Domesticated quail females may lose their egg-hatching instinct. However, even if the bird is able to incubate offspring, it still will not be able to take more than 15 eggs. In this regard, the breeder must definitely acquire an incubator, which will replace the hen. To do this, you do not have to go to a hardware store, because a device of a modern type can be made in a home workshop.
Why do you need an incubator?
Quails are usually abundant because they are small in size. However, for the required population, sometimes the natural offspring is not enough, since one female can hatch no more than 12-15 eggs. In addition, she may completely refuse to hatch them.
To solve this problem, an incubator is needed - a hermetically made box that provides thermal insulation, special heating and egg trays. So, all the conditions are artificially created in it for the production of full-fledged chicks from fertilized eggs.
There are a large number of incubator models in hardware stores, but they are not cheap. To significantly reduce your costs, the device can be assembled with your own hands using available materials and ready-made drawings.
Requirements
If the device does not meet a number of requirements, during its operation all eggs can be lost at once. So, when making an incubator by hand, the following rules must be taken into account:
- The incubator should be kept at a temperature between 37.3-38.3 ° C. In the very room where the device will stand, it should not be lower than 20 ° C. As for humidity, in the chamber it should be 50-50%, and outside the chamber - 20%.
- The easiest way to heat the box is to use conventional 40 W incandescent lamps. To heat a small space of such lamps, 4 pieces are enough. As an alternative to them, you can use a heating element, but in this case, the design will be more complex.
- Heat should be evenly distributed throughout the incubator. This is not an easy task, given that warm air tends to rise. For example, hatching eggs often have to be swapped. In industrial appliances, this requires swapping the trays, and in household appliances, transferring eggs from the middle to the edges. However, there is another option: equip the device with two heat sources, placing the first one under the lid and the second one on the lid. As heating elements, you can use incandescent lamps with a power of 25 W (2 each at the top and bottom).
- To optimize the temperature regime, the bottom of the trays should be made of metal mesh, since it passes warm air much faster. It is better to make the trays themselves not stationary, but mobile, on each of the three rows installing not one continuous tray, but two 1/3 of the row area. This will solve the problem of temperature fluctuations, since the egg will constantly be in the middle of the device, and the entire incubation process will take place in an optimal mode.
- If possible, the cover of the device should not be made from the side (on the entire wall), but from above. This way the incubator will not cool quickly when turning the eggs.
- For the manufacture of the device body, you can use various materials - from a wooden box to an old refrigerator. However, in any case, it will be necessary to provide the device with sufficient thermal insulation using modern insulation materials.
During the incubation period, the temperature inside the device must be maintained at 37.3-38.3 ° C and humidity up to 50-55%. These parameters should not depend on current fluctuations in the outlet, or from a power outage. You can read more about how the incubation of quail eggs takes place here.
Construction principle
When making a homemade incubator, you can use a variety of materials and blueprints. Moreover, the principle of action is practically the same:
- A box of the required size is used as a body, and insulating walls are made to maintain a stable temperature and humidity in it. Outside, they can also be overlaid with expanded polystyrene plates or roll insulation, and on top - sheathed with plywood. You can also use an old refrigerator as a case, on top of which you need to drill several holes for ventilation and install a glass to observe the state of the eggs.
- The inside of the chamber or box is cleaned up to clean and disinfect the cavity in the future.
- To install the mesh with eggs, stops and a sealed hatch are made.
- To maintain the desired humidity level, an evaporator is installed at the bottom of the chamber. The nets must be installed higher, otherwise the chicks may drown in the bath.
- To ensure that all eggs are evenly heated, an internal fan with intermittent switching is installed on the upper and lower grid.
- An airspace is organized in the chamber so that the nets with eggs can be turned 45 degrees. So, the distance from the floor to the tray must be at least 10 cm. As for the distance from the tray to the ceiling or the upper sight glass, it must be calculated depending on the heating method. If 40 W bulbs are used, then it should also be at least 10 cm.
- To make trays for eggs, you can pull any suitable material, for example, nylon fishing line, over the foam frame. The main thing is that the eggs do not roll over when the tray is turned over, and the hatched chicks do not fall into the cells.
- For incubation of birds, mains power is used. In this case, it is worth connecting the battery in case of emergencies.
- To monitor the temperature in the chamber, a mercury thermometer is installed, which is usually used to monitor the operation of temperature sensors. It should not touch the eggshell. To measure humidity, a psychrometer is installed.
- When the chicks are born, a fine spray mist is created in the chamber so that the shell is easily separated when it is destroyed by its beak. Chicks dry in the chamber for 1-2 days.
- The finished incubator is installed on a raised platform.
By assembling an incubator with your own hands, you can get a structure of this type:
How to make a foam box incubator?
Polyfoam has the property of maintaining the required temperature, therefore it can be used as the main material in the manufacture of an incubator.
Option number 1
How the device will look in section can be seen in the diagram:
Before assembling the device, you must prepare:
- 2 sheets of Styrofoam or a finished styrofoam box;
- incandescent lamp 40 W or 4 lamps of 15 W;
- glass or plastic;
- egg tray;
- water tray;
- fan;
- thermal insulation foil;
- thermostat;
- Scotch;
- glue;
- soldering iron;
- drill.
The structure is assembled in this order:
- Cut the first foam sheet into 4 equal parts to get the sides of the box. Glue the resulting walls in the form of a box.
- Cut the second foam sheet into 2 equal parts. Take the first of them and divide into 2 parts 60 cm and 40 cm wide to get the cover and bottom of the structure.
- Cut a window in the lid with equal sides (in the form of a square). Cover it with glass or plastic.
- Glue the bottom to the previously assembled box. Glue the seams with adhesive tape, and sheathe the inner walls with thermal insulation foil.
- Cut the legs from the last sheet of polystyrene - bars 6 cm high and 4 cm wide. Glue them to the bottom.
- Drill or burn through the sides with a soldering iron 3 holes for ventilation with a diameter of 12 mm. They should be 1 cm above the bottom.
- Attach lamp holders inside the box.
- Install a thermostat on the outside of the lid, and fix the sensor inside at a height of 1 cm from the egg tray.
- Insert the egg tray.
- Attach a fan to the cover of the structure.
- Place a tray with water at the bottom of the incubator.
Option number 2
A more complex type of incubator from a foam box can be assembled. This will also require preparing cans, aluminum sheet, 15W light bulbs and a cooler to maintain an even temperature inside the device. The structure is assembled in this order:
- Tape the inner walls of the box with foil-clad polyethylene to keep the incubator warm.
- Attach a cooler and light bulbs to the plywood sheet, as direct attachment to the foam will be unreliable. The cooler must be installed at such an angle that it blows over the bulbs.
- Cut out "screens" from cans to evenly distribute heat radiation from light bulbs.
- Cut holes in the lid of the box and attach a piece of glass so that the farmer can observe the state of the eggs.
- Make a few small holes in the box to provide fresh air for the chicks.
- Place a 40x30 metal grid on the bottom. Sharpen all mesh points with a file.
- Attach a piece of wire to the wire rack to form a handle to turn the tray over.
- Place a container with water on the bottom of the structure to maintain the moisture level.
To regulate the temperature, a digital controller can be installed in the incubator. In addition, you should remember about the psychrometer, which will help maintain a constant humidity level.
Incubator assembly options from a wooden box
The basis of such an incubator is a wooden box or frame. From the inside, it is insulated with plywood, foam or heat insulator. To create the necessary conditions, heating lamps and water trays are also installed. There are several options for assembling this design.
Option number 1
A simple construction, which requires:
- box;
- foam sheets;
- plywood sheet;
- metal construction mesh;
- one 40 W incandescent lamp or 4 15 W lamps.
When assembling a product from a wooden frame made from bars, you can proceed from the following drawing:
The incubator is assembled in several stages:
- Sheathe the box with pieces of plywood and additionally insulate the walls with foam.
- Drill several ventilation holes with a diameter of 1 cm in the bottom part.
- Make a glass window in the lid so that in the future you can monitor the eggs in the trays and control the temperature inside the incubator.
- Under the cover, mount the electrical wiring with lamp holders, which must be placed in each corner of the product.
- Attach the egg tray to the foam support approximately 10 cm above the bottom.
- Pull a metal mesh on top of the tray.
Option number 2
Advantages of the model:
- wooden box;
- a sheet of plywood, foam or heat insulator;
- cover;
- 3 wooden logs;
- 2 water trays;
- metal mesh;
- retaining rails;
- 2 heating resistors (PEV-100, 300 Ohm);
- incandescent lamps with a power of 40 W;
- wire in heat-resistant insulation.
To make an incubator, you need to follow this sequence:
- Sheathe the walls of the box with heat-insulating material - plywood, foam or heat insulator.
- Make a viewing window in the lid, which is covered with glass.
- Drill through holes in the lid and equip them with movable strips, which, if necessary, can be opened or closed.
- Install 40 W lamps in each corner. Route the wiring 20 cm below the cover.
- Pull a wire mesh or wire rack over a metal frame to create an egg tray. Install it 10 cm above the bottom.
- Install a fan, thermometers and a thermostat inside the box. Thus, it will be possible to control the microclimate inside the device, and, if necessary, change the temperature and humidity level.
- Place trays of water on the "floor".
Homemade incubator according to Dulik's scheme
Amateur poultry farmer S. E. Dulik offers a rather complex design, equipped with a heating element in the form of an iron tank with water. However, this provides good results during operation, since this heating method does not depend on voltage and provides uniform heating. Even in the event of a power outage, the chicks will be fine.
Dulik's scheme looks like this:
To independently make such an incubator, you need to understand the principle of its construction:
- A distinctive characteristic of the incubator is a heating element in the form of a water tank (1). It is responsible for the even distribution of heat inside the device. The main thing is that it will function regardless of the presence of voltage. Such a tank is made of iron 4 mm thick. It can be made of galvanized iron, but the seams will need to be soldered in order.
- Nozzles (2) with a height of 30 mm are made from 4 ”pipe pieces and welded into the top tank cap. The inner hole must be 10 mm smaller than the diameter of the nozzle.
- The formed side is necessary for the lamp stopper (3) made of 4-5 mm thick mold. You also need to cut out two discs from it - an outer diameter of 95 mm and an inner one, the size of which must match the size of the cartridge. The resulting fastening elements will also be indicators of the inclusion of heating, since through them you can see the process of heating the water.
- In the design itself, the bulbs of 100 W lamps are lowered into the water up to the cartridges themselves. They must be selected with an external nut so that the lamps can be adjusted in relation to the height of the socket. In addition, 2 lamps are required to duplicate the heaters. They are connected in parallel with the load of the thermostat.
- The tank is filled to the brim with water. To be able to drain it, the side of the container is equipped with a valve (4). Additionally, it is recommended to sheathe the tank with a heat insulator - 40 mm foam plastic. In this case, if the electricity is cut off within 10-12 hours, the water will only cool by 0.5-1 ° C.
- The structure itself is made of a wooden frame, consisting of 5 bars measuring 40x40 mm, as well as 2 trays: the lower one (6) is used for trays with water, and the upper one (7) is used for laying eggs. The upper tray must be made of 12 mm thick planks, and the bottom of the incubator must be sheathed with a mesh with 13x13 mm cells. It is already necessary to put a nylon mesh on it for storing eggs.
- The front wall of the upper tray is sealed with double glass (8) to retain heat in the chamber and control the temperature inside it. Wooden pads are attached to the glazed frame (9). For this, screws and PVA glue are used. These pads should protrude approximately 20 mm on all sides beyond the front wall to seal the tray with foam cushions and prevent heat leakage from the hatch chamber.
- The bottom wooden tray (6) must have a bottom made of fiberglass with a thickness of 2 mm (10). It must be attached to the frame with screws from the bottom. The bottom should protrude 20 mm from the sides of the tray so that, if necessary, slide the container along the grooves cut in the wooden plates (11) into the incubator itself. In front, to this tray, you need to attach the cover plate (12) with screws. It is advisable to glue the front part with foam.
- In the lower part of the frame there are bars with 9 holes on each side with a diameter of 12 mm. They must be opened to ventilate the incubator. Additionally, you should also make the upper through slots (14) 180 mm long. They should be right and left at the top of the frame. Thus, the top of the slots should be level with the bottom of the tank. In addition, they need to be equipped with small valves of two halves.
- The finished frame is sheathed with foam and fiberboard from all sides.
Small-sized incubator from a plastic bucket
If the farm is hatching a small number of eggs, it is best to make a small-sized incubator from a plastic bucket with a lid. The scheme of this design is as follows:
Such an incubator is made very simply:
- Cut a small viewing window into the cover.
- Attach a heat source to the lid from the inside. It is enough to use 1-2 incandescent lamps.
- Place a mesh egg tray in the middle of the bucket.
- Drill several ventilation holes in the side wall at a distance of 70-80 mm from the bottom.
- Pour some water into the bottom of the bucket to create the desired moisture level.
In such an incubator, the egg tray must be turned over regularly. To do this, it is enough to slightly change the slope of the bucket, but taking into account the fact that the angle of inclination should not be more than 45 degrees.
How to make an incubator from an old refrigerator?
The body of an old refrigerator is excellent for making an incubation block, since it is spacious enough, has the required degree of tightness and thermal insulation. This option is especially attractive for amateur poultry breeders, since it involves simple installation, which is obvious from the design drawing:
To convert a refrigerator into an incubator, you need to perform several steps:
- instead of shelves for storing food, install trays with eggs;
- insulate the walls from the inside with foam;
- make holes in the walls for ventilation and install a fan;
- install incandescent lamps for heating, and a thermostat for temperature control;
- to maintain the desired humidity level, place pallets with water on the bottom;
- make a metal lever to turn the eggs.
Thus, in order to re-equip the refrigerator, it is necessary to prepare the following materials and tools:
- egg trays with grates - 3 pcs .;
- handle for turning trays;
- bulbs 100 W - 6 pcs.;
- fan;
- thermostat sensor;
- thermometer;
- psychrometer;
- water tray;
- metal plates - 2 pcs.;
- window glass;
- Scotch;
- drill;
- screwdrivers;
- screws.
Dismantling the refrigerator is performed in the following order:
- Drill 4 through holes with a diameter of 1-1.5 cm in the lid and bottom of the refrigerator to ensure natural air exchange.
- Attach a fan to the upper wall.
- Install a thermostat on the cover.
- Attach bulbs on the side panels - 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. Connect them to the thermostat. You can simply attach 2-4 lamp holders to the ceiling of the camera using ordinary self-tapping screws and conduct electrical wiring to them.
- Install temperature and humidity sensors to the inner walls.
- Fix metal plates on the side panels, and fasten the trays to them with screws. They should look to one side and the other at a 45 degree angle.
- Attach a metal lever or handle to flip the trays at the same time.
- Make a viewing window in the door and glaze it. Place a tray with water at the bottom.
To keep the heat in the chamber well, it is recommended to insulate the inside of the refrigerator with foam plastic plates.
The scheme of the finished incubator will look like this:
An overview of a homemade incubator from the refrigerator is offered in the video below:
Useful Tips
When making an incubation box, experienced breeders recommend adhering to these recommendations:
- For uniform heating of the grid with eggs, incandescent lamps should be installed both below and under the cover.
- For natural ventilation, be sure to make several round holes in the lid.
- Provide a backup heat source in case of a power outage. To do this, make a special chamber at the bottom, which is separated from the rest of the incubator with three-layer plywood. Drill many holes in it. Release the aluminum canister into the resulting compartment. If the electricity turns off, you need to pour boiling water into the canister, and then close all the ventilation and cover the incubator with a blanket. The heat from a homemade battery will radiate for 12-14 hours.
- Prevent sharp shocks and noise in the room, otherwise the embryos may get scared and lag behind in development.
- Do not use outdoor thermometers for temperature control, as they involve a rather high error. The best option is medical devices. They can be placed next to the eggs, but they must not be allowed to come into contact with the shell, otherwise the accuracy of their readings will suffer. For the data to be accurate, measurements should be taken some time after turning on the incubator and at regular intervals.
- If the appliance is large, an ordinary fan can be used to help maintain the temperature balance inside the chamber.
- The incubator must be installed on an elevated surface in a room where the room temperature is maintained, direct sunlight does not fall and there are no drafts.
Knowing the design features of the incubator, you can make it yourself, using ready-made drawings and instructions. At the same time, any homemade design should be tested before operation. It needs to be turned on “idle” for several days in order to monitor how the sensors work and whether the temperature is well maintained.