Do-it-yourself automatic egg incubator: diagrams and drawings, step-by-step video instructions. How to make an incubator at home with your own hands? Make your own small incubator

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. Home master it is quite possible to independently make a device for incubating eggs, 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 position implies tilt chicken eggs 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, 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 holder;
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 housing.
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 dries 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 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 heat preservation 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

For this design home incubator handmade is required 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

In a market economy, each person is the master of his own wealth. Now anyone can lead a decent life, because there are more than enough opportunities to earn money, for example, you can make an egg incubator yourself. This will allow you to create a small farm that will become a source of income in the future.

After you make an egg incubator with your own hands, you will have the opportunity not only to earn extra money, but also to provide for your household. Nevertheless, for this to become a reality, it is necessary to approach the creation of this device as responsibly as possible. After all, the success of the whole idea depends on how well it will work.

The design of the egg incubator itself is not particularly complicated. If you have been breeding poultry for a long time, then you know that a chicken can hatch even under the light of a lamp. However, if you set the temperature too low, nothing will happen. Elevated temperature conditions also will not lead to anything good.

Therefore, before making an incubator yourself, it does not hurt to thoroughly study all the drawings, and most importantly, to understand how the thermostat works. After that, you just have to select the appropriate mode and load the tray.

Of course, you can just buy an egg incubator, but the price of a device for such a simple design is really too high. It is much more practical and cheaper to do everything yourself.

Requirements for the design of the incubator

There are many different drawings of an egg incubator that you can bring to life with your own hands. Nevertheless, in order for everything to go as it should and the device you built can adequately perform its functions, the following conditions must be met:

You should focus not only on the temperature of the eggs, but also on the number of degrees around the future chicken. According to agricultural standards, the temperature two centimeters from the egg should be in the range from 37.3 to 38.6.
For a chick to hatch, you cannot use eggs that have been stored for more than 10 days.
It is important to monitor the humidity in the incubator. Before biting, it should be at least 40%. In the process of excretion, this figure increases to 80%. If you do everything right, you yourself will be able to breed healthy and strong chickens. Immediately before the brood, the humidity will need to be slightly lowered.
Eggs in the incubator, which you make yourself, should only be vertical. And the sharp end always goes down.
During incubation, all trays must be tilted to the left.
Eggs should be turned at least three times a day. They must not be touched before hatching.
When you make an incubator yourself, take care of ventilation. It is necessary to make sure that the movement of air equalizes humidity and temperature. A speed of 5-6 meters will be more than enough for this task.

Before you make an incubator with your own hands, watch the video below. Despite the seeming primitiveness, the incubator works great and allows you to breed chickens at home.

Drawings for the incubator

To make a truly high-quality incubator yourself, you need to approach this matter with the utmost responsibility. First, study the drawings, do without them good project definitely won't work.

AT project documentation there should be information including a thermal control circuit. It should indicate where the heating elements are located. Then you can make an incubator yourself, which long years will serve you, allowing you to hatch chickens.

You yourself will have to study the mechanism for rotating the structure, you need to choose one that will simultaneously provide stable operation and at the same time be quite simple to manufacture.

Important ! When you create the structure yourself, consider the possibility of laying eggs of different sizes in the cells. This will allow future expansion of the household at minimal cost.

The fact is that the market is very flexible. At one time, chicken meat may be popular, tomorrow everyone will start asking for goose. The day after tomorrow, the fashion for quail eggs will reappear.

In the drawing, you must consider temperature control mechanisms. The fan should be installed exactly where it will be most useful. In addition, it does not hurt to think about an alternative light source. Even a short period of time without heating can cause improper development of chickens.

Based on all of the above, when choosing a drawing of a future design or making it yourself, it is best to focus on the following parameters:

The capacity of the incubator is best done on average. Firstly, this will allow you to place about 100 eggs in it, and secondly, you can always fill in more cells, the supply does not hurt.
The design for 108 cells is considered optimal. The size of each should be 45 mm (diameter). In this case, the height cannot be less than 65 mm. Also, the design should provide for the possibility of replacing the internal grille. Then you yourself can change it at any time, reorienting the device to other eggs.
It is best to install 6 lamps as heating elements. Four of them should be 100 W, and two of 60. New LED or fluorescent lighting elements that do not heat up are better not to use. Serial wiring diagram following 4 and 2.
The temperature sensor must have a resistance of 1.8 K.

The turning speed is best set to one hour. This will achieve the greatest effect in the operation of the entire system.

We make an incubator with our own hands

Frame

In most cases, people who themselves want to make an egg incubator with their own hands use a refrigerator as the initial workpiece. The fact is that its design is ideal for this task. In addition, financial costs with this option will be minimal.

So, if you are interested in how to make an incubator at home yourself, start by looking for an old refrigerator. It is from this point that the implementation of this project will begin.

First of all, in order to make a high-quality and durable incubator yourself, get rid of the freezer. You will also need to get rid of all other built-in hardware. Fortunately, you can easily do all this yourself. For further implementation of the project, you will need a KR-6 contactor-relay and a thermometer with electrical contacts.

Attention ! The coil in the device must have such a resistance that it will limit the power to 1 watt.

After you pick up all these devices, you can connect the power grid yourself without any difficulties. Power must be supplied from a mains voltage of 220 V.

Working mode

The first four lamps turn on first. Their task is to raise the temperature to 38 degrees. After that, you will need to close the contacts of the thermometer. As a result of this action, the coil KR will receive power. Additionally, contact KR2 opens. As soon as the temperature drops, the process is activated again.

As you can see, making a quality incubator yourself is quite simple. The main thing is to correctly set the temperature regime, take care of the turning system, and so on.

Uniform heating is provided by the L5 lamp. Moreover, it is needed to provide the desired humidity. Moreover, its presence reduces the load on the relay contactor. So be sure to install it. Luckily, you can easily do it yourself.

Attention ! After the air inside the incubator heats up to the desired temperature, 2 lamps will need to be turned off. Without automation, you will have to do it yourself.

The calculated power of the incubator that you need to make will be 40 watts. This is if without ventilation and a rotary mechanism. They can be excluded from the design for greater savings, but in order for the result to be satisfactory, you first need to take care of creating natural air circulation inside. Extractors will help you with this.

If you want to abandon the rotary mechanism in the design of the incubator in which the eggs will be placed, you will have to turn the cells yourself. This should be done at least 3-4 times and only during the daytime. However, the rate of maturation with this approach will drop significantly.

Attention ! As cells for eggs, it is best to use ordinary trays.

On the ninth day in the incubator, you will need to lower the temperature yourself to 37.5 degrees Celsius, 19 to 37. If you do not want to spend money on an uninterruptible power supply, then put a few bottles of hot water inside. This should be more than enough to maintain the desired temperature.

We create an automatic temperature control system

The heating elements in the incubator that you make yourself can be placed not only above the tray, but also on the side, and even under it. Many experts agree that the best option will most place the lamps around the perimeter. This will provide the most uniform heating.

Attention ! The distance between the bulbs cannot be less than 25 cm.

Some poultry farmers go to tricks, they buy nichrome wire. This is a fairly powerful heating element, which makes it possible to reduce the distance between heat sources to 10 cm.

There are three types of thermostats that provide the correct temperature inside the incubator, which you will make from a once refrigerator with your own hands:

Electrical contactor. In fact, this is an ordinary thermometer, inside of which there is mercury. Only a special electrode is soldered into the tube. Mercury rises when heated. As a result, the electrical circuit is closed. Then the incubator turns off.
The bimetal plate can also provide uniform heating in your absence. Unfortunately, after you make an egg incubator with your own hands with this device, the reliability of the system will decrease several times. The principle of operation of the plate is quite simple. When a certain temperature is reached, it bends, touching the electrode. As a result, the circuit is closed.
barometric sensor. Imagine a cylinder that is made of flexible metal, the container of which is filled with ether. When heated, excessive pressure is formed inside, due to which the circuit closes.

If you are thinking about how to make a do-it-yourself egg incubator, consider an automatic thermostat. Of course, its installation will take more time, and money for the purchase is still needed. Nevertheless, this will provide almost complete autonomy.

What is a quail egg incubator

It is worth recognizing that it is desirable to warm up quail eggs in special conditions. First, you need to use a water tank as a heating element in the incubator that you make yourself. It will provide sufficient heat.

The tank is best made from iron. The wall thickness will be about 4 mm. Remember to carefully solder the seams. The height of the upper nozzles must be 30 mm. Pipe diameter not less than 4 mm. They are welded into the top cover.

And now the most important thing. 100-watt lamps are lowered into the resulting design. The flasks must be immersed in liquid up to the cartridges. Moreover, it is necessary to make sure that the two heating elements duplicate each other in the quail egg incubator, which you will make yourself.

Results

As you can see, making an incubator yourself is more than realistic. To do this, just find an old refrigerator and remove all the equipment from it. The average tray in the incubator is enough to hatch about a hundred chickens.

Of course, to make a quail egg incubator, you need to make a little more effort. But their market value justifies this step. The main thing is not to forget to include these costs in the business plan.

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 entire manufacturing process is reduced to several stages. They need to be followed in this order:

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 made in the upper part, which is covered with plastic. Thus, a viewing window appears.
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.

From an old refrigerator

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.

With automatic egg flip

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.

The assembly of the autoincubator is as follows:

Using bars and plywood, assemble the frame.
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, connected to the axis of the coup and brought 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.
Install a thermometer and containers for liquid.
Small holes are made for ventilation.

Thanks to this automatic design, incubating even 1000 eggs will be easy and simple, because there is no need for constant manual turning.

Tiered construction

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.

There are a number of 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.
Ensure the absence of drafts.
The error of the maintained temperature is allowed no more than half a degree.

The regulator can be used in several ways:

bimetallic plates;
barometric sensors;
electrical contactors.

Particular attention is paid to safety measures, since all home-made 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 is poured. By covering the structure with a blanket, you can keep the temperature for about twelve hours.
Heat must be distributed evenly. So that there is no need to constantly rearrange the trays, it is recommended to equip the device with two heat sources - one from above and the other from below.

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 efficient option than buying an industrial device, since the first option takes into account various individual features of the location, device design and poultry breeding conditions. 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 on 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 kept in mind here that most of the poultry species most popular with breeders are held 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 the 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 the other important parameter- humidity, then it changes throughout the entire period until the hatching of the chicks. 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. An 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 an illustrative example, below is a variant of the product drawing, which differs in a relatively small volume (for 45 eggs), 40 cm long and 25 cm wide;
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 of different sizes are provided, due to which, if desired, the same incubator can be easily converted to accommodate not only chicken, but also duck, goose, turkey and quail eggs.

For accurate calculation 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 has homemade incubator made from an old refrigerator, as well as the stages of its assembly have their own characteristics. Let's get to know them in more detail.

Ventilation system

The installation of a device for the artificial breeding of young poultry cannot be imagined without the arrangement of at least the simplest ventilation system. 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 bottom and upper parts 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 type closes the electrical circuit when a predetermined heating level is reached, the second turns off the heating at a certain temperature, the third closes the circuit with 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 the simplest mechanism, you must:

Install the reducer at the bottom of the chamber.

Install 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 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.

To organize forced air circulation near the heating lamps, fix 1-2 fans in the upper part of the chamber (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 Control for temperature regime 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 convenient materials for the manufacture of artificial "hens" is polystyrene foam (polystyrene).

It attracts not only with its quite affordable cost, but also with its excellent thermal insulation properties, which are so valuable in the production of incubation structures, as well as its 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 box is formed, the case is carefully pasted over 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 for a long time if all internal surfaces are pasted over with heat-insulating foil.

Video - Do-it-yourself foam incubator

Conclusion

Thus, independent production the incubator does not seem to be too complicated and troublesome. Of course, such devices can be different - in size 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 the most different materials and with a variety of design "highlights" (if all sanitary and technological requirements are met). And this makes the whole process creative and very exciting.

Doing household It’s hard to call it an easy task, especially when it comes to living creatures. But such efforts bring great results, which are expressed in healthy food, which contains a minimum of various chemical additives. Many people prefer to raise chickens on their site. To get a good livestock, you can buy it or grow it yourself. For the latter, an indispensable device is an incubator. Ready-made options are always on sale, but you can also collect your own version. What is needed for this will be discussed in the article.

Primary requirements

Before proceeding with the assembly, it is necessary to be well versed in what the final result should be. To clearly understand it, you need to know the requirements that apply to the incubator. One of the most important is the presence of a constant temperature inside the incubator. In this case, not only the egg itself should be heated, but also the air around it. Indicators should be maintained with a spread of 37.3 degrees to 38.6. Attention is paid not only to temperature, but also to the humidity that should be inside. The period that precedes pecking, it should be 40%. If we are talking about hatching, then the percentage increases to 80. Just before hatching takes place, it will be necessary to reduce the humidity a little.

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

Egg holders in the incubator must be made in such a way as to keep them in an upright position. In this case, the shape of the cells should be such that the sharp end is directed downwards. Shelves should be sloping throughout the incubation period. The incubator should have easy access to the eggs. This is necessary in order to turn the eggs three times a day. If desired, such a mechanism can be implemented automatically. Before the very same brood, he must be motionless. The incubator must be provided with good ventilation, which will avoid overheating and excess humidity.

Advice! Cells should be universal, because eggs are not always the same size. It is possible to provide for the option of breeding quails, for whose eggs you will need coasters with a smaller diameter.

Self assembly

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

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

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

Styrofoam incubator

The Styrofoam incubator is one of the most efficient as it is quite easy to assemble and light in weight. As a basis, you can use sheets of insulation with a side size of a meter. The first sheet is divided into four identical parts to make walls with a height and width of 50 cm.

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

The egg rack must not be placed directly on the bottom of the incubator. This will create a closed space, due to which airing will no longer be possible. Therefore, the tray is installed on small stands, the height of which will allow you to put a container of water on the bottom of the incubator. For the influx of fresh air, holes with a diameter of 12 mm are drilled in the walls, which are shorter. You will need three of them, and they should be placed at a distance of 1 cm from the bottom. Additional bars are mounted on the cover, which will hold the cartridges with lamps. There is no need to assemble the thermostat yourself, because there are ready-made options. It is mounted on the cover or next to the incubator. The sensor is placed inside the incubator. It should not touch the walls and eggs. It is better to place it 1 cm from any of the eggs. There should be a gap of 4 cm between the tray and the walls, through which air will circulate.

Advice! For a larger number of eggs, it will be necessary to increase the dimensions of the incubator, as well as place the trays in several tiers. If the design is wider, then not two, but more light bulbs are mounted. From the inside, the foam can be glued with foil so that heat is better reflected.

From the fridge

If the farm has an old non-working refrigerator, then it can be converted into an incubator. Remove everything possible from the refrigerator compartment. If the freezer is built into the main compartment, then it must also be disposed of in order to increase the available space. The design of the refrigerator is great for creating an incubator, because there is already insulation in its walls, and the door closes quite tightly. In addition, inside there are special holders for shelves that can be used under the cells.

With a drill and a pen drill, holes are made in the bottom and in the upper wall of the refrigerator. They are necessary for ventilation of the internal space of the structure. A fan is installed below to supply air. Next to it are containers or a container with water. The lamps that will heat the incubator are mounted above and below to ensure uniform heating. 25 watt products are used. Grids from the refrigerator can be used as the basis for the trays, they will need to be slightly modified, but they will fit perfectly into place, it is important to provide a mechanism in order to be able to turn the eggs over.

Other options

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

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

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

Automatic flip

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

More reliable is the inclined mechanism for the incubator. In this case, the eggs do not turn over, but their slope changes. For this purpose, it is enough to fix the trays along the axis on each side so that they can freely tilt. A handle is attached outside, which will allow you to tilt the trays inside the incubator. Another option is to use swivel casters. In this case, the eggs in the incubator are placed between the rubber rollers in the trays. The rollers are interconnected by a chain, which provides them with simultaneous rotation. For such a design, it is also easy to use Electrical engine. The video below shows an interesting design of an incubator with automatic egg flipping.

Summary

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