Way back in 2023, at the beginning of my chicken hatching journey I knew I needed a hatching incubator for the babies to dry off and/or complete hatching. (This was because I set eggs at different times and there were eggs in various stages of incubation in my actual hatching incubators.)
I REALLY didn’t want to buy one because finding one cheap was pretty tough (right in the middle of the spring hatching craze that happens yearly). I was saved in the form of my best friend having one that she had forgotten about in storage. Unfortunately it had had an accident and was broken in a few places.
My handy husband to the rescue with his lovely case knife and plethora of skills. He cut new foam pieces and glued them in place and even carved the outside to match!
This incubator has worked fantastically for a nursery incubator and to keep my babies in for the first few days until they are stable enough to go into a bigger brooder. I’ve lost count of the chickies I’ve hatched out in here and I’m so pleased with it.
Photo below of some babies hatching for tax.
Find below my Amazon links to products used. Please click the links and shop around as even if you do not purchase my linked items it still helps me out and will cost you nothing extra!
Styrofoam glue (I couldn't find the exact brand we used but this should work fine)
Case Knife (My husband prefers a carbon steel blade over a Chrome vanadium one but both are better than stainless for holding an edge. And carbon steel is getting much harder to find.)
Thermometer and humidity gauge. (My incubator is old school and doesn't have one built in. But it is also nice to have one in there so you have 2X the assurance that your babies are at the right temp.)