Incubator/Brooder combo

Ann@Nanango · **Posted:** Wed Jul 08, 2009 12:33 pm

Hi I've seen a home made brooder somewhere else on the net and was wondering if it it would be possible to make it a brooder/incubator combo.

It is essentially a wardrobe type cupboard, which has the doors removed and the shelves left in. There are bird cage type fronts (complete with doors) and a spare few drawers at the bottom. It looks quite natty and would be a great space saver as all the shelves go up, so very little floor space taken.

My question is how much insulation would be required on the walls to make one of the shelves an incubator. The spare cupboard I've found up the back is rather daggy, and only has thin ply on the back and sides. I could probably fit an extra one or two racks to make room for more eggs.

Thanks heaps guys and look forward to any advice on this one.

Cheers.

Ann

greenaus · **Posted:** Wed Jul 08, 2009 1:40 pm

Ann@Nanango wrote:

how much insulation would be required on the walls to make one of the shelves an incubator.

If it was me doing this, my first attempt would include styrofoam sheets (cut from a box probably) lining the walls.

The area would have to be bigger than many cupboard shelves I've seen or can picture right now.

Good luck with it. It brings me joy to read of people having a go at doing something themselves. Good on ya!

Charles

Zor0 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 4:08 am **Posts:** 1

what a great idea id buy one, would be cheaper than buying one of each

Ann@Nanango · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2009 8:35 am

Well I've spoken to the landlord and he said I could have the cupboard.

I've stashed a polystyrene box away. I'm watching several "bits" on ebay for the incubator (fan, PID thermometer, etc etc). I unfortunately missed out on a lot of 23 incandescent downlights for $20.00, including 26 reflector globes, which would've been perfect for heating my brooder/incubator box.

I had to go to Toowoomba and forgot to remind the family to watch it for me. I lost it by 50c, gggrrrrr.

Hubby has finished a little work project which was taking up his weekend time, so this weekend after I've spent some time with my horses - we'll get stuck into it. I also found two huge sheets of ply up the back, so hopefully I can use some of that as well.

Has anybody used that expanding foam for insulation before? Would it work? Might google it.

Cheers for now and I'll keep you all posted.

Ann

Ann@Nanango · **Posted:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 7:39 am

Hi. Has anybody ever thought about this? http://fishpets.com.au/index.php?page=s ... t&Itemid=1 It's a reptile heat rock which heats to 37 degrees, not sure if lack of adjusting temp would be an issue though - I guess the chicks can do that themselves.

I imagine it would get really messy - but would answer that calling to roost, which a cardboard box just doesn't fulfill! ! ! My six week olds chicks are trying to hop on their feed container.

Just looking at all my options. :-D

Cheers for now.

Ann

greenaus · **Posted:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:47 am

Hi Ann,

I went to eBay for some Heat Rock research and a guide to pricing.

I reckon the upturned terracotta pot with bulb which has been discussed here on APF would be just as effective and at a lower cost.

That's my opinion.

Also my opinion...I would consider a heat mat before a heat rock.

Charles

Edit: The following link should display the search results for "terracotta" on APF.
search.php?keywords=terracotta&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

Ann@Nanango · **Posted:** Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:04 pm

Thanks for that Charles.

I've bought a thermostat and and thermometer and hygrometer from ebay. Now I'm looking out for lights/heaters of some description. I'm thinking I might not bother with incandescent globes as they are pretty well much finished

.

Should I go with a downlight set up? My main concern would be whether it's a fire hazard as they can get hot and some of them need a heat barrier. My thermostat is just a plug in type, so any lighting/heating system will require a plug (or conversion to). Anybody got a ceramic heat lamp? Would that work, I like the idea of not having the light on 24/7. Pretty expensive though. I read that Soozorps uses them, but for brooding not hatching.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers for now.

Ann

greenaus · **Posted:** Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:37 pm

Ann@Nanango wrote:

Any advice would be appreciated.

I'm going to leave that to others...hopefully. I'm not experienced enough with building brooders, incubators or anything else with anything other than incandescent globes.

I am however, about to learn how to include the element from a clothes dryer in a big brooder set-up. I'm hooking it up to a dimmer switch and hanging it in what is likely to be an enclosure under the house about 1.5m square. The walls are likely to include four desks I'm getting from Lifeline this afternoon for $15 each. There will likely be wood shavings on the ground (a dirt floor below). To retain some heat, I may put a tarpaulin or other sheets of board over the top.

PLEASE, don't anyone take this thread off topic by switching to discussing my intended set up. Let's answer Ann's questions. (I was pointing out the dimensions and other factors so that no-one thought I was putting a ~50cm diameter element in a little brooder.)

Ann@Nanango · **Posted:** Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:29 pm

Here's a reply I received from an online lighting company in the UK. My question was regarding heat emission from GU10 and MR16 down lights - and the fact that I wanted to use the heat in an incubator.

"The design goal with low energy lamps is to convert all the energy to light with zero heat emission! So any solution we might be able to come up with may be superseded in time anyway.

You may want to investigate heat mats used in keeping tropical reptiles as an alternative solution. These can be place under (or in) the incubator and provide a constant gentle heat. I'm not sure how common they are in Australia with your higher ambient temperatures but I'm sure they must be available."

Not really the answer I wanted but I'm still looking. I have seen a piccy somewhere of somebody using down lights in their incubator.

Will keep y'all posted.

Cheers for now.

Ann

greenaus · **Posted:** Tue Jul 21, 2009 1:37 am

Kind of. He said...

Newer lights attempt to provide maximum light with minimum heat.

You need heat.

Get something that provides heat.

See, all you needed was someone to translate English into Australian.

AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Incubator/Brooder combo

Who is on the Forum