Directions for a Mini Dome Incubator
Incubators allow people to be a part of the miraculous process as an egg hatches into a tiny chick. Traditional tabletop incubators can hold several dozen eggs. The large cabinet incubators can hold hundreds. That may be far more chicks than you want or need. The mini-dome incubator is an inexpensive solution for anyone interested in hatching a handful of chicks -- three chickens, four pheasants, two turkeys or ducks or eight quail. The clear, plastic dome allows an unobstructed view of all the action.
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Instructions
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Setting Up the Incubator
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Place the incubator in a location away from drafts and extremes in heat or cold. To avoid having to move the incubator, make sure it is at eye level and accessible for caring for the eggs during incubation.
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Insert the screw through the bottom of the incubator and screw it into the bulb socket with the bulb unit facing away from the bowl's notched rim.
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Cut two 3-by-6-inch squares of aluminum foil.
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Create a heat guard by inserting one of the foil pieces into the bottom of the bowl with one end midway and behind the bulb and the other end covering the other side of the bottom. Set the second piece of foil aside.
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Insert the wire rack so the aluminum foil forms a heat guard between the light and the eggs.
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Place the thermometer on the wire rack parallel to and an inch from the heat shield.
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Attach the bowl to the top of the dome and plug in the incubator.
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Allow the temperature inside the incubator to regulate itself for several hours. Check the temperature. If is below 98 degrees, tilt the bulb toward the bottom of the bowl or insert the second piece of aluminum foil perpendicular to the first. If the temperature is above 102 degrees, tilt the bulb toward the dome.
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Fill one of the hollow legs with water to increase humidity.
Setting the Eggs
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Place the eggs in the center of the wire rack close to the heat guard. The large end of the egg should be tilted up slightly.
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Put the thermometer on top of the eggs.
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Remove the dome and carefully turn the eggs twice a day. Continue turning the eggs until three days before they are due to hatch. This is day 18 for chicken eggs.
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Do not open the incubator until the chicks hatch and are dry and fluffy. Transfer them to a prepared brooder box.
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Tips & Warnings
Purchase a spare 7-watt light bulb for a backup in case the one in the incubator fails. The bulb is needed to maintain the correct temperature.
Maintain the incubator in a moderately heated room without drafts or extreme temperature changes. The optimum room temperature is 70 to 74 degrees.
Keep the ventilation hole on top of the incubator unblocked.
For proper humidity during hatch, make sure one of the hollow legs is full of water.
Chickens are social animals and don't do well alone. Because the mini-dome incubator only holds three eggs, it's possible only a single egg will hatch. Consider purchasing additional chicks for company if necessary.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Aracauna Chick 5 image by Lee O'Dell from Fotolia.com
