Do-it-yourself incubators at home: features and options. Two options to make an incubator at home: simple and complex How to make a homemade incubator

In home gardens, the use of large industrial incubators may not be practical due to their large capacity. To grow a small number of poultry, compact devices are needed, which you can do with your own hands, using available tools and materials.

We will give several ways to make incubators. However, even a homemade device must meet certain requirements, which you will learn about from this article.

How to make your own egg incubator

Breeding poultry is a fairly profitable occupation, but for the uninterrupted production of productive young animals, you need to buy or make a device with your own hands in which young animals will be bred.

How to make an incubator for chicken eggs or quails with your own hands, using improvised materials, you will learn from the sections below.

What to pay attention to

For the full breeding of young birds, certain recommendations and requirements regarding the use of the device and its manufacture should be followed:

The temperature regime at a distance of two centimeters from the eggs should not exceed 38.6 degrees, and the minimum temperature is 37.3 degrees;
Only fresh eggs are suitable for incubation, which should not be stored for more than ten days;
In the chamber it is necessary to maintain an optimal level of humidity. Before pipping, it is 40-60%, and after the beginning of pipping - 80%. Humidity levels must be reduced before chicks are taken.

The breeding of young poultry also depends on the location of the eggs. They need to be placed vertically (sharp end down) or horizontally. If they are located vertically, they should be tilted to the right or left by 45 degrees (when laying goose or duck eggs, the degree of inclination is up to 90 degrees).

If the eggs are placed horizontally, they must be turned at least three times a day by 180 degrees. However, it is best to carry out a coup every hour. A few days before pecking, the turns are stopped.

Rules

If you are wondering how to do homemade incubator, you should know that this device is manufactured according to certain rules.

To make you will need:

Housing made of material, well retaining heat (wood or foam). This is necessary so that the temperature inside the device does not change during the hatching process. You can use an old refrigerator, microwave or even a TV as a case.
For heating they use ordinary lamps (from 25 to 100 W, depending on the size of the camera), and to control the temperature, they put an ordinary thermometer inside the device.
To keep fresh air inside need to provide ventilation. For small appliances, it is enough to drill holes in the side walls and bottom, and for large incubators (for example, made from a refrigerator), several fans are installed (under and above the grate for).

Figure 1. Common types of incubators: 1 - with automatic rotation, 2 - mini-incubator, 3 - industrial model

Trays or grills can be bought or made from metal mesh. It is important that there is space between the trays for free air circulation.

Peculiarities

The incubator must be well ventilated. Preference should be given to forced ventilation, as the constant movement of air will maintain the required temperature and humidity inside.

Figure 1 shows the main types of incubators that can be used to breed young birds in a household plot.

How to auto-rotate eggs in an incubator

Models without manual turning are not very convenient, since a person needs to constantly monitor the process of hatching and manually turn all the eggs. It is much easier to immediately make a homemade incubator with auto-rotation (Figure 2).

Instruction

There are several options for arranging auto-rotate. For small appliances, you can simply equip a mobile grid, which is driven by a small roller. As a result, the eggs move slowly and gradually turn over.

Note: The disadvantage of this method is that you still have to control the coup, since the eggs can simply budge, but not roll over.

Roller rotation is considered more modern, for the arrangement of which special rotating rollers are installed under the grate. To prevent damage to the shell, all rollers are covered with a mosquito net. However, this method also has a significant drawback: for the manufacture of an auto-rotate system, you will have to take up free space in the chamber by installing rollers.

Figure 2. Scheme of automatic egg turning

The best method is considered to be a flip, in which the entire tray immediately tilts 45 degrees. The rotation is activated by a special mechanism located outside, and all eggs are guaranteed to warm up.

How to properly lay eggs in an incubator

The incubation of poultry should be carried out taking into account certain features and maintain the optimal mode of breeding young animals. The table in Figure 3 shows the basic requirements for breeding chickens, ducks and geese.

First of all, you should maintain the correct temperature (minimum 37.5 - maximum 37.8 degrees). It is also necessary to regularly check the humidity, determining it by the difference in temperatures on the “wet” and “dry” thermometers. If the "wet" thermometer shows a temperature of up to 29 degrees, then the humidity is about 60 percent.

Figure 3 Optimal Modes incubation

The breeding regimen must also meet the following requirements:

Turning must be done at least 8 times a day;
When breeding young geese and ducks, the eggs must be periodically cooled in a combined way: the first half of their incubation is cooled with air for half an hour, and then irrigated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
During the hatching of young animals, the air temperature on a “dry” thermometer should not exceed 34 degrees, and humidity should not exceed 78-90 degrees.

It is important that insufficient warming, regardless of the stage, can slow down the growth and development of embryos, since chicks absorb and use protein worse. As a result of insufficient warming, most chicks die before hatching, and the surviving chicks hatch later, their umbilical cord does not heal and their stomach grows.

Underheating, depending on the stage, may cause some disturbances. In the first stage they include:

The intestines are filled with fluid with blood;
The kidneys are enlarged and the liver is unevenly stained;
Edema appears on the neck.

During the second stage, underheating can provoke:

swelling of the umbilical ring;
The intestines are filled with bile;
Enlargement of the heart when underheated in the last few days of incubation.

Overheating can cause external deformities (eyes, jaws and head) and hatching starts prematurely. If the temperature regime has been elevated in the last few days, the chicks may be deformed internal organs(heart, liver and stomach) and the walls of the abdominal cavity do not grow together.

Strong and short-term overheating can cause the embryo to dry up to the inside of the shell, swelling and hemorrhage appear on the skin of the chick, and the embryo itself is located with its head in the yolk, which is not normal.

Figure 4. Normal development of the embryo (left) and possible defects in violation of the humidity regime (right)

Long term exposure high temperatures in the second half of incubation leads to early movement of the embryo in the air chamber, and unused protein can be seen under the shell. In addition, there are many chicks in the brood that hatched the shell, but died without drawing in the yolk.

Violations of the humidity regime can also provoke serious violations.(picture 4):

High humidity causes delayed development of embryos, embryos do not use protein well and often die in the middle and end of incubation;
If the humidity was increased at the time of pecking, the beak may begin to stick to the shell in the chicks, a goiter develops, and an excess of fluid is observed in the intestines and stomach. Swelling and hemorrhage may develop on the neck;
Increased humidity often causes late hatching and hatching of sluggish young with bloated belly and too light down;
If the humidity was low, pipping starts in the middle part, and the shells are dry and too strong;
At low humidity small and dry young hatch.

It is especially important to support optimal humidity(80-82%) during the pipping period. It should be noted that during all periods of breeding, one should strive to maintain such a temperature and humidity regime that exists during natural incubation.

Figure 5. Possible defects during transillumination with an ovoscope

The duration of incubation depends on the type of poultry. For example, for chickens of meat breeds, it is 21 days and 8 hours. If the normal mode was maintained, the beginning of pecking begins on the 19th day and 12 hours after laying, the chicks begin to hatch already on the 20th day, and after another 12 hours it appears most of young. During incubation, it is necessary to periodically check with an ovoscope in order to detect damage in time (Figure 5).

What is needed for this

To properly lay eggs, you need to warm up the device in advance and prepare the eggs.

For breeding young animals of any poultry, only eggs that have been stored for no longer than a week in a dark room with good ventilation at room temperature are suitable. Before laying, they must be translucent with an ovoscope and specimens are selected without damage, cracks and growths on the shell.

Peculiarities

Only eggs of the correct shape and with a characteristic shell color for a certain type of bird can be laid in the incubator.

In addition, you need to choose the right lattice that will match the size of the eggs. For example, quails require a smaller grill, and turkeys require a larger one. It is also necessary to familiarize yourself in advance with the temperature and humidity regime of incubation for each type of bird.

How to make a homemade incubator from the refrigerator

Very often, home incubators are made from old refrigerators, since the body of this household appliances quite capacious and allows you to simultaneously bring out large batches of young birds.

See how to make an incubator from the refrigerator with your own hands detailed instruction, you can in the video.

Instruction

Before starting manufacturing, you need to draw up a drawing and a plan for attaching all the necessary elements. You also need to wash the case and pull out all the shelves and the freezer from it.

The procedure for making an incubator from an old refrigerator includes the following steps(picture 6):

Several holes are drilled in the ceiling for mounting lamps and arranging ventilation;
The interior of the walls is trimmed thin sheets polystyrene foam to keep the heat inside the device longer;
Trays or lattices are installed on the shelves;
A temperature sensor is placed inside, and the thermostat is brought out;
In the lower part of the side walls, several ventilation holes, and to provide more high level air intake, fans are installed above and below.

Figure 6. Scheme for manufacturing a household incubator from an old refrigerator

It is also desirable to cut a small viewing window in the door so that it is more convenient to observe the incubation process without opening the door.

How to make a foam incubator step by step

Frame homemade device can be made from an old TV box or a foam box, reinforcing it with a frame of wooden slats. In the frame you need to fix four porcelain lampholders. Light bulbs for heating are screwed into three cartridges, and the fourth bulb is used to heat water in the bath. The power of all light bulbs should not exceed 25 watts. Examples and drawings for making simple models are shown in Figure 7.

Note: The middle lamp is often turned on only at a certain time: from 17 to 23-00. A bath of water to maintain humidity can also be made from improvised materials. For example, using a jar of herring, cutting off part of the lid from it. From such a container, water will evaporate better, and the lid will prevent local overheating.

A grate is installed inside a homemade incubator. The surface of the eggs on the grill must be at least 17 centimeters from the light bulb, and for eggs under the grill, at least 15 centimeters.

To measure the temperature inside the chamber, a conventional thermometer is used. To make it convenient to use the device, its front wall must be made removable and covered with cardboard or other dense material. Screws are used for fastening. Such a removable wall allows you to put trays inside the incubator, put a bath and change the water in it, as well as carry out all other manipulations.

Figure 7. Schemes for the manufacture of simple incubators from a refrigerator and a box

In the lid you need to make a window that will serve for ventilation and temperature control. The window is 12 cm long and 8 cm wide. It is better to cover it with glass, leaving a small gap in width.

For additional ventilation, three small square holes should also be made along the long wall near the floor (each side is 1.5 centimeters). They must be kept open at all times for a constant supply of fresh air.

How to make a microwave incubator

A microwave incubator is made according to the same principle as a refrigerator device. But it should be borne in mind that many eggs will not fit in such a device, so at home it is used mainly for breeding quails.

When making an incubator from microwave oven some features need to be taken into account.(picture 8):

Outside, the case must be sheathed with thin sheets of foam to stabilize the temperature inside;
Ventilation holes are left in the upper part, and the door is not insulated and sealed for additional fresh air;
A tray is installed inside, but since there is not enough space in the chamber for cans of water, a container of moisturizing liquid is placed directly under the tray.

Figure 8. How to make a do-it-yourself microwave incubator

It is also necessary to provide protection against overheating by installing barriers on incandescent lamps.

How to make ventilation in the incubator with your own hands

A homemade incubator also does not provide a special egg cooling system, as they are cooled for several minutes during the turning process. During the entire incubation, the temperature should be maintained at 39 degrees.

For ease of use, legs can be attached to the device. And since this equipment is very compact, and the incubation process is not accompanied by the release of unpleasant odors, it is possible to hatch young poultry even in a city apartment (Figure 9). The procedure for making a simple homemade incubator is shown in the video.

How to make a humidifier in an incubator

For normal operation of a home-made incubator, half a glass of water per day should be poured into the bath. If you want to increase the level of humidity, you can put a rag in the bath, which is washed every two days.

For laying eggs, special slats are placed with gaps between them. Reiki should be made rounded on the sides. To make it easier to carry out the coup, you need to leave free space in the tray corresponding to one egg.

Note: Eggs in a homemade incubator are turned by hand 180 degrees. It is better if the coup is carried out up to 6 times a day with an equal time interval (after 2-4 hours).

Figure 9. Drawings for making simple do-it-yourself incubators

To maintain humidity, no devices are provided in a home-made incubator, and this mode is maintained approximately. To evaporate the liquid, it is recommended to install light bulbs of 25 or 15 watts. Before pecking, the evaporator is not turned on, and if it is turned off too early, then the eggs will have too hard a shell that the chicks will not be able to break.

In home gardens, the use of large industrial incubators may not be practical due to their large capacity. To grow a small number of poultry, small incubators are needed, which you can do with your own hands, using improvised means and materials.

We will give several ways to make incubators. However, even a homemade incubator must meet certain requirements, which you will learn about from this article.

How to make your own egg incubator

How to make an incubator for chicken eggs or quails with your own hands, using improvised materials, you will learn from the sections below.

What to pay attention to

For the full breeding of young birds, certain recommendations and requirements regarding the use of the incubator and its manufacture should be followed:

The temperature regime at a distance of two centimeters from the eggs should not exceed 38.6 degrees, and the minimum temperature is 37.3 degrees;
Only fresh eggs are suitable for incubation, which should not be stored for more than ten days;
In the incubator, it is necessary to maintain an optimal level of humidity. Before pipping, it is 40-60%, and after the beginning of pipping - 80%. Humidity levels must be reduced before chicks are taken.

The breeding of young poultry also depends on the location of the eggs inside the incubator. They need to be placed vertically (sharp end down) or horizontally. If the eggs are vertical, they should be tilted to the right or left by 45 degrees (when laying goose or duck eggs, the degree of inclination is up to 90 degrees).

If the eggs are placed horizontally, they must be turned at least three times a day by 180 degrees. However, it is best to turn the eggs every hour. A few days before pecking, eggs stop turning.

Rules

If you are interested in how to make a homemade egg incubator, you should know that this device is made according to certain rules.

To make an incubator you will need:

Housing made of material, well retaining heat (wood or foam). This is necessary so that the temperature inside the device does not change during the hatching process. You can use an old refrigerator, microwave or even a TV as a case.
For heating eggs they use ordinary lamps (from 25 to 100 W, depending on the size of the incubator), and to control the temperature, they put an ordinary thermometer inside the device.
To ensure that fresh air constantly enters the incubator need to provide ventilation. For small appliances, it is enough to drill holes in the side walls and bottom, and for large incubators (for example, made from a refrigerator), several fans are installed (under and above the egg grate).

Figure 1. Common types of incubators: 1 - with automatic egg turning, 2 - mini-incubator, 3 - industrial model

Trays or grills can be bought or made from metal mesh. It is important that there is space between the trays for free air circulation.

Peculiarities

The incubator must be well ventilated. Preference should be given to forced ventilation, as the constant movement of air will maintain the required temperature and humidity inside the incubator.

Figure 1 shows the main types of incubators that can be used to breed young birds in a household plot. Below is a video overview of the operation of an industrial incubator for a thousand eggs.

How to auto-rotate eggs in an incubator

Incubators without manually turning the eggs are not very convenient, since a person needs to constantly monitor the incubation process and manually turn all the eggs. It is much easier to immediately make a homemade incubator with auto-rotation (Figure 2).

Instruction

There are several options for arranging auto-rotation of eggs in an incubator. For small appliances, you can simply equip a mobile grid, which is driven by a small roller. As a result, the eggs move slowly and gradually turn over.

Note: The disadvantage of this method is that you still have to control the coup, since the eggs can simply budge, but not roll over.

Roller rotation is considered more modern, for the arrangement of which special rollers are installed under the grate that rotate the eggs. To prevent damage to the shell, all rollers are covered with a mosquito net. However, this method also has a significant drawback: for the manufacture of an auto-rotation system, you will have to take up free space in the incubator by installing rollers.

Figure 2. Scheme of automatic turning of eggs in an incubator

The best method is considered to be a coup, in which the entire egg tray immediately tilts 45 degrees. The rotation is activated by a special mechanism located outside, and all eggs are guaranteed to warm up.

How to properly lay eggs in an incubator

The incubation of poultry eggs should be carried out taking into account certain features and maintain the optimal mode of breeding young animals. The table in Figure 3 shows the basic requirements for hatching eggs of chickens, ducks and geese.

First of all, during incubation, the correct temperature should be maintained (minimum 37.5 - maximum 37.8 degrees). It is also necessary to regularly check the humidity, determining it by the difference in temperatures on the “wet” and “dry” thermometers. If the "wet" thermometer shows a temperature of up to 29 degrees, then the humidity is about 60 percent.

Figure 3. Optimal incubation modes

The incubation mode must also meet the following requirements:

Turning eggs should be done at least 8 times a day;
When breeding young geese and ducks, the eggs must be periodically cooled in a combined way: the first half of the incubation of the eggs is cooled with air for half an hour, and then irrigated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
During the hatching of young animals, the air temperature on a “dry” thermometer should not exceed 34 degrees, and humidity should not exceed 78-90 degrees.

It is important that insufficient heating of eggs, regardless of the stage of incubation, can slow down the growth and development of embryos, since chicks absorb and use protein worse. As a result of insufficient warming, most chicks die before hatching, and the surviving chicks hatch later, their umbilical cord does not heal and their stomach grows.

Underheating, depending on the stage, may cause some disturbances. In the first stage of incubation, they include:

The intestines are filled with fluid with blood;
The kidneys are enlarged and the liver is unevenly stained;
Edema appears on the neck.

During the second stage of incubation, underheating can provoke:

swelling of the umbilical ring;
The intestines are filled with bile;
Enlargement of the heart when underheated in the last few days of incubation.

Overheating of the eggs during incubation can cause external deformities (eyes, jaws and head) and hatching of the chicks starts prematurely. If the temperature regime has been elevated in the last few days, the internal organs (heart, liver and stomach) of the chicks may be deformed and the walls of the abdominal cavity will not grow together.

Figure 4. Normal development of the embryo (left) and possible defects in violation of the humidity regime (right)

Prolonged exposure to high temperatures in the second half of incubation leads to early movement of the embryo in the air chamber, unused protein can be seen inside the egg. In addition, there are many chicks in the brood that hatched the shell, but died without drawing in the yolk.

Violations of the humidity regime can also provoke serious violations.(picture 4):

High humidity causes delayed development of embryos, embryos do not use protein well and often die in the middle and end of incubation;
If the humidity was increased at the time of pecking, the beak may begin to stick to the shell in the chicks, a goiter develops, and an excess of fluid is observed in the intestines and stomach. Swelling and hemorrhage may develop on the neck;
Increased humidity often causes late hatching and hatching of sluggish young with bloated belly and too light down;
If the humidity was low, pipping starts in the middle part of the egg, and the shells are dry and too strong;
With low humidity, small and dry young hatch.

It is especially important to maintain optimal humidity (80-82%) during the pipping period. It should be noted that during all periods of incubation, one should strive to maintain such a temperature and humidity regime that exists during natural incubation.

Figure 5. Possible defects in eggs when translucent with an ovoscope

The duration of incubation depends on the type of poultry. For example, for chickens of meat breeds, it is 21 days and 8 hours. If the normal incubation regime was maintained, the beginning of pecking begins on the 19th day and 12 hours after laying the eggs, the chicks begin to hatch already on the 20th day, and after another 12 hours most of the young animals appear. During incubation, eggs should be periodically scanned with an ovoscope in order to detect damage in time (Figure 5). You will learn more details about ventilation and temperature conditions during incubation from the video.

What is needed for this

In order to properly lay eggs in the incubator, you need to warm up the device in advance and prepare the eggs.

For breeding young animals of any poultry, only eggs that have been stored for no longer than a week in a dark room with good ventilation at room temperature are suitable. Before laying, they must be translucent with an ovoscope and eggs are selected without damage, cracks and growths on the shell.

Peculiarities

Only eggs of the correct shape and with a characteristic shell color for a certain type of bird can be laid in the incubator.

How to make a homemade incubator from the refrigerator

Very often, home incubators are made from old refrigerators, since the body of this household appliance is quite roomy and allows you to simultaneously hatch large batches of young birds.

You can watch how to make an incubator from the refrigerator with your own hands with detailed instructions in the video.

Instruction

Before starting the manufacture of the incubator, you need to draw up a drawing and a plan for attaching all the necessary elements. You also need to wash the case and pull out all the shelves and the freezer from it.

The procedure for making an incubator from an old refrigerator includes the following steps(picture 6):

Several holes are drilled in the ceiling for mounting lamps and arranging ventilation;
The inner part of the walls is trimmed with thin sheets of polystyrene foam so that heat remains inside the device longer;
Trays or lattices for eggs are installed on the shelves;
A temperature sensor is placed inside, and the thermostat is brought out;
Several ventilation holes are drilled in the lower part of the side walls, and in order to provide a higher level of air flow, fans are installed above and below.

Figure 6. Scheme for manufacturing a household incubator from an old refrigerator

It is also desirable to cut a small viewing window in the door so that it is more convenient to observe the incubation process without opening the door.

How to make a foam incubator step by step

The body of a homemade incubator can be made from an old TV box or a foam box, reinforcing it with a frame of wooden slats. In the frame you need to fix four porcelain lampholders. Light bulbs for heating eggs are screwed into three cartridges, and the fourth bulb is used to heat water in the bath. The power of all light bulbs should not exceed 25 watts. Examples and drawings for the manufacture of simple incubators are shown in Figure 7.

Note: The middle lamp is often turned on only at a certain time: from 17 to 23-00. A bath of water to maintain humidity can also be made from improvised materials. For example, using a jar of herring, cutting off part of the lid from it. From such a container, water will evaporate better, and the lid will prevent local overheating of the eggs.

Inside a homemade incubator, a grate for eggs is installed. The surface of the eggs on the grill must be at least 17 centimeters from the light bulb, and the eggs under the grill must be at least 15 centimeters away.

An ordinary thermometer is used to measure the temperature inside the incubator. To make it convenient to use the incubator, its front wall must be made removable and covered with cardboard or other dense material. Screws are used for fastening. Such a removable wall allows you to put egg trays inside the incubator, put a bath and change the water in it, as well as carry out all other manipulations.

Figure 7. Schemes for the manufacture of simple incubators from a refrigerator and a box

In the lid of the incubator, you need to make a window that will serve for ventilation and temperature control. The window is 12 cm long and 8 cm wide. It is better to cover it with glass, leaving a small gap in width.

How to make a microwave incubator

A microwave incubator is made according to the same principle as a refrigerator device. But it should be borne in mind that many eggs will not fit in such an incubator, so at home it is used mainly for breeding quails.

When making an incubator from a microwave oven, you need to consider some features(picture 8):

Outside, the case must be sheathed with thin sheets of foam to stabilize the temperature inside;
Ventilation holes are left in the upper part, and the door is not insulated and sealed for additional fresh air;
An egg tray is installed inside, but since there is not enough space in the chamber for jars of water, a container of moisturizing liquid is placed directly under the tray.

Figure 8. How to make a do-it-yourself microwave incubator

It is also necessary to provide for the protection of eggs from overheating by installing barriers on incandescent lamps.

How to make ventilation in the incubator with your own hands

For ease of use, legs can be attached to the incubator. And since this equipment is very compact, and the process of incubation of eggs is not accompanied by the release of unpleasant odors, it is possible to hatch young poultry even in a city apartment (Figure 9). The procedure for making a simple homemade incubator is shown in the video.

How to make a humidifier in an incubator

For laying eggs in the incubator, special slats are placed, and the eggs are placed in the gaps between them. Reiki should be made rounded on the sides. To make it easier to turn the eggs, you need to leave free space in the tray corresponding to one egg.

Note: Eggs in a homemade incubator are turned by hand 180 degrees. It will be better if the eggs are turned up to 6 times a day with an equal time interval (after 2-4 hours).

Figure 9. Drawings for making simple do-it-yourself incubators

Breeding chickens is simply impossible without special equipment. Often, poultry farmers purchase industrial devices, as they consider this the only possible solution. But making such an incubator with your own hands is not difficult at all. In this case, the device will not only be much cheaper, but also fully meet the requirements of the breeder.

Breeding chickens is simply impossible without special equipment

To make the simplest homemade device foam is used. Making such an incubator yourself is very simple.

For the manufacture of the simplest home-made apparatus, foam is used

Styrofoam;
cardboard boxes;
scotch;
light bulbs and cartridges;
thermostat;
a pair of fans that are used in computers;
liquid container;
thermometer;
plastic trays.

The whole manufacturing process is reduced to several stages:

Preparation of drawings taking into account all dimensions.
In accordance with the drawing and dimensions, the necessary elements are cut out of the foam and attached to each other with adhesive tape.
Electrical wiring is done in the finished box.
All walls of the box, both from the inside and from the outside, are covered with cardboard.
Holes are cut in the cardboard for light bulbs and fixing trays.
A hole is cut out in the upper part, which is covered with plastic. Thus appears viewing window.
Fans are fixed.
Liquid containers are installed at the bottom.
At the final stage, the trays are fixed and the light bulbs are screwed in.

Incubator from the refrigerator: how to make it yourself

For manufacturing, you can use a two-chamber or ordinary old refrigerator

For manufacturing, you can use a two-chamber or ordinary old refrigerator. As in any other case, work begins with the preparation of a drawing and drawing up a diagram according to which all elements will be connected. All the shelves are pulled out of their own refrigerator.

To make such an incubator, you must be guided by the following instructions:

From the inside of the future structure, several holes for lamps are drilled in the ceiling, as well as through for ventilation.
The walls are covered with sheets of expanded polystyrene, which will help retain heat.
An egg tray is made from old lattices.
At the top, from the outside, a thermostat is fixed, and from the inside - a sensor.
Several holes are drilled in the bottom for ventilation.
A pair of fans is fixed at the bottom and at the top.

A small hole is cut out in the door, which is covered with plastic and coated with sealant.

Incubators with automatic egg flipping: how to do it yourself

In order for the incubation process to be correct and successful, the eggs must rotate periodically.

In order for the incubation process to be correct and successful, the eggs must rotate periodically. Doing this manually is both inconvenient and undesirable, since this violates the temperature regime. That is why it is recommended to independently assemble a device equipped with a rotary mechanism.

For this you will need the following materials:

sheets of plywood and wood bars;
Styrofoam;
tray;
net;
4 lamps;
metal plates;
liquid containers;
worm gear motor.

Step-by-step instruction:

Using bars and plywood, the frame is assembled.
The structure is sheathed with foam from the inside.
To turn the eggs in automatic mode, they think over the main mechanism - they install an electric motor.
An axis is made in the upper part of the box, on which the trays will be installed in the future. For this, a grid is used.
A pin is made from the plates and connected to the axis of the coup, bringing it out.
A rod is screwed to the motor and connected to the tray and pin.
Light bulbs are installed at the bottom of the apparatus and covered with metal plates.
A thermometer and liquid containers are installed.
Small holes are made for ventilation.

Thanks to this automatic design Incubating even 1000 eggs will be easy and simple. After all, there is no need for constant manual rotation.

Making a multi-tiered incubator

To increase productivity, devices consisting of several tiers are often used.

To increase productivity, devices consisting of several tiers are often used. It is much more difficult to assemble such a design, but if you take care of the preparation of drawings, the installation process will become much easier.

Assembly is carried out according to the following scheme:

The body is built from plywood.
A removable door is made from the back of the plate.
The space inside the box is divided into three compartments. The distance from the ceiling to the side partitions should be about five centimeters.
Trays are installed in the side compartments.
To turn the trays over at the same time, fix the handles on each of the trays.
The middle compartment is equipped with a thermostat and heating elements.
Each compartment has its own door.

Heating system

Regardless of the type of incubator and the materials used, special attention must be paid to the heating system

Regardless of the type of incubator and the materials used, special attention must be paid to the heating system.

Eat whole line requirements that must be met:

Heating elements are placed both under the trays and on the side, top and around the perimeter.
The distance from the heating system to the tray must be at least 25 centimeters in the case of using light bulbs and 10 centimeters when heated with nichrome wire.
No drafts.
The error of the maintained temperature is not more than half a degree.

The regulator can be used in several ways:

bimetallic plates;
barometric sensors;
electrical contactors.

Particular attention is paid to security measures, as all homemade devices are fire hazardous.

Even a novice poultry farmer can make an incubator on his own. But there are a number of points on which productivity directly depends:

Heat must be maintained at all times, even if there are power outages. To do this, a special battery must be provided, into which hot water. Covering the structure with a blanket, the temperature will remain for about twelve hours.
Heat must be distributed evenly. In order to avoid the need to constantly rearrange the trays, it is recommended to equip the device with two heat sources. One on top and one on the bottom.
Temperature optimization is also important. In order for the flow of warm air to flow faster, during the manufacture of the trays, the bottom is equipped with a metal mesh. The trays themselves should be mobile, not stationary. Due to this, there will simply be no problem with temperature fluctuations.

Small do-it-yourself incubator (video)

A simple home incubator from the refrigerator (video)

The main advantage of a homemade incubator is its low cost. After all, you will have to spend money only on consumables. In addition, only in this case it is possible to accurately select the dimensions of the equipment and calculate the required number of trays depending on the scale of production. Moreover, the workflow is not at all complicated and exciting.

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Making an incubator with your own hands is very simple and even not very experienced poultry farmers can do it.

Homemade incubators have many advantages - low cost, reliability and simplicity, the ability to make a design for a large number of eggs.

There are a huge variety of options for homemade devices. Sometimes the most unexpected materials are used to create them - refrigerators, buckets and even basins.

The article discusses how to make an incubator correctly at home.

Types and drawings of devices

Most breeders breed chicks at home. There is not always a mother hen ready to hatch birds. In addition, it is often necessary to get young animals at a certain time.

According to experienced bird breeders, a simple home hatcher can sometimes produce up to 90% hatch of birds.

Some manufacturers offer to purchase kits for the manufacture of home incubators.

But the lever coup of the tray is difficult to assemble for a person who does not have special skills.

But if you have the appropriate diagram or the necessary drawings, then you can make an incubator with your own hands without any problems even at home.

If you want to figure out how to make an incubator, you first need to complete the drawings of your future device.

A homemade homemade incubator can be made from various materials at hand - scrap wood, an old refrigerator, or even out of a box.

It is important to take care of good thermal insulation of your device. On the modern market there is a large selection of heat-insulating materials - foam, mineral wool and much more.

The incubator is heated using conventional incandescent lamps with a power of 25-40 W. For a small device, 4 lamps are enough. You can also heat the incubators with electric heating elements.

If you use lamps, then the eggs should be located at least 25 cm from the heating element.

If the air heats up nichrome wire, then the eggs can be at a distance of 10 cm from it. It is very important to avoid drafts, otherwise the chicks may not hatch.

From a cardboard box

The simplest version of such a device for the home can be built from the usual cardboard box.
You should prepare a box measuring approximately 50 by 50 by 50 cm.

Inside, glue it with paper and felt in several layers. At the top, make a window through which you will monitor the process.

For wires, make small holes through which you will connect 25 W light bulbs. Lamps are set 15 cm above the eggs.

Seal the holes around the wires with cotton wool so that the warmth important for future birds does not leave.

Trays can be knocked down from wooden slats; also attach slats to the walls of the box, on which the trays will be attached.

In order for warm air to be evenly distributed throughout the box, you must also install a fan.

You can use a fan from a broken computer. To increase the humidity inside the incubator, place a small container of water at the bottom.

You need to install such an incubator not on the floor, but on wooden blocks, at a height of 15-20 cm from the floor in a place in your house where there are no drafts.

From a bowl or basin

Such homemade devices for the home are perfect if there are power outages.

To make it, you will need two bowls or similar containers of the same size, preferably metal.

Such round containers will warm up evenly, and hence the eggs too.

The bowls are placed one on top of the other so that a cavity forms inside. On the one hand, they need to be fastened together with furniture canopies or in another way convenient for you.

This way you get an opening lid.

Hang the cartridge in the center of the top bowl. You can attach it to the bracket with glue or silicone. This will keep your bowl intact.

It is better, of course, to make a hole and insert a cartridge into it, but in this case you will no longer be able to use the bowl for its intended purpose.

In a deep container, the lamp can be installed horizontally, and in large basins, install several bulbs (select their number by trial).

Pour 1.5-2 cm of sand into the lower bowl, then put foil, and lay straw or hay on top.

Make a few small holes in the foil so that moisture evaporates from it. You need to install the entire structure where your house keeps approximately the same temperature.

When you have assembled your device, warm it up, and put a thermometer in the center at the height where the eggs will lie.

From time to time, water should be added to the dried sand. Sand not only humidifies the air in the incubator, but also serves as a heat accumulator.

If the lights in your house turn off, then you can put the incubator in a pot with warm water and cover with a blanket. So you can not be afraid for the safety of your eggs.

You can also put the incubator near the battery, and in the summer - take it out into the sun. Spray the eggs with water every day and turn them 180°.

We make an incubator using foam

The frame of the foam egg incubator is made of wooden bars, and sheathed with plywood inside and out.

Styrofoam sheets are inserted into the cavity between the layers of plywood. Some poultry farmers beat wooden frame tin, and inside the incubator is insulated with a layer of foam.

An axle is inserted through the top wall of the foam structure, onto which an egg tray is attached. The axis handle is brought out, and with its help the eggs are turned over.

Trays should be made of a dense mesh with cells 2 by 5 cm. Set the thermometer so that its scale looks out. At the bottom of the case, 4 lamps of 25 W each are installed.

Cover each lamp sheet metal 1 mm thick. To do this, put 2 bricks around the lamp and put metal on them.

Install tin baths for water between the lamps.

Give a U-shaped bend to several pieces of copper wire and attach them to the baths, and cover them with pieces of cloth on top - this will help increase the evaporation area.

Make about 10 holes in the upper and lower walls of the incubator through which fresh and humidified air will move.

From the fridge

Very often, breeders use old refrigerators to build an egg incubator at home. In fact, this is a ready-made home incubator, which should only be slightly modified for the convenience of the process.

The freezer is removed from the refrigerator. In its place, 4 lamps of 100 watts are placed. A small window should be cut in the refrigerator door in order to control the incubation process.

Below is also installed one lamp with a power of 25 watts.

A glass or tin partition is attached above it, on which a tray with water and a piece of wet cloth are placed to increase the amount of evaporation.

An egg tray is placed even higher, and a control thermometer is fixed at the same level. This is the simplest refrigerator incubator circuit. But there are also more complex options.

You can make a device with the ability to flip eggs in the process. First make the body stiffer.

To do this, boards are attached to the side walls, which are connected from below with bars. In the boards, make recesses into which bearings are inserted, thanks to which the eggs will be turned over.

After that, frames or egg trays are installed, a cable is attached to the frames, with the help of which the trays are turned over. The end of the cable is brought out and fixed on the engine.

In order for the coup to be carried out correctly, you should prepare the drawings of the device in advance and discuss them with a professional.

A fan is built into the back wall.

Refrigerators have a chute that drains water, this should be installed in the opposite direction and supply water to the fan through it when the chicks begin to hatch.

Automatic incubators

To achieve maximum performance, the eggs must be in certain conditions.

The most important thing is to turn the eggs on time and maintain the required temperature regime, the fluctuations of which should be within half a degree.

This is quite difficult, so some poultry farmers use homemade automatic devices with thermostat.

Bimetallic plates, barometric sensors and electric contactors can act as a thermostat.

Ready-made thermostats can be easily purchased in stores or made by yourself.

In addition to thermoregulation, automation is also responsible for turning the trays over. To do this, you need a Dream-12 device with a supply voltage of 12 V.

You also need to install a humidity controller. Computer blocks can be used to provide power.

Trays for automatic incubators are best bought at the store.

Light bulbs are connected in series in 2 pieces - 2 at the top and 4 at the bottom. Install water baths at the bottom of the incubator, and an incubator at the top.

When your incubator is ready, you should test its operation for two to three days.

Set the desired temperature and try to maintain it throughout the entire time. It is especially important that the eggs are not overheated.

If the eggs stay at a temperature of 41 ° for at least 10 minutes, then the embryos will die. Tray flips should be carried out 2-3 times a day.

In order to achieve maximum chick hatch, much attention must be paid to the selection and storage of eggs in special conditions. Eggs should be stored lying down.

Storage temperature - not higher than 12 °. Turn them over from time to time. Eggs with rough or thin shells irregular shape are rejected.

With the help of an ovoscope, eggs are examined for the presence of two yolks or an air chamber that is too large.

Before the incubation process, eggs should not be washed, as this violates their natural protection.

Differences incubators for quail eggs

Many poultry farmers are interested in how to make a do-it-yourself quail incubator.

To make a homemade quail incubator, the same materials are used as for chicken incubators. The main difference is the sizes.

A do-it-yourself quail incubator can be two to three times smaller than a chicken incubator.

If you make a do-it-yourself quail incubator at home, you can make it the same size as chicken ones, only three times as many eggs will fit in the trays.

If you decide to breed birds at home, then for this purpose you will need an incubator, with foam as a heater. It can be used not only for breeding chickens, but also for other birds. In this article, we will tell you how to make a foam incubator.

What you need

The first thing to do is to decide on the number of eggs that you plan to grow in a foam incubator. This factor will influence the type of inner part of this unit. In the event that more than fifty eggs will be processed at the same time, then you will definitely need to install a fan. Its presence is necessary for uniform heating of the entire area. If you plan to warm up a small number of eggs, then the installation of this additional unit is not required. The main thing is to correctly place the devices for warming up.

This apparatus consists of the following parts:

case, with foam insulation;
heating system;
egg trays;
additional devices for humidity and temperature control.

Before starting the assembly process, we recommend making a drawing of the future design. For the manufacture of the incubator case, you can use different materials. Plywood, chipboard sheets, cardboard boxes, an old refrigerator are perfect for this purpose. The main criterion by which the choice of material is made is to ensure proper thermal insulation. You can use felt, foam, batting.

Device

In order to ensure proper ventilation, we make a gap of up to eight centimeters between the wall and the tray. When working with a large incubator, it will also be necessary to make holes on the foam that is used as insulation so that carbon dioxide can escape through them. A certain distance should also be between the bottom and the floor, as seen in the photo.

Heating system

Heating elements can be placed in different places of the incubator relative to the trays:

above;
uniformly over the entire plane;
at the bottom.

If you make this unit with your own hands, then the best option will be the heating installation from above. It is in this case that the situation of bestowal will be reached. maximum number heat. To determine at what distance you need to install them, you should analyze the power of the heater.

egg tray

The easiest and cheapest way to make an egg tray with your own hands. In this case, wooden boards are used. The frame is easy to make from metal or nylon mesh, as shown in the video. The cells must be made in such a way that a chicken egg can easily fit in them. Most convenient option- this is to make a design according to the drawings of a furniture box.

In the process of working with a foam incubator, you will need to constantly turn the eggs. If in the future you plan to carry out this process yourself, then before it starts, put a cross on one side of the egg.

If desired, you can make a device for the simultaneous flipping of the entire tray. To do this, we will make a movable frame without a bottom, with a width of 1-2 mm and a length of 10 cm. Next, cells must be fixed on it at a distance of up to 10 cm.

Additional devices

In order for an individual to develop normally, the incubation process must take place taking into account all the necessary conditions for this. Control devices will help us with this.

To determine the humidity in the incubator, the main insulation in which the foam is, use a psychrometer. It is sold at any veterinary pharmacy. You can also make it yourself. To do this, you will need 2 thermometers, which will need to be attached to the board, as seen in the photo. Then one of them is immersed in a bandage, and then in water. Thermometer number two does not need to be immersed in water. Now, to determine how humid the air is, it will be enough to calculate the difference between these two indicators.

In order for the temperature in the incubator to be constant, it is necessary to install a thermostat. It can be an electronic device with a power of not more than three hundred watts. He will have to keep the temperature regime within 35-40 degrees. The thermostat must be placed in plastic base. It must also be equipped with a temperature control device, a sensor and a load indicator. This device will operate continuously.

Advantages

Previously, a bucket and a table lamp were enough to bring out the quails. Now this method can be considered quite risky. It is better to make the device yourself, because materials such as polystyrene, plywood and iron are not very expensive and publicly available.

A self-made incubator has several advantages:

the process of breeding chicks can be year-round, and does not depend on the season;
it is possible to always check the process - in real conditions you would not be able to do this;
the incubator can be easily moved to a place convenient for you;
low production cost and fast payback.

Summing up

If you make a foam incubator with your own hands, you will get a fairly cheap way to breed domestic chickens. This unit can be used many times. You can support the resulting offspring yourself, thereby providing yourself and your entire family with healthy nutrition. It will also be very profitable to sell the resulting chicks. That is, a device made of ordinary material can become your home business.

Ravilov V.V. | 2015-03-17

Let's say the gentle March sun awakened in you a craving for an increase in the number of poultry, and there is no desire to mess with a hacksaw for wood or metal, then you can make an incubator from expanded polystyrene (polystyrene) sheet.

Let's not reinvent the wheel and discover America, but take advantage of the successful experience of our Australian craftsman colleague. He independently, with his own hands, in a matter of hours, made an incubator, of small capacity, for chickens and made a photo and video report on his research. So, word to Candyman.

I made this incubator out of Styrofoam sheets and named it Esil-bator, after the hen that laid the eggs for my first egg incubation experience.

The walls of the incubator, cut to size, I fastened with adhesive tape to ensure the required strength and tightness.

Fig.1. Styrofoam incubator

Fig.2. The device of the incubator is quite simple.

As a heating element in the incubator, incandescent bulbs with a power of 60 watts are used and one more, I do not know its power, the marking has been erased.

The temperature in my incubator is controlled by an industrial thermostat, and the uniformity of heating of the eggs is ensured by two fans, one of which is set at an angle of 45 degrees, and the second pumps heated air from the lamp compartment to the egg compartment.

The photo below shows a 60-watt light bulb with a reflector.

Fig.3. View of the finished incubator from above

Fig.4. Heating element lamp 60 watt

Second lamp, unknown power

Fig.5. Auxiliary lamp of an incubator (watt 40, no more)

The main fan, it pumps heated air from the heating compartment to the incubation compartment.

Fig.6. Incubator main fan

Both lamps, in addition to the thermostat, are connected via a dimmer. This simple addition gives me even more control over the temperature since I don't have a central heating. When I need to quickly increase the temperature, I turn on the second lamp and make the light brighter.

Fig.7. Dimmer knob

In the incubator, on both sides, I installed water containers. Firstly, it gives the required air humidity. Secondly, water tanks serve as heat accumulators and provide even heat distribution, complementing the installed fans. I used regular PC fans with a diameter of 80mm.

I used two conventional thermometers and one digital thermometer/hygrometer to monitor the temperature and humidity in the incubator.

Fig.8. Temperature controllers

Fig.9. thermometers

Fig.10. thermometers

Fig.11. thermometers

The eggs in my incubator are installed in standard, plastic egg trays, which, for ease of turning, were mounted on cardboard rolls with a diameter of 4 cm. Yes, I turned the eggs by hand, because the incubator was in haste.

For the withdrawal of chickens and used only fresh eggs. In order not to purchase an ovoscope, the phone's built-in flashlight was used to scan the eggs.

Fig.12. Mobile Ovoscope

Eggs for 5 days.

Fig.13. Candling eggs on the 5th day

Fig.14. Candling eggs on the 5th day

Fig.15. Candling eggs on the 5th day

On the seventh day, the blood ring became clearly visible.

Fig.16. Candling eggs on the 7th day

It turns out that in order to breed the chicks of any poultry, you can do without the services of a brooding hen, but also without an expensive factory-made incubator. It is quite possible for a home master to make an egg incubation device on his own, which allows you to successfully hatch chickens at a minimal cost. Read below for how to do this.

Requirements for a homemade incubator

The main requirement, which is required from any incubator, is its ability to maintain conditions as close as possible to the natural conditions created by the hatching bird.

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

And from this follow all the 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 these limits;
eggs loaded into the incubator must be only fresh, whose shelf life has not exceeded ten days;
humidity in the device for the entire period up to the pecking of eggs must be maintained within 40–60%, and after pecking it rises to 80% and remains at this level until the selection of chicks, after which it decreases again;
of great importance for the normal incubation of eggs is their position, which should be either a blunt end up or horizontal;
vertical arrangement involves the inclination of chicken eggs by 45 degrees in any direction;
horizontal arrangement requires an hourly turn of eggs by 180 degrees with a minimum turn three times a day;
a couple of days before pecking, the turning is completed;
forced ventilation is desirable in the incubator.

How to make a simple styrofoam incubator

Styrofoam is great for this purpose. This material despite its cheapness, it 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 foam, you will need:

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

Process of creation

To assemble a home incubator on the basis of a ten-liter thermobox, you need:

Insert the fan into the pipe connector, first removing the ears from the circumference of the fan casing.
Approximately in the middle of the pipe connector, fasten the holder for the honey so that the bulb is directed in the direction opposite to the fan.
Inside the thermal box, on one of its narrow sides, with the help of four bolts, washers and nuts, fix the pipe connector, for which four holes are drilled in the wall of the thermal box for the bolts and the fifth one to bring out the wires from the fan and the light bulb. The pipe connector, along with its contents, is located almost at the bottom of the thermobox.
At a distance of about 15 cm from the upper edge of the thermobox inside, on its walls around the perimeter, strengthen the wooden corners with acrylic glue.
While the glue will dry for 24 hours, use a knife to cut a small rectangular hole in the middle of the thermobox lid, into which to insert a piece of Plexiglas, resulting in an observation window.
The mesh, cut so as to enter the thermobox with its entire area, is installed on the glued wooden corners that have had time to strengthen.
From above, this mesh is covered with a facade mesh.
Outside the thermal box, at its very edge, on top of the side where the wires from the light bulb and fan exit, strengthen the thermal relay.
Opposite the fan, in its center, make a small hole for air inflow, which is covered with a furniture cable plug, the width of the opening in which can be adjusted.
Install a thermometer with a moisture meter on the same wall of the thermobox from the outside.
Install temperature and humidity sensors on the grid inside the thermal box, and bring their cables out.
On the wall of the incubator, fix the connector to which all the necessary wires are connected, including power from the computer unit.
At the bottom of the incubator, place a small tray with water to maintain the required humidity.
Make two small ventilation holes in the cover on the sides of the revision window.

Important!For better conservation heat inside the foam incubator, it is recommended to glue it from the inside with thermal insulation covered with foil.

How to make a large refrigerator incubator with egg turning

The most popular way homemade of the incubator is the use of the body of the old refrigerator, i.e. the unit, which 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 has a device that turns the eggs in automatic mode.

To make this device, you can use:

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

Choosing the Right Enclosure

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

Then you need to take the following steps:

Creation of a rotary mechanism

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

For its installation it is necessary:

Install the engine on the floor of the chamber.
Put an asterisk from a bicycle chain drive on the motor shaft.
Weld the second bicycle sprocket to the side of the lower grille.
In the extreme position of the grate, install limit switches that regulate the operation of the motor, turning it off in time.
Two timers turn on the engine four times a day.

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

Breeding poultry at home begins with an incubator. In order to "incubate" eggs, both compact industrial devices and a do-it-yourself incubator are widely used today. In this article, we will focus on homemade incubators. To do this, we will find out what are the most common designs today, what requirements they must meet, and, finally, how to make one or another type of incubator with your own hands.

Making an incubator with your own hands is a more effective option than buying an industrial device, since the first option takes into account various individual characteristics location, design of the device and conditions for breeding poultry. In this regard, there are several advantages of homemade incubators:

reliable in operation;
economical in energy consumption;
have sufficient volumes for laying up to several hundred eggs;
guarantee the maintenance of the microclimate necessary for 90% survival of young animals;
quite versatile, can be used to remove different types domestic, as well as some varieties of exotic (parrots, ostriches) birds.

Types of incubators and the most common rules for their manufacture

An important positive feature of home-made incubators is individual projects is that they can be made from a variety of auxiliary materials and structures that have already been in use. Of course, only those that meet the strict sanitary requirements for efficient and healthy breeding of young birds.

At the same time, the fairly common practice of producing such devices by private poultry farmers themselves shows that, as a rule, they choose an option from the four most popular varieties of home-made incubators.

Products from an old non-working refrigerator.
Products from a cardboard box.
Styrofoam incubator.
Plywood incubator (wooden boards).

Depending on the economic needs and capabilities of the manufacturer, incubators can be single-tier and multi-tier.

However, the “self-made” status of compact incubators allows us to expand this list, enabling any poultry farmer to show all his technical imagination and ingenuity. Note that it is of great importance right choice dimensions of the future incubator. In this case, a number of factors should be clearly taken into account, first of all, the planned volume of laying eggs and the installation points for lamps for heating the incubation chamber.

Incubator size

For successful high-quality production of an incubation device, its dimensions must be calculated (planned) in advance. Meanwhile, this parameter depends on the production volumes that the poultry farmer is aiming for, and on the number of eggs laid in the incubator at a time. Moreover, the second factor is decisive.

An incubator of medium dimensions (length - 450-470 mm, width - 300-400 mm) holds the following approximate number of eggs:

In addition, the dimensions of the device are affected by the type of heating system and the place where incandescent lamps are fixed. Important for determining the size is the material from which the device is supposed to be made.

General manufacturing rules

Basic requirements for an incubator

When starting to make a home incubator with your own hands, you should always keep in mind that the end result of this work should be an apparatus in which all conditions are created for the full development of the embryo in the egg and the birth of a healthy chick in due time.

In other words, the design of the incubator and its equipment must be subordinated to the goal of forming in the chamber the same conditions that the mother bird creates for its future offspring. The most important of these factors are temperature and humidity.

It is necessary to design a future incubator so that the poultry breeder has the opportunity to constantly and without any obstacles control the temperature and humidity conditions of incubation. It must be borne in mind here that most of the poultry species most popular with breeders are held in the range between 37.1 and 39°C.

At the same time, in the first days of incubation, the eggs (before being placed in the chamber they can be stored for no more than 10 days) are heated to maximum temperature calculated for a particular type of bird (see temperature table), and by the end of this period the temperature drops to the minimum. And only when breeding quails during the entire 17-day incubation period, a constant temperature is maintained - 37.5 degrees.

Underheating of eggs is unacceptable, overheating is undesirable. In the first case, the development of embryos slows down with all the ensuing consequences, many individuals simply die. When overheated, the surviving chicks will certainly suffer from deformities of the heart, stomach, liver, deformities of various parts of the body.

As for another important parameter - humidity, it also changes throughout the entire period before hatching. In particular, the optimal level of air humidity inside the incubator before the moment of pecking should be 40-60%, and between pecking and the moment of hatching, it should remain at the level of 80%. And only before the selection of young animals, the relative humidity should be lowered again to 55-60%.

A good help for the quality hatching of chickens in a home incubator will be the installation of a forced ventilation system. The operation of the electric fan will ensure the movement of air inside the chamber at a speed of 5-6 m / s, which will contribute to the ideal balance between the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere in the incubator.

Prices for egg incubators

egg incubators

Where to start creating an incubator?

Any process of assembling a domestic incubator begins with the determination of the base material from which the apparatus will be made. For example, large pieces of polystyrene (at least 25x40 cm in size) or an ordinary large cardboard box are good for this purpose. Almost ideal option is the presence of an old, outdated refrigerator. In any case, one must proceed from the determining factor that is inherent in any structure - its thermal insulation ability.

Comparing the material for the manufacture of incubators, it can be argued that foam products are characterized by the lowest heat loss. At the same time, cardboard boxes are the cheapest raw material.

In addition, you should take care of devices for heating the incubation chamber (lamp or heating device) and convenient temperature control (thermometer). In order not to burden yourself with the need to manually periodically turn the eggs, it is worth equipping the incubator with an automatic flip system. Such a mechanism will save a person's time. True, usually such devices are installed in large incubators - for 200 or more eggs.

Components and tools required for the job

Prices for popular models of jigsaws

Electric jigsaw

Lamps for heating the incubation chamber should be fixed no closer than 25 cm from the eggs.

Remember that before choosing everything you need from the list above, you need to decide on the optimal size of the incubator.

How to determine the optimal size of the incubator?

in order to carry out design preparation as accurately as possible, drawings with given dimensions will be needed. For good example below is a variant of the product drawing, which is distinguished by a relatively small volume (for 45 eggs), a length of 40 cm and a width of 25 cm;
when calculating optimal sizes incubator, it must be borne in mind that at a distance of 2 cm from the egg, the thermometer should show 37.3 - 38.6 degrees Celsius;
most often, poultry farmers in their households make devices designed to hatch young birds, which are designed to lay up to 100 eggs. At the same time, cells for eggs are made with a diameter of 45 mm and a depth of 60-80 mm;
the result is a structure approximately 60x60 cm in size and weighing about 3 kg. By the way, it can be made quite universal. For this, interchangeable grid trays with cells are provided. different sizes, thanks to which, if desired, the same incubator can be easily converted to accommodate not only chicken, but also duck, goose, turkey and quail eggs.

To accurately calculate the dimensions, you can use the following table:

With the same capacity of structures for chicken eggs, a product made of expanded polystyrene will be more voluminous than a cardboard counterpart.
Used fridge incubator

The case of an old refrigerator is the best suited for arranging an artificial "nesting". The fact is that this equipment, indispensable in everyday life, is designed in such a way as to reliably maintain a given temperature in the internal space. This purpose, in particular, is served by a special design of the thermally insulating walls of the refrigerator.

At the same time, the racks and shelves available in the refrigerator are easy to adapt to egg trays. Mounting grooves on the inner walls make it easy to evenly distribute the laying of eggs over the entire height of the refrigerator chamber. At the same time, its volume is quite enough to install a fluid exchange system below - with its help, a balanced level of humidity will be provided.

Each component of a homemade incubator made from an old refrigerator, as well as the stages of its assembly, has its own characteristics. Let's get to know them in more detail.

Ventilation system

Installation of a device for the artificial breeding of young poultry cannot be imagined without arrangement, at least the simplest system ventilation. It directly affects the state of the air inside the chamber, including temperature and humidity. Thus, an ideal microclimate for egg maturation is formed.

It has been established that the optimal average ventilation speed is 5 m/sec. The movement of the air mass is provided by the operation of the fan. Ventilation holes must be drilled in the upper and lower parts of the housing.

To prevent air from being “pumped” into the glass wool layer under the skin, it is recommended to insert plastic (metal) tubes of the appropriate diameter into the holes. Partially or completely blocking these openings, it is possible to regulate the ventilation process.

The embryo in the egg begins to consume oxygen from the outside on the sixth day of incubation.

Installation of a heating system and selection of a thermostat

To form the simplest heating system for the inner chamber, 4 incandescent lamps with a power of 25 W each or 2 lamps of 40 W each are selected. Good heating of the entire volume is ensured by an even distribution of light bulbs between the lower and upper parts of the refrigerator. At the same time, the lamps fixed at the bottom should not interfere with the water container, which humidifies the air inside the incubator.

Prices for thermostats

thermostat

In the process of creating the optimal temperature regime, a thermostat is also involved. Traditionally, poultry farmers use 3 types of thermostats - a bimetallic plate, an electric contactor (a mercury-based thermometer with an electrode) or a barometric sensor. The first kind closes electrical circuit upon reaching a predetermined heating level, the second one turns off the heating at a certain temperature, the third closes the circuit with the occurrence of excessive pressure.

Egg turning mechanism

The standard incubation process involves the obligatory turning of the egg with a frequency of 2-4 times a day. This function in the home device is performed by a special mechanism instead of a mother bird.

The essence of this mechanism is that the electric motor drives a special rod, which transmits the impulse of movement to the egg tray. To mount simplest mechanism, necessary:

Install the reducer at the bottom of the chamber.

Install a wooden frame holding the trays. They should be fixed so that it is possible to tilt the trays 60 degrees towards the door and 60 degrees in the opposite direction.

The gearbox must be firmly fixed.

Attach a rod to the electric motor, connected at the other end to the egg tray.

So, we found out some features of making a household incubator based on a used refrigerator with our own hands. Now you can refer to the step-by-step instructions for its assembly.

Sequencing

Drill several holes in the ceiling of the case - for the lamps of the heating system and through for ventilation.

At the bottom, drill at least 3 ventilation holes with a diameter of 1.5 cm.

For greater preservation of heat, it is desirable to finish the walls inside the apparatus with polystyrene foam.

Convert old shelves into egg trays.

Fix the thermostat outside the case, install the sensor inside.

For organization forced circulation air near the heating lamps in the upper part of the chamber, fix 1-2 fans (for example, from a computer).

Cut a small opening in the refrigerator door for a viewing window. Close the opening with glass (transparent plastic).

Video - Incubator from the refrigerator

cardboard box incubator

The next production option for a small home incubator is the cheapest one offered. On average, it takes only a few hours to make it. However, for all the cheapness of such a product and ease of assembly, cardboard is also the most fragile of the most common materials at hand.

Step 1. First of all, they find a box that is unnecessary on the farm, the size of which is, for example, 56x47x58 cm (depending on the number of eggs in the tab, the dimensions may vary). From the inside, the box is carefully pasted over in several layers with paper or felt.

Step 2 Next, you should make several holes for electrical wiring, fix 3 lamps of 25 W each inside. The installation level of the lamps should be 15 cm above the level of the eggs. To eliminate unnecessary heat loss, extra slots, including wiring holes, are clogged with cotton wool. On the other hand, it is necessary to provide several ventilation holes.

Step 3. After that, wooden egg trays, mounting rails (trays will be installed on them) and a door are made.

egg tray

Tray for quail eggs

Step 4 Temperature control will be carried out using a thermometer, which is placed inside the incubator. To maintain a given level of humidity, a water tank is installed at the bottom of the box. Everything that happens inside the cardboard chamber can be observed through a viewing window 12x10 cm, which is cut into the upper wall.

One of the most popular and comfortable materials for the manufacture of artificial "hens" is polystyrene foam (polystyrene).

It attracts not only quite affordable cost, but also wonderful thermal insulation properties, so valuable in the production of incubation structures, as well as low weight. Not to mention the ease of working with this material. The manufacture of a foam product is in many ways similar to the production of a cardboard counterpart.

Making a foam device

A sheet of expanded polystyrene must be cut into four identical parts. The resulting parts are used to form the sidewalls of the hull.

The second sheet is divided into two identical halves. One of them is once again divided into two parts so that the width of one is 60 cm, the width of the other is 40 cm. A fragment with a size of 50x40 cm will go to the bottom of the box, and a part with a size of 50x60 cm will become its lid.

A square hole 12x12 cm is cut out under the viewing window in the future cover. It will also serve as a ventilation hole. The window is covered with glass (transparent plastic).

From equal parts obtained after cutting the first sheet, the supporting frame is glued together. After the glue has hardened, glue the bottom. To do this, glue is applied to the edges of a sheet measuring 50x40 cm, after which the sheet is carefully inserted into the frame.

After the formation of the box, the case is carefully glued with adhesive tape, due to which the structure acquires significant rigidity.

Two foam bars 6 cm high and 4 cm wide are cut out. Improvised legs, necessary for normal ventilation and uniform heating of the egg tray, are glued inside the incubator, to the bottom along the long sides (50 cm).

In shortened walls 40 cm long at a height of 1 cm from the bottom of the device, 3 holes with a diameter of 1.2 cm are made for ventilation. The distance between the holes must be the same. Based on the characteristics of the material, all holes are recommended

Burn with a soldering iron.

The lid will hold firmly to the body if foam bars (2x2 or 3x3 cm in size) are glued along its edges. In order for the bars to fit exactly inside the incubator, tightly adhering to its walls, the distance between the bars and the edge of the sheet should be 5 cm.

After that, cartridges for heating lamps are mounted in an arbitrary way from the inside of the cover.

A thermostat is fixed on the outside of the lid. The sensitive sensor of the thermostat is fixed inside the container at a height of 1 cm from the level of the eggs.

When installing a tray loaded with eggs, you need to make sure that the gap between it and the machines is 4-5 cm. This is necessary to ensure proper ventilation.

If there is a desire or need, a fan can be mounted inside the incubator. They do this so that the air flow is directed not to the eggs, but to the lamps. Otherwise, the eggs may dry out.

The heat of the incubation chamber will be retained long enough if all internal surfaces cover with insulating foil.

Video - Do-it-yourself foam incubator

Conclusion

Thus, the independent manufacture of an incubator does not seem to be too complicated and troublesome. Of course, such devices can be different - in terms of dimensions and degree of equipment with various equipment - depending on the number of eggs being processed. Therefore, before assembling them, it is better to carefully work on the project, taking into account all possible "pitfalls".

At the same time, such structures can be made from a variety of materials and with a variety of design "highlights" (subject to the fulfillment of all sanitary and technological requirements). And this makes the whole process creative and very exciting.

On farms or individual farms, it often becomes necessary to breed chickens at home. Of course, laying hens can be used for these purposes, but it will take a long time to grow chickens naturally at home, and the offspring will be small.

Therefore, for breeding chickens at home, many use an incubator. Of course, there are industrial devices used for large industrial productions, but for small farms, simple incubators are also perfect, which you can easily do with your own hands.

Today we will tell you how to make an incubator with your own hands, from the simplest to the more complex.

How to make an incubator out of a cardboard box with your own hands?

The easiest do-it-yourself incubator for breeding chickens at home is a cardboard box design. It is done like this:

cut a small window in the side of the cardboard box;
inside the box, pass three cartridges designed for incandescent lamps. For this purpose, it is necessary at an equal and small distance make three holes at the top of the box;
lamps for the incubator should have a power of 25 W and be at a distance of about 15 centimeters from the eggs;
in front of the structure, you should make a door with your own hands, and they must correspond to the parameters of 40 by 40 centimeters. Door should be as close to the body as possible. an incubator so that the design does not release heat to the outside;
take boards of small thickness and make a special tray out of them in the form of a wooden frame;
put a thermometer on board such a tray, and place a container of water measuring 12 by 22 centimeters under the tray itself;
up to 60 chicken eggs should be placed in such a tray, and from the first day of using the incubator for its intended purpose, do not forget to turn them.

So, we have considered the simplest version of the incubator with our own hands. If necessary, raising chickens in minimum quantity at home, such a design will be quite enough.

High Complexity Incubator

Now let's look at how to make a more complex incubator with your own hands. But for this you need to follow the following formalities:

if the openings of the chamber for ventilation are closed, then the chamber must be completely sealed;
when opening the ventilation holes, the air should be mixed evenly, otherwise the temperature inside the chamber will not be uniform and this is very bad for the chickens;
it is desirable to equip the incubator with forced ventilation.

You can also equip your home incubator with a special device that can automatically turn the tray over with eggs and save you from this work. So, turn eggs once an hour with your own hands. With absence special device eggs are turned over at least every three hours. Such devices should not come into contact with eggs.

The first half day, the temperature in the incubator should be up to 41 degrees, then it is gradually reduced to 37.5, respectively. The required level of relative humidity is about 53 percent. Before the chicks hatch, the temperature will need to be lowered further and the importance should be increased to 80 percent.

How to make an electronically controlled incubator with your own hands?

A more advanced model is an incubator equipped with electronic control. It can be done like this:

the frame for the incubator is made on the basis of wooden beams, then it is sheathed with plywood on all sides;
the axis is attached to the upper part of the chamber, then a tray is attached to it at the rate of 50 eggs maximum;
the dimensions of the tray are 250 by 400 mm, its height is 50 mm;
the tray is made on the basis of a 2 mm metal mesh;
from the inside, the tray is covered with a nylon mesh. Eggs are laid out so that their sharp end is at the bottom;
for heating, take incandescent lamps (4 pieces) with a power of 25 W;
to create the required level of humidity in the chamber you need a white tin bath 100 x 200 and 50 mm in size, filled with water. Three copper arcs of wire in the form of the letter P are soldered to the bath, 80 mm high;
you need to attach a fabric to the wire, which can increase the surface of water evaporation;
to get air inside the chamber in the ceiling, you need to make 8 holes with a diameter of about 20 mm each. 10 holes of the same size should be made in the bottom panel. Thus, air will enter the chamber from below, be heated by incandescent lamps, and when it exits through the upper holes, it will heat the eggs;
install in the incubation chamber special temperature sensor, which will regulate the temperature level.

In the first six days of operation, the temperature inside the incubator should be kept at 38 degrees. A then it can be gradually reduced half a degree a day. In addition, you will need to turn the tray with eggs.

Once every three days, you will need to pour water into a special bath and wash the fabric in soapy water in order to remove salt deposits.

Self-assembly of a multi-tiered incubator

An incubator of this type is automatically heated by electricity, it must operate from a conventional 220 V network. To heat the air, six spirals are required, which taken from the tile insulation of the iron and connected in series with each other.

To maintain a comfortable temperature in this type of chamber, you need to take a relay equipped with an automatic contact measuring device.

This incubator has the following parameters:

height 80 centimeters;
depth 52 centimeters;
width 83 centimeters respectively.

The build looks like this:

the frame is made on the basis of pine bars 40 mm long;
on all sides, the bars are upholstered with plywood with a thickness of 3 mm;
free space between the bar and plywood filled with dry shavings or sawdust, you can take foam plastic in order to insulate the structure;
the door in the form of a separate panel is attached to the rear wall of the incubator frame;
hinged type canopies are used as fasteners.

Inside the incubator is divided into three compartments by installing three partitions. The side compartments should be wider than the middle compartment. Their width should be 2700 mm, and the width of the middle compartment - 190 mm, respectively. Partitions are made of plywood 4 mm thick. Between them and the ceiling of the structure there should be a gap of about 60 mm. Then, corners measuring 35 by 35 mm made of duralumin should be attached to the ceiling parallel to the partitions.

Slots are made in the lower and upper parts of the chamber, which will serve as ventilation, thanks to which the temperature will be the same in all parts of the incubator.

Three trays are placed in the side parts for incubation period, and one will be needed for output. To the rear wall of the central part of the incubator a contact type thermometer is installed, which is attached with a psychrometer to the front.

In the middle compartment, a heating device is installed at a distance of about 30 centimeters up from the bottom. A separate door must lead to each compartment.

For better tightness of the structure, a three-layer flannel seal is covered under the cover.

Each compartment should have a separate handle, thanks to which each tray can be rotated from side to side. To maintain the required temperature in the incubator, you need a relay powered by a 220 V network or a TPK thermometer.

Now you are convinced that you can make an incubator for breeding chickens at home with your own hands. Of course, different designs have different complexity of implementation. The complexity depends on the number of eggs and on the degree of automation of the incubator. If you do not make high demands, then a simple cardboard box will be enough for you as an incubator for growing chickens.