INCUBATOR EGG TRAYS

 

Egg trays for incubation comes in many different types and sizes.

We have plastic egg trays which are easly accessible in nearby poultry shops  or you can get them online.We also have home made which are used using wood ,pvc pipes,shade cloth,mesh wire etc.First we look at those egg trays which we buy from shops(Plastic egg trays). Plastic egg trays are generally used on automatic incubators and comes in different sizes depending with your required size of your incubator.The smallest being 28cm ×28cm which can hold up 30eggs.These trays are connected to the auto turning motor so that they rotate regullary to the set rotation time stamps. Trays are set at a rotating angle of 45° moving up and down , they have a special hole size that can hold the eggs and prevent them from falling off.Plastic trays are strong and last long in the incubator.

Homemade Egg tray.

These trays are mostly designed by your creativeness and they normally don't have a specific measurement guideline.Mostly we make these trays using wood(brandering),shade cloth,mesh wire,screws,nails and plywood strips.Homemade tray are usually for manual incubators thus they hold the egg and we rotated them manually using our hands on a certain time frame. We also have Pvc egg trays which are made using pvc pipes and those pipes purpose is to roll the eggs (turn) them semi-matically or automatically. The designs of the pvc trays depends also on your creativity and the capacity you want to hold determines your trays.

It is very important to know the spacing og trays from one to the other and i strongly reccomend to use these guidelines for better incubators  and higher hatch rate.

Automatic incubators 17.5cm and manual 13,5cm. 

TEMPERATURE CONTROLLER FOR INCUBATORS

 

Temperature controllers comes in different models and capacity.Today i am going to look at two types of temperature controllers. 

PURPOSE OF TEMPERATURE CONTROLLER.

Temperature controllers are used in incubation to provide the required temperature at a constant level all round the incubation period.Eggs that are fertile are living things and for them to develop from embyro to chickens they require certain temperatures to full grow. This is the main reason when we build incubators we need temperature controllers to regulate the temperature inside our incubators.

M452 Controller.

This is the most efficient and money saving controller and it regulates both temperature and humidity in our incubators.It is set to a required temperature (For incubation 37,5°C to 37,8°C) when set the moment it reaches the set temperature it will automatically switch off so that it provide the much needed temperature for incubation.M452 controller is connected to the 220V power supply and has an excellent level of accuracy. It also controls humidity in our incubators with the same mechanism of switching off automatically when it has reached the required humidity.When the temperature and humidity decrease or is below the required percentage or degrees it will switch on automatically , this process goes on until the incubation period ends.

Temperature controllers should be switched on all the time and we have power shedding we will use digital temperature and humidity controllers which are good for backing up electricity powered controllers.We have to maintain temperature for eggs to hatch.

12VOLTS DC FAN FOR INCUBATORS

 

When building an egg incubator you need good quality parts and i will introduce you to the best materials for you to produce good incubators.

12 Volts DC Fan

This is one of the most important part needed to build an egg incubator.It's very neccessary to have this fan if you are to build/construct an incubator which has the capacity to hold more than 60 eggs(with the use of egg trays). This fan is connected to DC power output meaning that if you have a 12V battery you are good to go and if you have power source(electricity) you need to connect this fan to a 12V DC adaptor for it to be supplied with enough energy to make it work.

Note: Connecting this fan direct to 220V is strongly not reccomended it will surely burn out and will not work.

The use of this fan is very important and will explain how it works inside the incubator.

HOW IT WORKS ?

This fan is for air circulation inside your incubator and the main purpose of it, is to circulate air freely inside the incubator.Eggs need oxygen to survive (develop). So we use the 12V fan on our incubators to rotate the air inside to provide good air distrubition in our incubator. The number of fans to be installed is determined by the egg capacity of your incubator.

• 60 egg incubators you need the least 2 fans connected on both ends like facing each other (opposite directions). These fans should run continuosly non stop until the incubation proccess is complete.
• 100-150 Egg incubators...3 or 4 fans must be installed in the incubator.The positioning of these fans is important and good guidelines should be used to make the perfect setting up of your fans. Depending on your box you will have to consult an expert to give you advice on where to place your fans.These fans should run for the entire incubation period thus 21 days.
• 200 or more Egg incubator you will need four or more fans including one extraction fan *will look into extraction fan in details later*. The positioning of these fans also depends on how you have build your incubator box and these fans should run non stop for the entire incubation period.

Building an incubator without fan/s is not adviceable please make sure you try by all means to get these fans.New or second hand fans are available in your area.

AUTOMATIC INCUBATOR DIAGRAM

Automatic Egg Incubator diagram

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 A simple illustration/diagram of an automatic egg incubator.

Building a simple egg incubator is simple but needs commitment.Anyone anywhere can make his/her own incubator at home....but the most important thing is to follow the standard guidelines like measurements ,temperature and humidity.You might make one top of the class or state-of-the-art incubator but without following the the guidelines you are doing absolute nothing.

Personally i started making egg incubators a few years ago and with research i am now able to construct many different types of incubators from manual,semi-matic and automatic.

What i would urge you is to continue to practice doing this on a regular basis.It takes time to be an expert but i strongly urge you to master all the concepts.

"Great achievement is not done from a thousand miles but from the first step...(JMinjale)".

INCUBATION PROCEDURES

It is important that the conditions and length of storage play a major role in changes to the physical -chemical properties of eggs ,development and survival of the embyro and therefore the hatch results. 

Initially preheat compansate for the egg storage. Preheating minimizes the adverse impact of storage and is achieved in three ways

1. Favour the regeneration of cells that die during storage.
2. To better co-ordinate embryo development before incubation starts.
3. Reduce hatch window and thus improve chick quality. 

Preheating methods vary from hatchery to hatchery but they are all based on a progressive in temperature to a level that allows regeneration of cell growth. The morphological development of the embryo continues when the internal egg temperature is more than 27°C. The goal of preheating is therefore to bring the eggs to a temperature that will promote cell growth during a period that is sufficiently long to permit majority of embryos to arrive at the same level of development.

Conditions of Preheating.

In front of the incubator (Controlled by temperature ,but minimal air movement.

Temperature 25-27°C

Humidity 50-55%

Duration(minimum) - 12hours

In the incubator.

Temperature  25-27°C

Humidity 50-55%

Duration 8hours..

The embryonic development is essentially controlled by temperature. It is one of the most important parameters in determining the incubation conditions.

Heat production from the embryos.

During the embryonic development they are two important periods.

1. Endothemic at the start of incubation,lasting for about 8-9days.
2. Exothemic at the end of incubation ,lasting for 7-8days.

Between the two ,a stage called isothemic which is often very short is also sometimes mentioned. Incubation programs should take into account the growth potential of the breed and it is impossible to satisfy the needs of all breeds with different growth potential if they are incubated in the same machine. Here i strongly urge you to incubate one type of breed in the incubator. Large eggs have different requirements and cannot be incubated with smaller eggs. The concept of heat percieved is different to that of heat produced;the first being very dependant on the surrounding environment of the egg(including shell quality). While the second is intristic to embryo metabolism.

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CANDLING OF EGGS.

INCUBATION TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY.

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   Temperature and humidity looks simple but is the most important part of hatching.Temperature for Fan forced incubator must be 37,5 -37,8°C measured anywhere in the incubator.
• Humidity 55% for the first 18 days ,60-65% for the last three days in the incubator.Keeping the temperature accurate can be a struggle even with good temperature controllers...you can check the temperature this way;

1. Keep notes on everything during the incubation period as you learn you will have these notes to look on back on.

Temperature is important and has to be exact all the time. A small drop in temperature can and will ruin the hatch.

Try to get your humidity as close as you can because getting the exact humidity is difficult wit small incubators(that will be fine)It helps your hatch.

An important note about Incubator humidity.

As seasons change ,so goes humidity e.g when incubating in rain season humidity is high and when incubating during hot seasons humidity is low.Hatching problems will change as the seasons progresses.Your incubator humidity changes directly to the outside humidity.

Low outside - Low in Incubator.

High outside - Hign in Incubator.

HOW TO ADJUST HUMIDITY ?

To adjust you need to constantly change the surface area of the water in your incubator...surface area is the amount of water exposed to air in incubator.If the humidity is too low add surface area by placing onether water pan/container/bowl or small wet sponge in your incubator .Alternatively you can spray eggs with a fine mist. To decrease the humidity remove the surface area.

STANDARD EGG FOR HATCHING.

A hatchery egg is ; an egg that comes from the parent flock that is bred properly according to good production pratices including a proper male/female ratio ,according to the technical requirements of each species or breed including proper body weight and fed with a nutritionally appropiate feed(good quality)

PROPER WEIGHT ...not too big,not too small.(NOTE that the weight depends on species and breed e.g

1.Chicken 45-48 grams. 

2.Hyline brown chicken 53-58 grams.

3.Duck 55-60 grams.

-Typical (not malinformed) shape and colour.

-Has never been dirty - scraping manure or dirt of the shell does not make an egg clean. The shell is not rough ,not too thick ,nit too thin. No blood stains or cracks in the egg.

HOW TO RECOGNISE THAT HAS BEEN STORED FOR TOO LONG? 

Eggs stored for long time (more than 7 days) often have the following charecteritics.

Egg shells shells are glossy. Big air cells are seen upon candling. The yolks move quickly upon egg rotation. The yolk can stick to one end of the egg which can be seen upon candling.

Why is it neccessary to store eggs properly ? 

To ensure high hatchability and healthy chicks, eggs for incubation must be stored properly.Handle eggs carefully everytime they are moved. Eggs must be kept in a well ventilated,dry,clean area.The storage must be maintained at proper temperature and humidity so that they will be no rotten and embryos will not die or develop too early.

MOST SUITABLE TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY.

Temperature

7 day 16°C - 18°C.

4 day 18°C - 24°C.

Humidity

7 day 75%-80%.

4 day 75%-80%.

Do not store eggs in temperature below 12°C and over 26°C. Store eggs as early as possible to avoid early embryo development. Do not store for more than 7 days.

Eggs muststored in cold or air conditioned rooms should not be placed in incubators right away to avoid temperature shock that can lead to high ratio of dead embryos. Eggs taken out of the air conditioned rooms can "sweat" and should be left outside to warm up until the shells are dry before setting them into the incubator.

How can eggs be stored for incubation if they are no storage rooms?...if they are no storage rooms ,move eggs directly to incubation- do not cool them down at this point.

HOW TO BUILD A SIMPLE INCUBATOR.

 

Building an Incubator

An incubator for a science project need not be as elaborately constructed as a commercial incubator. One can be made from cardboard boxes and glass and the other from plywood (or similar material) and glass.

Don't expect 100 percent success in hatching eggs in these or any other incubators. Commercial hatcheries with all their highly automatic and specialized equipment do not average much more than an 80 percent hatch of all the eggs they incubate. Plan on hatching no more than 50 percent, and you may not even succeed in hatching that many.

The following supplies are needed to construct an inexpensive cardboard box incubator that will hold three dozen or more eggs:

• Two cardboard boxes, one 16 inches wide x 20 inches long x 13 inches (or more) high
• One pane of plexiglass, 16 inches x 20 inches
• 1/4 mesh welded hardware cloth
• One porcelain socket and light bulb or one commercial heating element
• Cake tin (water pan) 1-1/2 inches deep x approximately 9 inches x 13 inches
• Glue
• Masking or duct tape
• Newspapers, wood shavings, or styrofoam
• Two brooding or incubator thermometers
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Instructions for Making an Incubator

1. Place the smaller box inside the larger one. The inner box should be higher than the outer box and approximately two inches smaller in both length and width.
2. Mark a line on the inside box approximately 1/4 inch below the level of the outside box. Use a yardstick to make a straight line on the inner box after it is removed from the outer box.
3. Cut off the top of the inside box along the line made in step 2.
4. Use cut-away pieces of the inside box to line the bottom of both the inner and outer boxes where there are openings where the flaps do not meet. If there are no cut-away pieces, cut up a third box to use.
5. Put glue on the bottom of the inner box, and then center the inner box in the outer one. There should be a one inch space between the sides of the boxes. Secure the inner box until the glue dries.
6. Mark a line on the flaps of the outside box where they come in contact with the inner edge of the inside box.
7. Cut off the flaps of the outside box along the lines drawn in step 6. Cut the corner pieces on a diagonal so that they will make a neat, flat corner.

8. Stuff strips of newspaper lightly into the space between the boxes. Do not bulge the sides of the incubator. Wood shavings, excelsior, or styrofoam can be used in place of newspaper strips.
9. Use tin snips to cut a 2-inch square from each corner of the 1/4-inch mesh hardware cloth, then bend the projecting pieces of the screen down so that they form legs to support the screen.
10. Place the cake tin, that will cover about one-half of the surface area of the inside box, under the hardware cloth screen.
11. Install the commercial heating element as directed in the instructions sent with the unit. If you use an electric light for heat, mount the porcelain socket on a board 6 inches square, then place the mounting board on the screen. Next, place a tube of cardboard around the light. Position the tube so that it surrounds the light and stands like a chimney, but to reduce the fire hazard do not let it touch either the light bulb or the covering plexiglass. An oatmeal box makes a good tube.
12. Tape the flaps of the outer box to the sides of the inner box. This seals the area in which the insulating material was placed.

A Plywood Incubator

The following materials are needed:

• Plywood
• Plexiglass
• Cake tin - 13 inches x 9 inches x 1-1/2 inches
• 1/4-inch mesh welded hardware cloth
• Heating unit: either a commercial unit or porcelain socket and light bulb
• Masking tape

You may construct the incubator according to the size desired. It can be a small one for only a few eggs, or it can be a somewhat larger one to hold several dozen eggs. The larger the incubator , the more difficult it will be to maintain a uniform temperature. In fact, you may find it important in the larger incubator to put in a small fan (three-or four-inch blade or smaller) with a low revolving rate.

A Still-Air Incubator

The following equipment and supplies are needed to convert a styrofoam chest into a still-air incubator:

• Plastic ice chests, 12 to 16 inches x 20 to 24 inches x 12 to 15 inches
• 1/4-inch welded mesh hardware cloth, 24 inches x 36 inches
• Masking or duct tape
• Heating cable and micro-switch assembly
• Cake tin (water pan), about 9 inches x 13 inches x 1-1/2 inches deep
• Pencil
• Pane of plexiglass, double strength, approximately 10 x 14 inches
• Brooding or incubator thermometer
• Screwdriver
• Razor blade or knife
• Pliers
• Tin snips
• Ruler

Construct the incubator in the following manner:

1. Plan to construct the incubator well ahead of time. Order the heating cable and micro-switch assembly, and the thermometer. Allow two weeks for delivery. Order and pick up all other supplies and equipment. Read the instructions carefully. Plan to take two hours to construct the incubator. Plan to take three to four hours to check out the incubator.
2. Assemble all the supplies, equipment, and the instructions for making the incubator.
3. Make a platform for the eggs and thermometer. Use the tin snips to cut the welded mesh hardware cloth so that it is six inches longer and six inches wider than the inside dimensions of the bottom of the ice chest. Cut a three-inch square out of each corner of the welded mesh hardware cloth. Bend the projecting pieces so they form legs to support the mesh hardware cloth platform. Trim the rough edges of the legs. Cover the jagged edge with tape or turn the edge in so that it will not puncture the surface of the chest. Install the platform and water pan. The platform should fit loosely so that it may be easily removed from the incubator. In preparation for Step 4, make several marks one inch above the screen on all four sides of the ice chest. Remove platform and water pan before going on to Step 4.
4. Protect the chest. Styrofoam has a low melting point. It will melt wherever it touches the heating cable. Protect it by running masking tape or similar material around the interior of the chest and then fastening the cable to the tape as illustrated. Place the upper strip of tape approximately 2-1/2 inches from the top of the incubator. Place the lower strip on the marks made in Step 3. Place the third strip halfway between the top and bottom strips.
5. Install the micro-switch assembly. Use the 4-H electrical project recommendations and safety precautions in installing the micro switch assembly. Place the micro switch assembly on one of the end walls of the incubator. The center hole of the bracket should be approximately 5-1/2 inches down from the top of the incubator, and the electric outlet box should be on the upper side of the assembly.
   
   Make three holes in the incubator so the two bolts and the temperature control bolt can be inserted through the incubator and the assembly. A pencil or other sharp tool can be used to make the holes. Insert 3/16-inch bolts from the inside, add the washers, and then tighten the nuts until the assembly is held firmly to the incubator.
   
   Insert the temperature control bolt with the self-locking wing nut through the incubator. Now screw the ether (heat) wafer on the temperature control bolt. Insert the plug of the heating cable into the micro-switch assembly electrical outlet nearest the incubator wall. Insert the pilot light in the other convenience outlet.
   
   Check unit:
   - Plug the lead cord in a 110-V electrical outlet
   -Pilot light should glow when ether (heat) wafer is not in contact with micro-switch
   -Heating cable should warm up when the pilot light is on
   -Screw the temperature control bolt clockwise until a click is heard and the pilot light goes out. Screw the temperature control bolt counterclockwise until a click is heard and the pilot light goes on. The resistance wire should warm up when the pilot light is on. Remove lead cord from 110-volt electrical outlet.
6. Install the heating cable. Tape the midpoint of the heating cable to the top strip of tape at the end of the chest opposite the mirco-switch assembly. Complete installation of the cable by taping serpentine loops to the top and bottom strips of tape. The cable does not need to be fastened to the middle strip of the tape. Do not permit cable loops to touch each other. Replace screen and water pan. Check unit as described in Step 5.
7. Make a window in the incubator by imbedding pane of plexiglass in the cover. Place the piece of plexiglass on the cover so that the space between the edges of the plexiglass and the edges of the cover are nearly equal. Stop!!! Read and understand the following directions before proceeding.
   
   With the razor, cut around the perimeter of the glass, penetrating the top of the plastic cover to a depth of 1/4 inch. Do not cut through the top. Remove the glass and draw a pencil line 3/4 inch inside each of the cuts made by the razor. This is a smaller rectangle than that made by the razor cuts. Cut all the way through the cover following the pencil lines. Discard the piece cut out of the cover.
   
   Make a line 1/4 inch from the top of the cover on each or the sides from which the discarded piece was cut. With a razor, cut along this line until the razor meets the earlier cut and the strip lifts out. This cut will be about 3/4 inch deep. Insert the glass in the recessed area. Fasten the glass in place with strips of tape. A window can be made in the side of the ice chest using this same technique, but the heating cable will have to be hung straight across and either above or below the window.
8. Provide for ventilation of the incubator. To provide proper ventilation, it is necessary to make 16 1/4-inch holes in the long sides of the chest. The holes can be made with a pencil or other sharp instrument. The plastic is soft, so proceed carefully. Make four holes approximately two inches from the top and spaced four inches apart. Make four holes approximately three inches from the bottom when measured from the outside of the chest. Space these holes four inches apart.
9. Test the incubator. Pour 1/4 to 1/2 inch of warm water (about 100 degrees F.) in the water pan. The use of the warm water reduces the length of time it takes for the incubator to warm up. Put the thermometer on the wire platform so that the bulb will be one inch above the platform. Place the lead cord over the side of the incubator. Place the cover on the incubator. Plug the lead cord into a 110-volt electrical outlet. Turn the temperature control until the pilot light goes on. Continue to adjust the temperature control bolt until the thermometer indicates the desired temperature.
10. Plan to keep complete and accurate records. The best indication of how well the incubator was built and operated is a successful incubation experience.
11. Please remember to follow and leave a comment
    
    
    

INTRODUCTION TO EGG INCUBATION.

 

What is an egg incubator?
An egg incubator is a machine that creates the perfect conditions for an egg to incubate and hatch successfully. An egg incubator is designed to regulate incubation temperature and humidity at perfect levels. It recreates the role that the broody hen plays in nature. 

Why use an incubator to hatch eggs?
Incubators can hatch more eggs at a time and is a lot more reliable than the hen. If you let the hen hatch eggs then she will stop laying eggs for the time that she sits on the eggs and rear her offspring. This means that you are loosing many potential chicks that you could've hatched in the incubator. If you continue removing eggs from the hens nest then she will continue laying eggs that you can hatch in the incubator. A hen can hatch about 20 to 30 chicks per year. If you use the same hen to rather lay eggs and hatch in our incubator, you can get up to 300 chicks per year from the same hen! That's a 1000% increase in efficiency!  

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​What does an egg incubator do?
An egg incubator creates a stable environment in which eggs can be hatched. When incubating eggs under a broody hen there are external threats such as wild animals that may harm the hen or the eggs. By placing the eggs in an egg incubator you are more guaranteed that the conditions will remain consistent over the 21 day incubation period (For chicken eggs). A Surehatch egg incubator basically takes the guesswork out of incubation and increases the chances that you will get a good hatch rate.

What is a setter incubator?
For the first 18 days of the eggs incubation period eggs must be placed in the setter (This is for chicken eggs, other egg types have other setting periods). Eggs are turned by the incubator every hour in the setter. After the setting period eggs are physically moved to the hatcher, where they will hatch on day 21/22. 

What is a hatcher?
The hatcher is the part of the incubator where the eggs lay still for the last 3 days the incubation cycle (In the case of chickens eggs). Generally the humidity and airflow is slightly higher at this part of the incubator due to the fact that eggs require a higher humidity towards the hatching phase. The hatcher creates a stable environment for the eggs to hatch in. No turning of the eggs happens during this phase. The chick inside the eggs aligns itself so that it can peck its way out of the shell.

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