# Our 'Home-made" Incubator



## keith1 (Jan 4, 2008)

I won't go through the lengthy details that got us to the point that we needed an incubator quickly, but due to both parents rejecting the eggs we had to come up with something quickly to hopefully keep the eggs alive. I am posting this to help anyone else new to this that may run into a similar situation.

We first had to get a heating pad going, which by trial and error found out the medium setting worked best - but that will vary in each case. Also make sure it's not a heating pad with automatic shutoff after a few hours. We also found that putting a towel under the heating pad really helped stabilize the temperature.

Next - we put some white pine shavings in a tupperware bowl, set it directly on the heating pad. We drizzeled a little water around the perimeter of the shavings to help keep the humidity up - also set a small cup of water right next to the "nest" to add moisture. We had a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer we bought at Lowes awhile back, and put the sensor intended for running outside a window, in the "nest" That's the wire you see in the picture.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd66/keith1_017/new1.jpg 

Then we put in the eggs and covered with a small blanket. We regulate the temperature by changing the size of the opening on one end of the blanket. Hard to believe, but once you get it where you want it, it doesn't vary by more than a degree or two. Here's the final look - 

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd66/keith1_017/new2.jpg 

We didn't think it would ever work, but it's all we could come up with in a critically short time. You can be very creative with this idea folks. And... how did it all work out? Our 3 precious " against all odds" babies think it worked just fine!!










EDIT - I don't know why the first two pics didn't show, did them all the same. Also, after the chicks were hatched we put a kleenex over the shavings to be soft on the chicks skin. Also an easy cleanup of droppings after each feeding. I f I remember any other details I'll add them


----------



## Catherine (Jun 11, 2009)

Oh, well done! 'Thank you for sharing that. 
How many days did you have the eggs in the incubator for? Did you turn the eggs?


----------



## keith1 (Jan 4, 2008)

Excellent questions - thank you for bringing up points I didn't think to include.

From the first day they were put in until the last egg was hatched was around a week, and between my wife and I, we turned the eggs every 4-6 hours.

One modification I did make today was to switch to a taller Tupperware bowl - the one in the picture played out it's usefulness. The reason being - two of the chicks are already standing up and stretching their necks out, and when they touch the covering blanket they think it is feeding time and started raising a ruckus 

This being our first experience, all input is greatly appreciated.


----------



## 11adelle (Jan 4, 2010)

Well, good job! 
Do you know why the Parents rejected their eggs?
Will they look after them now they have hatched?


----------



## Catherine (Jun 11, 2009)

Thank you for that information, Keith1. You never know when you will need to know those things.


----------



## keith1 (Jan 4, 2008)

Here's the chain of events we experienced.

Our female has always been a bit skittish and as soon as the first egg started pipping she took off to the top of the cage and wanted out. We put our male back in the cage and he went right to the eggs and sat on them until 8pm ( their normal bedtime ) then he climbed up into the "sleeping area" with the female. Neither would come back down to sit on the eggs, in fact they were both asleep after 15 minutes. That was the point we knew we had to rig up some sort of incubator if the eggs were to have any chance at all. Through our trial and error adjustments, we were "luckily" able to get the temperature to stay at a steady 99 degrees. 

After the first chick hatched we put it and one egg back into the cage nest to see if they would now accept them. Our female freaked out and was flapping around the cage and we removed her to prevent possible harm to the chick or herself. Our male took a quick look at them, gave a couple of chirps then climbed to the top and whistled to get out. he wouldn't go back down after 15 minutes so we returned the chick and egg to the incubator. 

The day after the second chick had hatched we put a towel on the kitchen table, sat the nest bowl there thinking the parents might feel more comfortable there since thats where they share dinner with us, but our female took a look and came over and ran up my arm. our male did the same exact thing - so back to the incubator they went.

Our Avian vet thinks even though she was physically able to raise a clutch, our particular bird just wasn't emotionally ready at 15 months. As far as our male, they said he is just following what she does.

So to any other beginners like my wife and myself - it can be done! Well, I have to go now, the chicks are letting me know it's feeding time


----------



## Catherine (Jun 11, 2009)

Thank you for that account. The hen does lead the way, doesn't she? The cock tends to do what she does. 15 months old was a bit on the young side, I suppose, but they can make a good job of rearing chicks at 18 months. There is not a big difference.
I love the determination you showed and I do wish you all the very best with the handraising.


----------



## 11adelle (Jan 4, 2010)

Well, good luck! 
Just a quick question; at what age are you able to tell the Mutation of the chick?


----------



## Catherine (Jun 11, 2009)

Well it depends on the mutation. If it has white down at hatching, it will be a whiteface. The crest feathers are the first to show and they will give you an indication. Otherwise, you wait for the pin feathers, which start coming through at 2 weeks of age.


----------



## keith1 (Jan 4, 2008)

I have a question, two of the chicks are 5 days old, and the other is 3 days old. With the incubator covered they are in the dark. Would it be better to have something such as plexiglass on top so they get some light?


----------



## Rocky's Rose (Jun 24, 2008)

I don't think so....When my pair had chicks last April they raised them in the nestbox and the only light they saw was when I took them out to handle them all the other time they were in the nestbox until they came out of the nest.


----------



## keith1 (Jan 4, 2008)

Thank you , that's what I needed to know.


----------



## Rocky's Rose (Jun 24, 2008)

Ya I'm not an expert or anything though. Its just my own experience watching my pair raise their chicks. You may want to ask some other members too.


----------



## Catherine (Jun 11, 2009)

It has not been completely dark in my nest box. There was light coming through the entrance and I kept the lid partly open because of the heat here. I am sure they would have managed with less light, though.


----------



## keith1 (Jan 4, 2008)

Here's an update on our "home made incubator - babies". What a job feeding every 3 hours - though we treasure every precious moment of it. We can't believe how big they've gotten! They are surely a "hand full" - with the two oldest being 12 days old, and the third being 9 days old. It's to the point where we have to be careful they don't run off the edge of the table while out of the incubator. And all the vocal sounds they are making - we get laughing so hard sometimes, we have to stop feeding for a minute to regain our composure.

And now that their eyes are open, they try to follow our hands around while feeding - the rascals!!! LOL

Ok, we had to use an old camera for these pics, so hopefully they aren't too bad. They are right after my wife fed them, and just wanted to try to get them to hold still long enough for a pic. In this first one, the two older are on the left - I hope this works, I'm not sure which link to use from photobucket here.











In the second picture, I was trying to get a close up - but they saw the camera and started towards it, to eat it, and it got blurred while I was backing up - 










If this doesn't work I'll try to re-post the pics. Seems a little different posting pics here than other sites I use.

We just love the babies to death - gonna' be hard to part with them later!


----------

