Incubator 2.0
Last month, I created an incubator for chicken eggs out of a cheap styrofoam cooler for under $10. There was just one problem: temperature control. I found that an 11 watt light bulb was too small, and a 25 watt light bulb was too big. I lowered the interior temperature by making extra holes in the cooler, but found that the interior temp varied as the temperature of the room rose and fell. I tried regulating the inside temp by blocking and unblocking some of the air holes, but that wasn't reliable. At one point, the temp rose to 107 degrees— far too hot for chicken embryos to incubate. The result: partially developed embryos that never hatched.
Then I had an idea: why not adjust the strength of the 25-watt bulb using a dimmer switch? That way, I could use fewer holes, and there'd be less variation in temperature. And it works— the inside temp has remained steady between 98 and 101 degrees for several days now, despite variations in room temperature.
The dimmer switch added $4.95 to the cost of the incubator. The box and switch plate together cost about $0.75, and the box comes equipped with two large nails that stick into the styrofoam and hold the dimmer in place— no mounting hardware required.
That brings the total cost of the incubator (not counting the cost of the replacement cooler) to just under $15. Still not bad for hatching chicks on a shoestring!
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