Actual electrical use of incubators---

[hotater]

Hello all---

I'm still in the planning stages of a small Chukar facility that's way off the electric grid.  I don't have power 24/7, more like 14/7.

Has anyone actually measured how much power any of the small (300 egg or so) incubators use?

If it's 300 watts or so I might be able to run one from the generator then switch over to batteries and an inverter for the "quiet times".

I've never SEEN an incubator (and catalog pictures sure dont' tell me anything).  I assume electric power is used for a fan and thermostat controlls, a heat source, and for turning eggs?  Is there such a thing as an incubator that uses propane for heat, electricity for the fan, and egg turning by hand?

Since I have a large quantity of natural hot water from springs for a heat source, are there plans for making an incubator that uses alternate heat sources such as bio-mass or solar storage mediums that could be altered to use what I have?  I have a complete welding and machine shop and can build anything from nearly nothing.

Can anyone steer me to a drawing or cut-a-way or explaination of how an incubator is set up to circulate air, heat and turn eggs? (I still haven't figured out how all those eggs stay in the tray when they're turned)

I'm having a very hard time finding out how to hatch with Bantys, too.  Any information would be much appreciated.

[jchiar]

what kind of incubators do you have? i use dickey and sportsman (gqf)  also have a couple of hovabators the fans for circulated air run constantly  i guess it would be possible to use propane to heat the incubator i might be concerned about fumes from propane heater harming eggs . if you used a heater outside the incubator and forced hot air into it then you may have something  .you could have partial circulated air and turn eggs by hand give it a try .nothing to lose

[RedOakGamebirds]

Never seen a propane incubator but many places use a propane brooder for heating the chicks after they hatch.  With the price of oil and propane going up I'll just stick with electric.  If I could harness solar power i'd do that but wouldnt be anywhere possible for the birds we raise.  Propane is supposed to be clean but I dont like using it at all.  I've been in some places where you can really smell it.  Any type of open fire has to use oxygen in order to burn.  In a closed room that doesnt sound too good but then again I've never tried it.  Hot water from springs seems good if you can figure out a way to use it.  Hot water puts off steam and humidity which I think would be way too high for hatching.  Too much humidity and the chicks will drown before they even hatch.  Eggs are kept in incubators using egg racks unless they are turned by hand.  Definately dont want to place them in an incubator such as a cabinet type with no racks.  The cabinet incubators usually hold upwards of 1,200 eggs when double stacked and placed in racks.  The Hovabators hold 120 eggs using the racks.  If you are considering alternate power which may be cut off at times definately dont use a still air incubator.  Get a circulated air incubator with a fan.  Cabinet incubators are about 150-200 watts.  Older model GQF Hovabators are about 43 watts and the newer ones are about 28 watts.  The turner is an additional 15-20 watts.  You can turn by hand and lose the additional watts from the turner.  How about using a good sized battery for a bus or semi and have a trickle charger on it plugged into your ac or generator.  When the power is off the battery should run the incubator for several hours.  Also a solar charger could be a possibility as well.  We use a battery for our radio systems at school for power outages to communicate with the buses.  When the hurricane hit a couple years ago and the power was out for 5 days it was still going even though there was no school.  I'd also be careful using a generator straight to the incubator--for charging the battery yes but incubator may damage the electronic thermostat especially when it cycles.


Larry

[hotater]

Larry---

THANKS!

The hot water can be run through radiators and thence give heat with NO humidity.

I'm still very much in the planning stages and will use this space to richochette ideas off the experts.   

I have an unheated metal building that I can run gravity-fed 110 degree water into with pipes and radiators.  I'd like to partitian part of the building into a brood space that can be heated with that water.  Elevation is at a premium....the hot water has to stay on the floor to use gravity, so I plan to grid the radiators (I have a couple dozen 4x4 inch by 10 feet long heat exchangers) on the concrete floor and lay plywood or chipboard on top as the brooder floor.  I can put in strips of hardware cloth as vents between floor panels, or between pens, so droppings don't land on the radiators but still allows warm air to circulate upwards.

I'm very curious about the wattage you gave-- that makes sense for a fan, controls, vents, and thermostats but it seems VERY small for heat.  What kind of heat does an incubator use? Maybe they're well insulated and don't need anything but a small light bulb for heat?  If that's the case I can use batteries and an inverter to run the whole works.  Piece of cake!

  Unfortunatley I'm in a North/South canyon that cuts sunlight by four hours a day so solar power is so expensive as to be out of the question except for a couple small battery chargers.

 Propane is a great heat source because it's 'direct' heat.  To use electric heat here a generator has to be running. Diesel fuel is considerably more expensive than propane under these conditions and wear and tear on an engine is much more than wear and tear on a burner.

If I can keep electric usage below about 300 watts an hour I can use a small inverter and a couple of golf cart batteries to keep an incubator running during generator 'off' hours.

I'm at 5500 feet elevation so will have cold weather well into May.  I've got to figure out the brooder problem before the incubator.  I have a propane, hooded, ceiling heater to augment whatever I use for heat.  As long as I can get chicks next spring and have a place for them I can start a program and fill in with incubators or Bantys later.

Ebay seems to have plenty of incubators for less than $50.  I might buy one just to LOOK at it.

[RedOakGamebirds]

Sounds like you have the knowledge and know-how to make your operation work for you.  Many incubators use a heating element and a fan to circulate the heat.  I dislike dry heat (still air incubators) because they are hard to keep a stable temperature without constant supervision unlike the circulated air models.  Creativity is really good.  Theres some people on here that built their own incubators from refridgerators to aquariums.  And some used computer fans to circulate the air.  I dont think it would be hard to make your own incubator especially if you have the time and patience.  Unfortunately I dont have either one.  A Hovabator or Little Giant will probably work fine for you.  A light bulb may work too if you can circulate the heat around so its not concentrated on one spot.  The older chickbators used the same concept with a small bulb and tin foil.  If your room has any fluctuation in temperature that thing will too.  You have to basically sleep next to it.  I had one years ago and hatched my first eggs from it.  We graduated of course over the years from Hovabators to cabinets to commercial.  Hatching and raising is the easy part.  Going through 35 tons of feed a year is the difficult part.  If feed prices go up as high as gasoline we're all in trouble.  In the next few months I expect to see shipping prices and feed prices to go up.  I know UPS and FedEx have already announced a price increase. 


Larry

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

Hey Larry,

I know were you are coming from with the cost increases.

Isn't it amazing how S*#T runs down hill and there isn't a damn thing we can do about it? We wind up eating the difference, or we hear our clients complain about the increased price per bird. Your damned if you do and your damned if you don't.

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[hotater]

THIS is the kind of information I'm looking for!

SO--  99.5 deg. is needed in an incubator and the same, to cooler, needed for a brooder.

It seems to me all I need to build either are the electric controls that *regulate* heat and humidity.  I have that much heat available all the time for free, so I don't need a heating element or bulb just the controls and an egg turner.

I have a complete machine shop with just enough sheet metal tools to make whatever I need and the time and interest to do it.

I love catalogs and I've pretty much taught myself many trades and skills by reading about the parts and tools for specific jobs and extrapolating from that information how something works, what breaks (spare parts list), and how they're made.  Anyone have suggestions for a good web-based catalog of parts, pieces and descriptions?  Drawings??  Diagrams?  Dimensions?

[jchiar]

a brooder should be 95 degrees the first week then drop by 5 degrees a week till you hit 70 degrees

[Grand777]

An incubator taken directly into the field where birthing of newborn animals occurs. To facilitate easy handling and to provide durable construction, the incubator has a support frame that protects the components against damage during transportation. The incubator generally comprises a generally cylindrical container with an opening to allow insertion and removal of a newborn animal, and a heat exchanger mounted in the container. The heat exchanger houses a fan which continually circulates air over a heater core and into the container. With the use of quick release couplings at the ends of supply and return hoses, the heater core connects to the engine coolant system of an automobile. The incubator also connects to the automobile electrical system by way of a conventional male-female plug of the type used for trailer hitches. A temperature control system also is provided by the electrical connection of a thermostat to a control valve. The control valve opens and closes to regulate the flow of engine coolant to the heater core as the thermostat regulates the supply of electrical current to the control valve.
i hope this might help you!!

_________________
Fanimation Ceiling Fans

[Reeves]

hotater hasn't been on here since: December 01, 2005, 10:14:19 AM

[CharlieHorse]

An incubator taken directly into the field where birthing of newborn animals occurs. To facilitate easy handling and to provide durable construction, the incubator has a support frame that protects the components against damage during transportation. The incubator generally comprises a generally cylindrical container with an opening to allow insertion and removal of a newborn animal, and a heat exchanger mounted in the container. The heat exchanger houses a fan which continually circulates air over a heater core and into the container. With the use of quick release couplings at the ends of supply and return hoses, the heater core connects to the engine coolant system of an automobile. The incubator also connects to the automobile electrical system by way of a conventional male-female plug of the type used for trailer hitches. A temperature control system also is provided by the electrical connection of a thermostat to a control valve. The control valve opens and closes to regulate the flow of engine coolant to the heater core as the thermostat regulates the supply of electrical current to the control valve.
i hope this might help you!!

_________________
Fanimation Ceiling Fans