Can I use aluminum foil in my homemade Incubator?

[Dibbendu Das]

It is my first time in incuIncuba eggs.I made the incuIncub at home but it's giving me too much trouble in maintaing temperature and humidity. And frequent power cuts are also there,
As a result of it only 4 out of my 10 eggs survived and it is day 17 today.
So I was thinking about to cover up the Incubator by aluminum foil from inside to keep the heat during power loss.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I would not use foil anywhere the chicks could get to it as they might peck it and eat it. I think you'd be better off insulating the outside with Styrofoam if you can. I also think Styrofoam will give you better insulation than foil.

 

[Rose Quartz]

It is my first time in incuIncuba eggs.I made the incuIncub at home but it's giving me too much trouble in maintaing temperature and humidity. And frequent power cuts are also there,
As a result of it only 4 out of my 10 eggs survived and it is day 17 today.
So I was thinking about to cover up the Incubator by aluminum foil from inside to keep the heat during power loss.

aluminum foil isn't going to work as insulation, it cools too quickly. I tried one of those emergency blankets that look like foil before for an incubator. that didn't work either, Styrofoam has so far been the best for keeping heat in, when the power goes.

(if by chance you're home when the power's out. Human body temp can work temporarily to keep them alive. I slept on the couch with 8 on my chest under a pillow for a full night with no power, and they survived.)

 

[SueT]

What about hand warmers in power outages? Such as HotHands. I have used them in brooder before, but I am not knowledgeable about incubation......

 

[Ridgerunner]

What about hand warmers in power outages? Such as HotHands. I have used them in brooder before, but I am not knowledgeable about incubation......

If you can keep it from getting too hot they can help. Warm water can also help if you can heat it, again don't cook them. One common method if power outages are common is to put a thermal mass in there, bottles of water or maybe even rocks, to store heat and release it when the power goes out.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I keep water bottles filled with sand (it's denser) and topped with water as heat syncs during outages... and wrap standard blankets on the outside of the bator.

I love the body temp suggestion... I guess if your a holic and have 40+ eggs you better get the family involved.

Happy hatching!

ETA: my water bottles stay in the bator from day 1.