hold on on special pins, which in turn will carry out automatic coup fixed trays.

L = (H-((N+15)*2))/15

Where L– number of trays, H- height of the refrigerator, N– distance of trays from heating elements.

For example: Height incubator 1 meter. To calculate the maximum number of trays for an incubator, subtract from it distance to the heating elements with a margin 6 cm(to avoid overheating), multiply on 2 and divide by height necessary for ventilation. We get:

L = (100-((6+15)*2))/15 = 3.86

Maximum amount trays required to create an incubator is equal to four.

A heating element

To maintain a constant temperature in a large incubator can be used heating spirals from irons, connecting them in series.

For small designs, you can get by with several incandescent lamps average power. They can be placed both “above” and “below” the trays at a distance not less than 20 cm.

Note: When installing lamps, be sure to place a thermometer in the incubator to accurately control the temperature and install a bath of water so that the air inside the device is moist. To control humidity, a psychrometer is used, which can be purchased without any problems at any pet store.

Fan

IN small a homemade incubator will be enough one fan, For example, from an old computer. Air circulation very important in arranging the incubator and plays key role in a brood of chicks.

In addition to uniform distribution of warm air, the fan pumps up inside necessary for eggs oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. To ensure air flow into the device, it is necessary to make several holes size 15-20 mm.

Automatic turning mechanism

Rotary pins on which the trays will be attached must be perfect aligned evenly to prevent distortion of the entire structure. A mechanism parts, connecting the trays and driving them rigidly secured between themselves.

As drive low-power ones (up to 20 watt) reduction motors And sprocket chain.

Note: To smoothly rotate trays with eggs, you must use a chain with a minimum pitch (0.525 mm).

For complete automation process, is added to the motor power circuit relay(switch) which will on one's own turn the engine on and off.

It is important to know: Before loading eggs and starting incubation, you need to check and test the created system for 3-4 days. Stabilize the temperature and humidity, experimentally find a place for the fan and start the turning mechanism, stabilize the turning speed and the angle of inclination of the trays.

So, manufacturing of automatic incubator at home without the expense of modern technologies, the task is quite feasible. Main- compliance sequences the actions described above and extreme attentiveness to the work.

For design you can use improvised means: frame old refrigerator, washing machine, box made of plywood or chipboard, for wall insulation- polystyrene foam or an old blanket will do; a computer fan will ensure uniform distribution warm air throughout the entire volume of the structure.

Following video talks in detail about an incubator for hatching eggs with your own hands:

Since polystyrene foam is a poor heat transferr, it can be used to make a home incubator. Polystyrene foam can be purchased at any hardware store, all that's left is a little bit of work. It is necessary to calculate the number of eggs to lay, temperature, humidity and begin making the incubator. We have already done all the calculations for you, so we suggest doing it step by step according to the scheme described below.

How to make an incubator with your own hands from polystyrene foam: step by step

To build a polystyrene foam incubator with your own hands, you need to use 2 sheets of foam plastic (or rather, one and a half sheets, but half a sheet will not be sold) (5 cm thick), four light bulbs, including electric sockets (I took a mini-socket and 25 W lamps), 2 scraps of welded galvanized mesh, glue - for fixing sheets and bars of foam plastic (I treated it with universal polymer glue), tape (50 mm wide), and a thermostat - industrial or homemade.

To build a tray for an egg, you can use a welded galvanized mesh or a ready-made plastic tray for vegetables or other products.

We work with a standard foam sheet - 100 x 100 cm.

One sheet needs to be cut into 4 equal parts, with sides of 50 cm. These parts will serve for gluing the incubator body - they will be its side walls.

After this, you need to take the second sheet, cut off half - 50 cm, and divide it into two rectangular pieces, their sides 50 x 40 and 50 x 60 cm.

During gluing, the body is conveniently held together with tape.

From the first rectangle we make the bottom of the incubator, from the second we make the lid. The lid must have a hole - it needs to be cut, it is approximately 12 x 12 cm, and then closed with a piece of glass. This will make it convenient to view and control the temperature. During the first 5–6 days, the hole is completely covered with glass, which then gradually needs to be moved back by 1–2 cm. When hatching, half of the hole or more needs to be opened.

Taking the squares of the first sheet, you need to glue the body, focusing on the diagram - shown from the top point. As a result, we get the walls of the box with external dimensions of 50 x 60 cm, and internal dimensions of 50 x 40 cm.

After about an hour, when the body has dried, we begin gluing the bottom (40 x 50 cm).

Then we use tape for additional fixation. First we cover the bottom, with fly fishing on the sides - about 20 cm, then the sides over the entire area. This way the body will become stiffer and, as a result, durable.

After this, a foam plastic block 5 x 3 or 6 x 4 cm should be glued to the long inner side of the body (50 cm), where the junction of the bottom and wall is. We will install the tray on it. Inside, on the sides of 40 cm, retreating 1 cm from the bottom, you need to make 3 ventilation holes on each side (diameter about 10–12 mm), with an even distance between them and from the edge of the case. After drilling, you need to insert something like tubes into these holes, otherwise the foam dust will block them. Therefore, it is better to burn them with a soldering iron. Now the body is ready.

We present the diagram of a do-it-yourself incubator at home (section):
1. Bath;
2. Hole for viewing and ventilation;
3. Tray;
4. Thermostat;
5. Thermal sensor;
6. Distance from lamp to egg.

Let's take the lid again. On its inside side, 5 cm away from the edge, it is necessary to glue a block of foam plastic measuring about 2 x 2 or 3 x 3 cm. With its help, the lid will be fixed. Then on the inside of the lid you need to secure all the electric sockets (4 pieces) and light bulbs - for this I used a base of two strips of welded galvanized mesh.

A thermostat must be mounted on the lid. For a temperature sensor in the lid, you need to take an awl and make a hole, pass the sensor with the wire and place it above the egg at a distance of 1 cm.

For the tray I used a welded mesh with a galvanized coating 16 x 24 cm, inside it is closed with a plastic mesh to prevent flies. The walls should be 8–10 cm high and higher so that young quails do not jump over them. To make the bottom of the tray, it is better to focus on the bottom that the incubator has. The design requires a distance of 5 cm from the side walls for normal air circulation. This tray holds about 160–170 quail eggs.

The water container can be any bath with walls 3-4 cm - for example, cut out of a plastic canister.

So my incubator worked for 2 years. Then I covered it with foil on foam rubber (a popular building material for heated floors, etc.), and in this way improved the heat capacity.

This is how a simple do-it-yourself incubator has a height of 55 cm. We take this parameter into account, since the light bulbs should be installed at a distance of 25 cm from the egg. If we install it closer, the excess energy will harm the development of the bird.

Conclusion

As a result, making an incubator from polystyrene foam with your own hands is not difficult and does not require much effort. Naturally, such incubators can be made in different sizes, egg capacity and degree of equipment with various equipment. To do this, we suggest that before assembling the incubator, you plan the project well, think through all the details, set realistic tasks, so that everything is correctly calculated and then brought to life.

It turns out that in order to hatch chicks of any poultry, you can do without not only the services of a hen hatching eggs, but also without an expensive factory-made incubator. It is quite possible for a home craftsman to independently make a device for incubating eggs, which allows him to successfully hatch chickens at a minimal cost. Read below about how this can be done.

Requirements for a homemade incubator

The main requirement that any incubator must fulfill is its ability to maintain conditions as close as possible to the natural ones created by the bird hatching its eggs.

Important! The distance between eggs loaded into the incubator must be at least 1 cm.

And from here follow all other requirements for incubators:

• the temperature within a 2-centimeter radius from each egg should be in the range from +37.3 to +38.6 ° C, in no case going beyond this range;
• eggs loaded into the incubator must only be fresh, whose shelf life has not exceeded ten days;
• the humidity in the device must be maintained within 40–60% for the entire period until the eggs are hatched, and after hatching it rises to 80% and remains at this level until the chicks are sampled, after which it decreases again;
• Of great importance for the normal incubation of eggs is their position, which should be either the blunt end up or horizontal;
• vertical arrangement involves tilting chicken eggs 45 degrees in any direction;
• horizontal arrangement requires turning the eggs 180 degrees every hour with a minimum turning three times a day;
• a couple of days before biting, the turning is completed;
• Forced ventilation is desirable in the incubator.

How to make a simple foam incubator

Polystyrene foam is perfect for this purpose. This material, while being cheap, is light both in weight and in processing, and has an excellent ability to retain heat, which is an indispensable quality when incubating eggs.

To make a small incubator for 15 chicken eggs out of polystyrene foam, you will need:

• ten-liter foam thermobox with a wall thickness of 3 cm;
• computer power supply;
• fan;
• light bulb with a power of 40 W and a voltage of 12 V;
• light bulb socket;
• metal pipe connector;
• metal mesh with cells 2x2 cm and a rod cross-section of 1.6 mm;
• façade mesh;
• plexiglass;
• acrylic mounting adhesive;
• temperature sensor;
• humidity sensor;
• sharp knife for cutting foam;
• drill;
• water tray;
• furniture cable plug;
• thermometer with moisture meter;
• thermostat.

Process of creation

To assemble a home incubator based on a ten-liter thermobox, you need:

1. Insert the fan into the pipe connector, first removing the ears there from the circumference of the fan housing.
   
2. Approximately in the middle of the pipe connector, secure the socket for the paw so that the light bulb is directed in the direction opposite to the fan.
   
3. Inside the thermal box, on one of its narrow sides, use four bolts, washers and nuts to secure a connector for pipes, for which four holes are drilled in the wall of the thermal box for the bolts and a fifth for bringing out the wires from the fan and light bulb. The pipe connector along with its contents is located almost at the bottom of the thermal box.
   
4. At a distance of about 15 cm from the top edge of the thermobox, strengthen the wooden corners on the inside of its walls along the perimeter using acrylic glue.
   
5. While the glue dries during the day, use a knife to cut a small rectangular hole in the middle of the thermal box lid into which to insert a piece of plexiglass, resulting in an observation window.
   
6. The mesh, cut so as to fit into the thermal box with its entire area, is installed on the glued wooden corners that have had time to strengthen.
   
7. This mesh is covered on top with a façade mesh.
   
8. Outside the thermal box, at the very edge, on the top side where the wires from the light bulb and fan come out, strengthen the thermal relay.
   
9. Opposite the fan in its center, make a small hole for air flow, which is covered with a furniture cable plug, the width of the opening in which can be adjusted.
   
10. Install a thermometer with a moisture meter on the same wall of the thermobox from the outside.
11. Install temperature and humidity sensors on the mesh inside the thermobox, and route their cables outside.
    
12. Attach a connector to the wall of the incubator to which all the necessary wires are connected, including power from the computer unit.
13. Place a small tray of water at the bottom of the incubator to maintain the required humidity.
    
14. Make two small ventilation holes in the lid on the sides of the inspection window.
    

Important!To better retain heat inside the foam incubator, it is recommended to cover the inside with thermal insulation covered with foil.

How to make a large refrigerator incubator with egg turning

The most popular way to make an incubator at home is to use the body of an old refrigerator, i.e., a unit that was once aimed at producing exclusively cold turns into its opposite, now producing the heat necessary for the incubation process.

Moreover, the incubator turns out to be so “advanced” that it even contains a device that turns the eggs automatically.

To make this device, you can use:

• the body of an old refrigerator;
• glass or plexiglass;
• a motor from a device with a gearbox (for example, from an automatic kebab maker);
• metal gratings;
• timers;
• bicycle chain sprockets;
• pin;
• thermostat;
• wooden or aluminum frame;
• four hundred-watt electric lamps;
• heat-reflecting material;
• computer coolers;
• construction tools;
• sealant.

Choosing the right enclosure

This DIY home incubator design requires an old refrigerator with a separate freezer.

Then you need to do the following steps:

Creating a rotary mechanism

This is the most difficult and important part of the construction of this type of incubator. The turning mechanism must reliably turn the eggs in a given mode, doing this not only in a timely manner, but also accurately.

To install it you need:

1. Install the motor on the floor of the chamber.
2. Place the sprocket from the bicycle chain drive onto the motor shaft.
3. Weld the second bicycle sprocket to the side of the lower grille.
4. In the extreme position of the grid, install limit switches that regulate the operation of the motor, turning it off in time.
5. The engine is turned on four times a day using two timers.

Video: mechanism for turning trays in an incubator from a refrigerator

Housekeeping can hardly be called an easy task, especially when it comes to living creatures. But such efforts bring enormous results, which are expressed in healthy food, which contains a minimum of various chemical additives. Many people prefer to raise chickens on their own property. To acquire good stock, you can buy it or raise it yourself. For the latter, an incubator is an indispensable device. Ready-made options are always on sale, but you can also assemble your own version. What is needed for this will be discussed in the article.

Primary requirements

Before you start assembling, you need to have a good understanding of what the end result should be. To clearly understand it, you need to know the requirements for the incubator. One of the most important is the presence of a constant temperature inside the incubator. In this case, not only the egg itself should be heated, but also the air around it. Indicators should be maintained with a spread from 37.3 degrees to 38.6. Attention is paid not only to temperature, but also to the humidity that should be inside. The period that precedes biting should be 40%. If we are talking about hatching, then the percentage increases to 80. Just before hatching occurs, the humidity will need to be reduced slightly.

Note! To successfully complete the process of raising chickens inside an incubator, you should not use eggs that have already been stored for ten days.

Egg holders in the incubator must be made in such a way as to hold them in an upright position. In this case, the shape of the cells should be such that the sharp end points down. The shelves should be positioned with a slope throughout the entire incubation period. The incubator must have easy access to the eggs. This is necessary in order to turn the eggs three times a day. If desired, such a mechanism can be implemented automatically. Before the brood itself, it must be motionless. The incubator must have good ventilation to avoid overheating and excess humidity.

Advice! The cells must be universal, since eggs are not always the same size. It is possible to provide an option for breeding quails, the eggs of which will require stands with a smaller diameter.

Self-assembly

The size of the finished structure will directly depend on the desired number of eggs that will be heated in the incubator. Assembly can be done in various ways, so several options will be discussed below. In the drawings, special attention should be paid to the temperature control unit, as well as the method and location of incandescent lamps, which will act as heaters. It is also necessary to place a fan correctly, which will circulate air for uniform heating. An indispensable assistant when raising chickens in an incubator is an uninterruptible power supply. During the growing process, light should not be lost for a long time, as this will result in various defects in the chickens.

The incubator capacity should not be too large. It is better to choose for it some average dimensions that will allow you to grow the minimum and maximum allowable number of eggs. It is easier to install several of these incubators than one large one, since they will be easier to maintain, and they will provide a certain autonomy: if one of them fails, the second one will continue to work successfully. Modern economy lamps are not suitable for heating. Although they consume less electricity, they are not able to heat the space inside the incubator. For a standard incubator for 100 eggs, six lamps are sufficient. Two of them should have a power of 25 W, and the rest - 40.

Advice! The dimensions of the incubator can be calculated quite simply on your own. You can take the size of the cells in which the eggs will be located as a basis. The width of one pocket should be at least 4.5 cm, and its height - 6.5 cm. After distributing the number of eggs at each level, the exact dimensions for the incubator can be derived.

Styrofoam incubator

A foam incubator is one of the most effective because it is quite easy to assemble and lightweight. As a base, you can use insulation sheets with a side size of a meter. The first sheet is divided into four equal parts to create walls with a height and width of 50 cm.

The bottom and lid are cut out from the second sheet of insulation. To do this, it must be cut as shown in the illustration. The left part, measuring 50 by 60 cm, will be a lid that will tightly close the incubator, and the second part will be used for the bottom, which is glued inside. The frame is assembled from the four elements that were obtained after the first cutting. You can glue the foam with rubber glue or use metallized tape, which will provide excellent fixation. You can immediately glue the bottom. The lid requires some modification. It is necessary to make a small hole measuring 10 by 10 cm in it. This is necessary so that you can visually monitor the condition of the eggs inside the incubator. The hole is closed with a piece of glass or transparent plastic.

The grid with eggs should not be placed directly on the bottom of the incubator. This will create a closed space, due to which ventilation will no longer be possible. Therefore, the tray is installed on small stands, the height of which will allow you to place a container of water on the bottom of the incubator. To bring in fresh air, holes with a diameter of 12 mm are drilled in walls that are shorter. You will need three of them, and they should be placed at a distance of 1 cm from the bottom. Additional bars are mounted on the lid, which will hold the lamp sockets. There is no need to assemble the thermostat yourself, since ready-made options are available for sale. It is mounted on the lid or next to the incubator. The sensor is placed inside the incubator. It should not touch the walls or eggs. It is better to place it 1 cm from any of the eggs. There should be a gap of 4 cm between the tray and the walls, through which air will circulate.

Advice! For a larger number of eggs, you will need to increase the size of the incubator, as well as place trays in several tiers. If the structure is wider, then not two, but more light bulbs are mounted. The inside of the foam can be covered with foil to better reflect the heat.

From the refrigerator

If the farm has an old, non-working refrigerator, it can be converted into an incubator. Everything that is possible must be removed from the refrigerator compartment. If the freezer is built into the main compartment, then it will also need to be removed to increase the available space. The design of the refrigerator is excellent for creating an incubator, since its walls already have insulation, and the door closes quite tightly. In addition, there are special shelf holders inside that can be used for cells.

Using a drill and a feather drill, holes are made in the bottom and top wall of the refrigerator. They are necessary for ventilation of the internal space of the structure. A fan is installed at the bottom to supply air. Next to it are containers or a container with water. The lamps that will heat the incubator are mounted at the top and bottom to ensure uniform heating. 25 W products are used. You can use refrigerator racks as a base for the trays; they will require a little modification, but they will fit perfectly into place; it is important to provide a mechanism to be able to turn the eggs.

Other options

The easiest way to make an incubator is to use a cardboard box. In this case, a regular cardboard tray is used as an egg holder. It is installed on two wooden blocks, which are fixed from the inside to the walls of the box. From below, at a distance of 4 cm from the bottom, holes are made every 5 cm for air supply. Light sockets and a fan are also mounted below. The top of the box can be covered with thick fabric or a piece of insulation that is suitable in size.

If there is a need to build an incubator for a small brood, then you can use two plastic basins. They need to be fixed to each other upside down to create space inside. At the bottom, as in other incubators, a container of water is installed, which will allow you to achieve the required humidity. One or two cartridges are installed in the lid. The distance from the light bulbs to the eggs should be sufficient so that they do not overheat. You can install metal reflectors in the incubator that will block infrared radiation. A fan is required; it is mounted next to the light bulbs in order to remove heat from them in a timely manner. The basins are connected to each other through small metal loops.

Advice! Before laying eggs in the incubator, all its surfaces must be disinfected. Some owners consider it necessary to disinfect the eggs themselves.

Automatic coup

Automatic egg turning can be implemented in several ways. One of them is the use of a mosquito net. Since it is not able to withstand significant loads, it is used in small incubators. The bottom line is that the bottom of the trays is the mesh. It is installed on two rollers that can move it in a circle. It is enough to rotate one of the rollers, and the net will move, turning the eggs in the trays. The process can be made automatic by installing an electric drive, relay and timer on one of the rollers, which will activate it at regular intervals. The downside to this solution is that it may not work in some cases. In such situations, the egg is simply dragged along the tray.

The tilting mechanism for the incubator is more reliable. In this case, the eggs do not turn over, but their inclination changes. For this purpose, it is enough to fix the trays along the axis on each side so that they can tilt freely. A handle is attached to the outside, which will allow you to tilt the trays inside the incubator. Another option is to use swivel casters. In this case, the eggs in the incubator are placed between rubber rollers in trays. The rollers are connected to each other by a chain, which ensures their simultaneous rotation. It is also easy to use an electric motor for this design. The video below shows an interesting design of an incubator with automatic egg turning.

Summary

The incubator can be assembled from ordinary plywood or chipboard, if available. But in this case, you will need to make double walls for the incubator with an air gap, which will allow it to retain heat longer. The best solution would be to fill the space between the walls of the incubator with insulation. For example, polyurethane foam, which is laid in the required layer, is suitable for solving the problem. In this case, all the necessary modules are placed on the lid, since it has sufficient rigidity. In such an incubator it is quite easy to make inclined trays to change the position of the eggs. It is better if the entire incubator power system is built on 12 volts. In this case, it will be quite simple to use a regular car battery as a backup source. To simplify the task, you can purchase a ready-made unit that can monitor not only the temperature inside the incubator, but also humidity. In addition, at specified intervals it will supply power to the drive that changes the inclination of the trays.