For self-breeding chickens, you can purchase industrial device for incubation. But it is also possible to assemble an incubator with your own hands at home. Homemade apparatus It will cost much less and you can choose its size according to the number of eggs. In such a device, you can automate temperature changes and set up regular turning of eggs in trays.

This article will tell you how to make an incubator with your own hands and what materials you will need for this.

Basic rules for creating a homemade incubator

The body is the main element of a home incubator. It retains heat inside itself and prevents sudden changes in egg temperature. Temperature changes can negatively affect the health of future chickens. The following materials are suitable as a housing for the incubator:

foam;
body of an old refrigerator.

To place eggs, trays made of plastic or wood with a mesh or slatted bottom are used. Automatic trays equipped with motors can independently turn eggs at a time set by a timer. Shifting the eggs to the side helps prevent uneven heating their surfaces.

Using incandescent lamps, in a home incubator the temperature necessary for the development of the cubs is created. The choice of lamp power is influenced by the size of the incubator body; it can vary between 25-1000 W. Tue A thermometer or an electronic thermostat with a sensor helps monitor the temperature level in the device.

The air in the incubator must constantly circulate, which is ensured by forced or natural ventilation. For small devices, holes at the base and on the surface of the lid will be sufficient. Large structures made from the body of a refrigerator require special fans located at the top and bottom. Ventilation will allow the air not to stagnate, and the heat to be evenly distributed in the device.

For a continuous incubation process it is necessary do optimal number trays. The gap between the trays, as well as the distance to the incandescent lamp, must be at least 15 cm. A gap of 4-5 cm should be left from the walls to the trays. Diameter ventilation holes can be 12-20 mm.

Before placing eggs in the incubator, it is necessary to check the operation of the fans and the uniform heating of the device. After optimal warming up, the temperature in the corners of the device should not differ by more than 0.5 degrees. The air flow from the fans should be directed towards the lamps and not towards the egg trays themselves.

DIY foam incubator

The advantages of expanded polystyrene are his affordable price, high-quality thermal insulation, light weight. Due to this, it is often used for the manufacture of incubators. To work you will need the following components:

Assembly steps

Before you make an incubator at home, you need to prepare drawings with precise measurements. Assembly includes the following steps:

To prepare the side walls, the foam sheet must be divided into four equal squares.
The surface of the second sheet is divided in half. One of the resulting parts must be cut into rectangles with parameters 50x40 cm and 50*60 cm. The smaller part will be the bottom of the incubator, and the larger part will be the lid.
A viewing window with parameters of 13x13 cm is cut out on the lid. It will be covered with transparent plastic or glass and provide ventilation in the device.
First, the frame from the side walls is assembled and glued together. After the glue has dried, the bottom is attached. To do this, you need to smear the edges of the sheet with glue and insert it into the frame.
To increase the rigidity of the structure, it must be covered with tape. The first strips of tape are applied to the bottom with a slight overlap to the surface of the walls. Then the walls are tightly covered.
Uniform distribution of heat and circulation of air masses are ensured by two bars located under the bottom of the tray. They are also made of foam plastic, with a height of 6 cm and a width of 4 cm. The bars are attached with glue along the bottom walls, with a length of 50 cm.
1 cm above the bottom, on short walls, 3 holes are made for ventilation, at equal intervals and with a diameter of about 12 cm. The holes will be difficult to cut with a knife, so it is better to use a soldering iron.
To ensure a tight fit of the lid to the body, blocks of polystyrene foam with parameters of 2x2 cm must be attached along its edge. There should be a gap of 5 cm from the edge of the sheet to the surface of the block. This arrangement will allow the lid to fit into inner part incubator and fit tightly to the walls.
At the top of the box there is a grid with lamp sockets attached to it.
A thermostat is mounted on the surface of the lid, and its sensor is lowered inside the incubator, at a distance of up to 1 cm from the eggs. The hole for the sensor can be pierced with a sharp awl.
A tray is installed at the bottom, at a distance of 4-5 cm from the walls. This arrangement is necessary for ventilation of the device.
Fans are not a necessary element if the incubator is small in size. If they are installed, the air flow must be directed towards the lamps and not towards the tray with eggs.

For better heat retention, you can paste over inner surface incubator with thermal insulating foil.

DIY incubator from a refrigerator body

Operating principle of the incubator is in many ways similar to the operation of a refrigerator. Thanks to this, you can assemble a convenient and high-quality homemade device from the body of the refrigeration appliance. The material of the refrigerator walls retains heat well, holds a large number of eggs, trays with which can be conveniently placed on the shelves.

The required level of humidity will be maintained by a special system located at the bottom of the device. Before modifying the housing, it is necessary to remove the built-in equipment and the freezer.

To make your own egg incubator from an old refrigerator, you will need the following components:

refrigerator body;
thermostat;
metal rod or chain with sprocket;
light bulbs, power 220 W;
fan;
drive that turns eggs.

Requirements for a homemade incubator

Hatching period usually lasts about 20 days. The humidity inside the incubator at this time should remain between 40-60%. After the chickens hatch from the eggs, it should be increased to 80%. At the stage of selection of young animals, humidity is reduced to the original level.

It is also important for the proper development of eggs temperature regime. Temperature requirements may vary for certain types of eggs. Table 1 shows the required conditions.

Table 1. Temperature conditions for different types eggs

Installation of a ventilation system

Ventilation regulates the temperature and humidity ratio in the incubator. Its speed should be on average 5 m/s. In the refrigerator body you need to drill one hole from the bottom and top, with a diameter of 30 mm. Metal or plastic tubes of the appropriate size are inserted into them. The use of tubes avoids interaction of air with the glass wool located under the wall cladding. The level of ventilation is regulated by completely or partially closing the openings.

Six days after the start of incubation, the embryos require air from outside. By the third week, the egg absorbs up to 2 liters of air per day. Before leaving the egg, the chicken consumes about 8 liters of air mass.

There are two types of ventilation systems:

constant, ensuring continuous air circulation, exchange and distribution of heat;
periodic, activated once a day to replace the air in the incubator.

The presence of ventilation of any type does not eliminate the need to install a device for turning eggs. Using automatic turning prevents the embryo and shell from sticking together.

Constant ventilation system , is placed in the inside of the incubator and expels air through the holes. At the outlet, air flows are mixed and passed through the heaters. Then the air masses descend and are saturated with moisture from water containers. The incubator increases the air temperature, which is subsequently transmitted to the eggs. Having given off heat, the air tends to the fan.

Constant type ventilation is more complex than the variable model. But her job allows simultaneously perform ventilation, heating and humidification inside the incubator.

The periodic ventilation system works on a different principle. First the heating turns off, then the fan turns on. It renews the heated air and cools the egg trays. After 30 minutes of operation, the fan turns off and the heating device comes into operation.

The number of eggs in the incubator determines the fan power. For a medium machine for 100-200 eggs, You will need a fan with the following characteristics:

blade diameter 10-45 cm;
powered by 220 W mains;
with a capacity of 35-200 cubic meters. m/hour.

The fan must be equipped with a filter that will protect the blades from dust, fluff and dirt.

Installation of heating elements

To increase the temperature in the incubator you will need four incandescent lamps with a power of 25 watts (you can replace them with two lamps with a power of 40 watts). The lamps are evenly fixed over the area of the refrigerator, between the bottom and the lid. There should be room in the lower part for a container of water, which will provide air humidification.

Selection of thermostat

A high-quality thermostat can provide optimal temperature conditions in the incubator. There are several types of such devices:

bimetallic strip that completes the circuit when the temperature reaches desired value;
electric contactor - a mercury thermometer equipped with an electrode that turns off the heating when the required temperature is reached;
barometric sensor that closes the circuit when the pressure exceeds the norm.

An automatic temperature regulator ensures convenient operation of the incubator and significantly saves time on its maintenance.

Assembling a mechanism for automatically turning eggs

The standard frequency of egg turning set for mechanisms is twice a day. According to some experts, turning should be done twice as often.

There are two types of egg turning:

inclined;
frame

Inclined type device periodically tilts the tray with eggs at a certain angle. As a result of this movement, the embryos in the eggs change their location in relation to the shell and heating elements.

Frame device to turn over, pushes the eggs together using a frame and ensures their rotation around its axis.

Automatic device for turning eggs is a motor that starts a rod that acts on trays with eggs. Making a basic mechanism for turning eggs in the refrigerator body is quite simple. To do this, you need to install the gearbox in the lower, inner part of the refrigerator. Trays are fixed to wooden frame, with the ability to tilt at an angle of 60 degrees towards the door and towards the wall. The fixation of the gearbox must be strong. The rod is connected at one end to the motor and at the other to the opposite side of the tray. The motor operates a rod, which causes the tray to tilt.

To synchronize chick hatching You need to select eggs of the same size and maintain a uniform heating level throughout the incubator. Making a homemade incubator requires certain skills and abilities. If it is not possible to make an incubator at home or this process seems too complicated, then you can always purchase a ready-made model of the device or its components, for example, a mechanism for turning eggs, trays, a ventilation system.

When laying eggs in an incubator, every poultry farmer wants to get a healthy brood of chickens. But for this it is not enough to purchase or make it yourself good incubator, equipped with the necessary heating, cooling, ventilation and humidification systems. It turns out that eggs need to be given attention every day, or rather, turned over. The frequency of daily turnings depends on the day of laying and the type of bird being hatched. Let's discuss why to do this, how often and how to build a homemade swivel mechanism.

Why turn eggs in an incubator?

The incubator essentially replaces the hen with the goal of hatching as many chicks as possible. For the operation to be successful, the incubation material in the device must be in the same conditions as under the chicken. Therefore, it maintains the same temperature. In addition, it is necessary that the eggs turn over, because this is what the feathered “mother” does.

The bird does this instinctively, not knowing all the processes occurring inside the shell. The poultry farmer needs to understand this in order to provide the egg laying in his incubator with conditions that are as close to natural as possible.

Reasons for egg turning:

uniform heating of the egg from all sides, which contributes to the timely birth of a healthy chicken;
preventing the embryo from sticking to the shell and gluing its developing organs;
optimal use of protein, due to which the embryo develops normally;
before birth, the chick takes the correct position;
Failure to turn over can lead to the death of the entire brood.

Did you know? ABOUT a hen can lay 250-300 eggs in a year.

How often to turn eggs

The automated incubator has a turning function. In such devices, trays can move quite often (10–12 times a day). You just need to choose the appropriate mode. If there is no turning mechanism, then you need to do it by hand.
There are daredevil poultry farmers who claim that even without flipping, you can get a good percentage of the brood. But if the chicken has the instinct to turn her chicks in their shells often and daily, then this is necessary. Without turning them over in the incubator, you have to rely only on chance: maybe it will work, maybe it won’t.

The number of daily turns of eggs depends on the day they are laid in the tray and the type of bird. It is believed that the larger the eggs, the less often they need to be turned.

Experts recommend turning over only twice on the first day: in the morning and in the evening. Next you need to increase the number of turns to 4-6 times. Some poultry houses leave the turning mode 2 times. If you turn less than twice and more than 6 times, then the brood may die: with rare turns, the embryos can stick to the shell, and with frequent turns, they can freeze.
It is best to combine turning over with ventilation. The room temperature should be at least 22–25°C. At night there is no need for this procedure.

Did you know? The brood hen turns her eggs very often, about 50 times a day.

In order not to get confused and not lose track of the regime, many poultry farmers practice keeping a journal in which they record the turning time, the side of the egg (the opposite sides are marked with signs), the temperature and humidity in the incubator.
Table optimal conditions in an incubator for eggs of different birds

Chickens Ducks

1-8	–	38,0	70	–
9-13	4	37,5	60	1
14-24	4	37,2	56	2
25-28	–	37,0	70	1

Geese

1-3	4	37,8	54	1
4-12	4	37,8	54	1
13-24	4	37,5	56	3
25-27	–	37,2	57	1

Guinea fowl

1-13	4	37,8	60	1
14-24	4	37,5	45	1
25-28	–	37,0	58	1

Turkeys

1-6	4	37,8	56	–
7-12	4	37,5	52	1
13-26	4	37,2	52	2
27-28	–	37,0	70	1

Rotary Mechanism Options

Incubators are automatic and mechanical. The first ones save time and effort, but cost a lot. The latter are a cheaper option. In both expensive and cheap models, the rotation mechanism can be of only two types: frame and inclined. Once you know how they function, you can build a similar device with your own hands.

Frame

Operating principle: a special frame pushes the eggs, they begin to roll along the surface, which stops them. Thus, the eggs have time to spin around their axis. This mechanism is suitable only for horizontal laying.
Advantages:

energy efficiency;
ease of operation and functionality;
small dimensions.

Flaws:

the material is laid only in its pure form, since any dirt prevents turning;
the frame shift step is designed only for a certain diameter of the eggs; due to the slightest discrepancy in size, the eggs do not rotate completely;
if the frame is too low, they hit each other, damaging the shell.

Inclined

The principle of operation is swing, loading of material into trays is only vertical.
Advantages:

versatility: material of any diameter can be loaded, this does not affect the angle of rotation of the trays;
safety: the contents of the trays do not touch each other when turning, so there is no damage.

Flaws:

difficulty in maintenance;
large dimensions;
high energy consumption;
high price of automated devices.

How to make a rotary mechanism with your own hands

If you assemble a housing for an incubator from scrap materials ( wooden planks, plywood box, chipboard sheets and polystyrene foam) is quite easy, but building an automatic egg turn is more difficult. To do this, you need to have at least a little understanding of mechanics and electrical engineering. The main thing is to understand the operating principle of this device and strictly adhere to the chosen drawing.

What will you need?

For the construction of a small frame incubator you need to purchase ready-made parts, take used items or make them yourself:

body (wooden box insulated with foam plastic);
tray (metal mesh attached to wooden sides, and wooden frame with restrictive sides, the distance between which corresponds to the diameter of the eggs);
heating element (2 incandescent lamps 25–40 W);
fan (suitable for a computer);
rotation mechanism.

Composition of automatic rotating device:

a low-power motor with several gears with different gear ratios;
a metal rod attached to the frame and motor;
relay for turning the engine on and off.

Main stages of mechanism construction

When the incubator is ready, it’s time to assemble the automation.

Everyone who is involved poultry, have at least once observed how hens (and hens, and ducks, and geese, and turkeys, and any other bird) turn eggs with their beaks in the nest.

This is done for several reasons, including:

When turning the eggs, they heat up more evenly, since the heat source is located on only one side.
Eggs “breathe” better (in the case of an incubator this is not as important as with natural hatching, but many farmers even ventilate the eggs in incubators, providing them with an influx of fresh air).
Turning the eggs ensures the correct development of the chick (the embryo without moving the egg can stick to the shell, the percentage of hatched eggs can be greatly reduced).

The allantois is the embryonic membrane that serves as the respiratory organ of the embryo. In birds, the allantois forms along the walls of the shell around the embryo.

The time for closure of the embryonic membrane is different in all species of birds.

You can track the process using an ovoscope. When candled, the eggs become dark from the sharp end, and an enlarged air chamber is observed at the blunt end.

The mechanism for turning eggs in the incubator - choosing the optimal method

Eggs should be turned over at least 2 times a day when laid horizontally (180° - half a turn). Although some bird breeders recommend doing this more often - every 4 hours.

The modern range of incubators includes a large number of device models with different functionality.
The most inexpensive models are not equipped with an automatic flip mechanism. And therefore, the procedure will have to be performed manually according to a predetermined schedule with a timer. In order not to get confused, a special accounting journal is started, and marks are placed on the eggs with a marker.

More functional models incubators can be equipped with automatic turning over.

Mechanical turning of eggs in an incubator Most often there are two types:

Frame,
Inclined.

The first type of mechanism works on the principle of rolling eggs. That is, the lower part of the egg is stopped by the supporting surface due to friction, and a special frame, moving, pushes the egg, thereby rotating it relative to its axis.

With this type of inversion, eggs are placed in the incubator only horizontally. The frame can move by pushing in one direction, or it can rotate relative to its axis.

The second type of mechanism involves a design that works on the principle of a swing. Eggs in this version are loaded only vertically.

Advantages of frame rotation

The device consumes little energy to turn and can therefore even be used for operation. backup source current (in case of power outage).
The rotation mechanism is quite easy to maintain and functional to use.
This incubator is small in size and does not take up much space.

Flaws

The shear mechanism assumes that the shell is perfectly clean; even a slight contamination can stop the egg, and it will not turn.
The shear pitch directly affects the turning radius of the egg. If the eggs are larger or, conversely, smaller in diameter, as specified by the device manufacturers, then the angle of rotation will be significantly changed to a smaller or larger direction (incubators with circular motion of the frames do not have this drawback; all eggs will be completely turned over).
Some incubator manufacturers do not take into account the dimensions of the eggs, they make low frames and therefore, when shifted, the eggs can hit each other. If the frame moves suddenly due to equipment malfunction (play, incorrect adjustment, etc.), again, the eggs may be damaged.

Advantages of inclined egg turning mechanisms

The eggs are guaranteed to rotate by a given degree, no matter what diameter they are. That is, incubators with an inclined turning mechanism can safely be called universal. They are suitable for eggs of any poultry.
This turning mechanism is the safest in comparison with frame ones, since the horizontal amplitude of movements is small, which means the eggs will hit each other less.

Flaws

The swing mechanism is more difficult to maintain than the frame mechanism.
The cost of incubators with such automatic egg turning is often high.
The dimensions of the end devices and power consumption are higher than their frame counterparts.

The choice of the most optimal mechanism, as when choosing any other device, depends on many factors (the final price of the device, other additional functionality, dimensions, power consumption, etc.), as well as the individual preferences of the breeder.

Egg turning tray in the incubator - nuances

The simplest and most functional variant of the mechanism for turning eggs in the incubator– movable. Most often, the choice for incubators with such equipment falls due to the low final cost.

Below we will look at what to look for when purchasing such a unit.

The tray has a certain volume of egg loading. This indicator is the first thing you need to pay attention to. The capacity of the incubator should be selected based on the planned population of the poultry house. There is no point in taking a large supply, since an increase in the population directly affects the increase in the area of the chicken coop (or premises for raising other types of birds).

Some models of trays are made in the form of thin frames. They are the most inexpensive, however, the most unsafe (the frames bend easily, which can cause the mechanism to fail if large diameter eggs can touch each other, hanging outside the cell, which is dangerous when moving, etc.). It is best to choose trays with fully insulated cells (on all 4 sides of the egg) with high sides.

The cell size and tray shift pitch directly affect the angle of rotation of the egg. Therefore, cell sizes should be selected based on the type of eggs. It is not recommended to place eggs with a small diameter in large cells. For example, for quail eggs the tray should have a smaller cell size, for turkey eggs – a larger one, etc.

If you want a universal incubator with auto-rotation for various types eggs, it is best to pay attention to models with trays with removable partitions. They allow you to choose the required size. In such incubators you can place various types eggs at the same time (there should be eggs of the same diameter in one row).

How to make a homemade mechanism for turning chicken eggs in an incubator

In order to make an automatic egg turning mechanism for an incubator, you will need knowledge of mechanics and electrical engineering.

Below we will look at a simple example of creating a mechanism with horizontal displacement of the tray by electric drive.

Due to the wide variety of engines and methods of technical implementation of movement, it will not be difficult to select the necessary materials.

You can always purchase a version of an incubator with auto-rotation, so creating a mechanism with your own hands is justified only when the price of the tools and materials used does not exceed the price of the finished device.

Electrical circuit of the auto-rotate device

Frame auto-rotate for eggs from simple materials

Basic principles from which to proceed:

The circular motion of the engine rotor must be converted into reciprocating horizontal motion. This is done using a connecting rod mechanism, when a rod attached to one of the points of the circle transmits the cyclic circular motion being performed into the reciprocating motion of the other end.

Due to the fact that many rotary engines have a large number revolutions per unit of time, in order to convert frequent rotations of the axis into rare ones, it is necessary to use a combination of gears with different gear ratios. The number of turns of the final gear must correspond to the time it takes to turn the eggs (in ready-made models, the turn is carried out once every 4 hours). That is, one turn approximately every 2-4 hours.

The reciprocating movement of the rod in one direction should be the full diameter of the egg - this is about 4 cm, or 8 cm - the total length (rotation in each direction will be carried out 180°, that is, in one full cycle last gear - 360° rotation of the egg). To put it simply, the radius of the rod attachment point on the last gear should be equal to the radius of the egg (or slightly larger).

VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS

The assembled mechanism will work as follows:

The engine makes rotational movements with high frequency.
The gear system converts the high speed rotation of the motor shaft into a low rotation speed (approximately 1 rotation every 4-8 hours).
The rod connecting the last gear and the tray with the eggs converts circular movements into horizontal reciprocating movements of the tray (a distance equal to the diameter of the egg).

To hatch chickens at home, you will need to either buy an industrial apparatus or make an incubator yourself. The second option is convenient because it is possible to assemble the device required sizes, and under required quantity eggs In addition, to create it they use cheap materials, such as polystyrene foam or plywood. All the work of turning the eggs and adjusting the temperature can be fully automated.

What you need to create a homemade incubator

The basis of any type of apparatus for hatching chicks is the body. It must retain heat well inside itself so that the temperature of the eggs does not change sharply. Since due to significant jumps, the likelihood of a healthy brood is noticeably reduced. You can make the body of a home incubator from a frame and plywood, polystyrene foam, a TV or refrigerator case. The eggs are laid in wooden or plastic trays with a bottom made of slats or mesh. There are automatic trays with motors that turn the eggs themselves. Or rather, they are deflected to the side after the time indicated on the timer.

To heat the air in a self-assembled incubator, incandescent lamps with a power of 25 to 100 W are most often used, depending on the size of the apparatus. Temperature control is carried out using an ordinary thermometer or electronic thermostat with sensor. To prevent air stagnation in the incubator, natural or forced ventilation. If the device is small, then you just need to make holes near the bottom and on the lid. For an incubator made with your own hands from a refrigerator, you will need to install fans, both above and below. This is the only way to ensure the necessary air movement, as well as uniform heat distribution.

To ensure that the incubation process is not disrupted, you need to correctly calculate the number of trays. The distance between incandescent lamps and the tray must be at least 15 cm.

The same distance must be left between the other trays in the incubator, assembled with your own hands, so that the air movement is free. Also, there should be at least 4-5 cm between them and the walls.

Ventilation holes are made from 12 to 20 mm in size in the upper and lower parts of the incubator.

Before laying eggs, be sure to check whether the fans are positioned correctly and whether the lamp power is sufficient to heat the incubator evenly. This indicator should not exceed ±0.5°C in each corner of the device after complete warm-up.

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

Expanded polystyrene is one of the most popular materials for creating an incubator. It is not only affordable, but has excellent thermal insulation properties and light weight. For manufacturing you will need the following materials:

foam sheets 2 pcs. with a thickness of 50 mm;
tape, glue;
incandescent lamps 4 pcs. 25 W each and cartridges for them;
fan (the one used to cool the computer is also suitable);
thermostat;
trays for eggs and 1 for water.

Before you start assembling an incubator with your own hands, you should draw up detailed drawings with dimensions.

Step by step instructions:

1 – water container; 2 – viewing window; 3 – tray; 4 – thermostat; 5 – thermostat sensor.

If desired or necessary, a fan is installed, but in such a way that the air flow hits the light bulbs and not the eggs. Otherwise they may dry out.

The heat inside the incubator, assembled with your own hands from polystyrene foam, will be retained even better if all the walls, bottom and ceiling are covered with foil thermal insulation.

Incubators with automatic or manual egg turning

For the process to be successful, the eggs must be constantly turned 180°. But doing this manually takes a lot of time. Turning mechanisms are used for this purpose.

There are several types of these devices:

mobile mesh;
roller rotation;
tray tilt 45°.

The first option is most often used in small incubators, for example, foam ones. The principle of operation is as follows: the mesh slowly moves from one side to the other, as a result, the eggs lying in its cells turn over. This process can be automated or done manually. To do this, it is enough to attach a piece of wire to the mesh and bring it out. The disadvantage of this mechanism is that the egg can simply drag through and not turn over. Roller rotation is less commonly used in homemade incubators with automatic egg turning, since its creation requires a lot of round parts and bushings. The device operates using rollers covered with a mosquito net.

To prevent the eggs from rolling, they are in cells wooden lattice. When the belt starts moving, all the eggs turn over.

A rotating mechanism that tilts trays is used in incubators. large sizes, for example, made from a refrigerator. In addition, this method performs its task better than others, since in any case, each egg tilts. There are automatic egg turning trays. They come with a motor and power supply. There are several smaller ones in one tray. Each rotates separately after a user-set time.

How to make a device for hatching chicks from a refrigerator or plywood

Before you start making an incubator with your own hands, you need to draw up a drawing and diagram for connecting all the elements. All shelves are removed from the refrigerator, including the freezer.

Step by step instructions:

Holes for incandescent lamps and one through hole for ventilation are drilled in the ceiling from the inside.
It is recommended to line the walls of a homemade refrigerator incubator with sheets of polystyrene foam, then it will retain heat longer.
Old shelf grates can be converted into trays or new ones can be placed on them.
A thermostat is attached to the top outside of the refrigerator, and the sensor is installed inside.
Closer to the bottom, at least 3 holes are drilled for air ventilation, measuring 1.5x1.5 cm.
For better circulation, you can install 1 or 2 fans on top near the lamps and the same number below on the floor.

To make it more convenient to monitor the temperature and eggs, you need to cut a hole in the door for an observation window. It is covered with glass or transparent plastic, the cracks are carefully coated, for example, with sealant.

The video shows an incubator made with your own hands from a refrigerator.

If there is no refrigerator, then the frame is made from wooden beams, and the walls are made of plywood. Moreover, they must be two-layer, and insulation is placed between them. Light bulb sockets are attached to the ceiling, and bars for installing the tray are mounted in the middle of two walls. Another additional light bulb is placed at the bottom for better evaporation of water. The distance between it and the tray should be at least 15-17 cm. A viewing window with sliding glass for ventilation is made in the lid. Closer to the floor, holes are drilled along the long walls for air circulation.

Using the same principle, incubators are often made from TV cases for a small number of eggs. The process of turning eggs in them is most often carried out manually, as it takes a little time. Trays can be made from rounded slats. This incubator does not need fans, since ventilation occurs every time the lid is opened to turn the eggs.

A container of water is placed at the bottom of any incubator to create the optimal level of humidity necessary for the eggs.

To hatch a very small batch of chicks (10 pcs.), you can use 2 inverted basins. To do this, one of them is turned over onto the second and secured at one end with a furniture canopy. The main thing is that they cannot move away from each other. A light bulb socket is attached to the ceiling from the inside. Sand is poured onto the bottom, which is covered with foil and hay. The foil should have many holes with a diameter of 3 mm so that moisture can pass through it. To regulate the temperature, use a bar with steps, which is inserted between the basins.

In order for chicks to hatch in any incubator at the same time, the eggs must be the same size, and uniform heating of the entire space of the apparatus is also necessary.

Two-chamber homemade incubator - video

Electrical diagram of the egg turning system in the incubator.

The components of the proposed electrical circuit are assembled from the simplest parts and mechanisms.

Automatic egg turning system consists of a mechanical part connected by hinged joints to the cart on which trays with eggs are located, or directly to the trays themselves, and an electrical part, including limit switches (fixed position sensors) and an actuator unit.

Mode switch for the electrical circuit for turning eggs in the incubator.

We used a small quartz alarm clock made in China. IN technological equipment industrial incubators used a system mechanical watch with limit switches triggered by pressing adjusting bolts installed on the time scale of a disk rotating instead of arrows.

A similar system was taken as a basis.

On the dial of a quartz watch, every 90° (15, 30, 45, 60 minutes) there are contacts through which voltage is supplied to the windings of the control relay. And the contacts are closed by the minute hand, on which a small springy electrical contact is attached to the bottom side.

The dial can be processed in any way: glue slip rings, fuse wire with a hot soldering iron, place foil getinax with contact markings, use photocells, reed switches - everything is at the discretion of the designer and everything depends on the available materials.

The spring contact installed on the minute hand is made of tinned copper wire, it is softer than steel.

The arrow is plastic and it is easy to fuse it with a hot soldering iron or glue a ready-made contact.

The electrical circuit of the incubator rotary system is assembled to a minimum and is easy to assemble.

The operating principle of the electrical system for turning eggs in an incubator.

The control contacts (SAC1) close every 15 minutes. The clock works as usual.

Electric drive unit for the egg turning system in the incubator.

Any drive mechanism can be used: children's electric toys, an electric drill unit, an old mechanical alarm clock, an electric drive mechanism for a car wiper, a rotary mechanism from a household fan heater or fan, an electromagnetic traction relay with a vacuum regulator, use a ready-made one from automatic control washing machine or make your own screw one with minimal details (by the way, very simple and convenient). Depends on the design and size of the incubator itself.

If you use a gearbox with a crank mechanism, then the main shaft must have a diameter longer stroke of the rotating frame (with the frame in a horizontal position on the tray). With a screw mechanism, the length of the working threaded part corresponds to the stroke distance of the egg turning system.

Electric drive of the egg turning system in the incubator screw mechanism it is controlled by an electric motor with reversible switching, that is, the engine is switched on alternately in the left and right direction of rotation.

Description of the operation of the electrical circuit of the incubator rotary system.

Powered by a battery, the quartz alarm clock operates in normal mode. At regular intervals, namely: every fifteen minutes of the current time, the minute hand, passing over the contacts fixed on the dial, brings a spring contact to them and closes through them electrical circuit. Thus, a control signal is generated for the control relay (K2 or K3).

From the reverse side of the relay (K2 or K3), the electrical signal is sent to the limit switch (SQ1 or SQ2).

There is a rod on the movable mechanism of the rotary system, which, moving together with the movable part of the system, presses on the limit switch key, being in one of the extreme positions and thereby breaking the chain: mode switch - control relay - limit switch.

Simply put, it turns out like this: from the mode switch (modified alarm clock), with its contacts closed, voltage is supplied to the control relay and then to the limit switch. If the limit switch is in the closed state, the control relay will turn on and close the drive relay control circuit with its contacts, which will supply power to the electric drive of the turning system.

The system will start and move the mechanism to one of two positions, carried out when turning the eggs in the incubator. The extreme position will be fixed by turning off the limit switch by pressing the rod moved with the frame onto the switch key.

The circuit with a reversible connection of an electric motor is slightly different in that it adds a second drive relay with two controlled (switched) contacts.

Electronics enthusiasts can use a digital timer with self-starting after a cycle or a time relay, once used by amateur photographers. There are many options. You can buy a ready-made electronic unit. Everything depends on possibilities.

List of some details.

SAC1 - mode switch.
K3 and K4 - control relays of type RES-9(10.15) or similar.
K1 and K2 are drive relays with switching current, respectively, according to the load current.
HV - light indicators.
SQ1 and SQ2 are limit switches. You can use microswitches (MS) from old cassette recorders.