How to Make a Wet Bulb for an Incubator
Eggs require a high relative humidity to hatch successfully, because the relative humidity determines the amount of water the eggs lose while incubating. Humidity is provided in most small incubators by placing a pan of water in the incubator. A relative humidity of 55 to 60 per cent needs to be maintained in the incubator up to 3 to 4 days before hatching. For the last 3 to 4 days of incubation the humidity should be raised to 70 per cent. The relative humidity in an incubator is measured using a wet bulb, also called a wet/dry bulb hygrometer.
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Things You'll Need
- 2 Glass thermometers
- 1 Shoelace
- 1 Thin piece of plastic, plywood or some other material suitable for mounting the thermometers, two inches longer than the thermometers and about 2 inches wide
- 1 Ball point pen cap
- Rubber cement
- Drill and a 1/4-inch drill bit
Instructions
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1
Using rubber cement attach the thermometers side by side to the backing about 1-inch apart. Leave room at the bottom of the backing to attach the ball point pen cap below the thermometers.
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2
Using scissors cut a 2-inch piece of shoelace for a wick.
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3
Slide the wick over the bulb of one of the thermometers.
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4
Using the rubber cement fasten a ball point pen cap about 1/2-inch below the bulb of the thermometer with the wick and feed the wick into the ball point pen cap.
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5
Using a drill and a 1/4-inch bit, drill a hole at the top and middle of the backing to hang the wet bulb.
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6
Fill the ball point pen cap with water.
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1
Tips & Warnings
See Resources for directions on how to measure the relative humidity using the wet bulb.
Wait about 5 minutes before you take a reading.
Use an old CD for a backing.
Be sure that the wet bulb is out of the sun and wind when you take your reading.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit chicken image by Sergey Goruppa from Fotolia.com
