Help fixing an old incubator

[Altairsky]

Hello, my father in law gave me this 20 years old analog incubator, assuring me that it was perfect for chicken eggs. It's a good brand but it's old and it lacks some critical features. I told him that it wasn't good for birds but he's stubborn as a rock so I had to put some eggs in there and prove him wrong.
It's an old fiem smart, you can see the newest models at this link: https://www.fiem.it/en/incubators/new-generation-range/smart-digital-24.html
The newest models are great but mine lacks of a digital thermometer (I only have an analog one), it lacks the egg turner (not a big deal though, I made one myself), and the worst, it has no fan! This means that when the thermometer is set to 37.7, at the center the temperature is 40°C !

I attach some pictures of my older model so you can see the difference from the new ones.
As I expected, all the eggs in the center died very early, and 2 eggs at the sides of the grid where the temperatures are correct, are doing okay so far (it's 10th day).

Now, my question is, can I make this incubator usable? I'd use a digital thermostat inkbird itc308 to monitor and control the temperature, but I also need to add a small fan to move the heat evenly. I can't add the fan on top like they did on later models, there is no space at all. Where would be the best spot to add a fan? Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

 

[Debbie292d]

Hello, my father in law gave me this 20 years old analog incubator, assuring me that it was perfect for chicken eggs. It's a good brand but it's old and it lacks some critical features. I told him that it wasn't good for birds but he's stubborn as a rock so I had to put some eggs in there and prove him wrong.
It's an old fiem smart, you can see the newest models at this link: https://www.fiem.it/en/incubators/new-generation-range/smart-digital-24.html
The newest models are great but mine lacks of a digital thermometer (I only have an analog one), it lacks the egg turner (not a big deal though, I made one myself), and the worst, it has no fan! This means that when the thermometer is set to 37.7, at the center the temperature is 40°C !

I attach some pictures of my older model so you can see the difference from the new ones.
As I expected, all the eggs in the center died very early, and 2 eggs at the sides of the grid where the temperatures are correct, are doing okay so far (it's 10th day).

Now, my question is, can I make this incubator usable? I'd use a digital thermostat inkbird itc308 to monitor and control the temperature, but I also need to add a small fan to move the heat evenly. I can't add the fan on top like they did on later models, there is no space at all. Where would be the best spot to add a fan? Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

Maybe Inkbird makes small thermostats but the one we have in the brooder is pretty big. I'd say it's 4" tall by 1.5 " thick by 2" wide, so pretty big for an incubator unless you were keeping it outside and running the wire into the incubator.

For a fan, the only idea I can think of is to get an aquarium pump. I would buy the smallest one you can find that comes with it's own tubing. Then, drill two holes, one the size of the tubing over in one corner, and another just as small on the opposite corner to vent. You'd want the hose to the side out of the way of chicks that hatch.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Just wishing great hatching vibes.

 

[Altairsky]

Maybe Inkbird makes small thermostats but the one we have in the brooder is pretty big.

Yeah my inkbird is huge but I'd use it externally. The aquarium pump is a great idea, though it's designed to work in water so I'm afraid it might overheat and burn if used to move air. I was thinking about using the smallest pc fan I can find, and feed it 3 volts instead of 12 so it would spin a lot slower. Do you think it's a decent idea?

 

[Debbie292d]

Yeah my inkbird is huge but I'd use it externally. The aquarium pump is a great idea, though it's designed to work in water so I'm afraid it might overheat and burn if used to move air. I was thinking about using the smallest pc fan I can find, and feed it 3 volts instead of 12 so it would spin a lot slower. Do you think it's a decent idea?

I should have said aerator. Here's one for example. It's 1 watt.

Your PC fan idea might work for a more even aeration but it would take more to install.

 

[Altairsky]

I should have said aerator. Here's one for example. It's 1 watt.

Oh yes, this makes more sense. I even have 2 spares aerarors and the incubator already has aeration holes so I can try this fix as soon as the last 2 survivors either hatch or die. I don't want to make experiments halfway through incubation. I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[Altairsky]

Unfortunately at day 16 only one egg is still alive. I candled and I can clearly see moving fluff in there. I still don't know if it will really hatch, but if it does, it will be a lone chick. Can a lone chick survive? There is nowhere to buy a companion chick where I live, I might ask the guy who gave me the eggs if he has a batch hatching in the next few days but no guarantee. Will a plush and a mirror be entertaining enough for a lone chick?

 

[Altairsky]

Day 18 today, lockdown! I'll keep you updated!

 

[Altairsky]

All eggs are dead.
Since everything is over now, I got some temp sensors to figure out what happened and how to fix the issues. Here I attach an image with all the killer temperatures before adding a fan, and the more decent temperatures after adding a fan.
Do you think the new temperatures are decent to try again? Do you think the fan placement is okay or do you think I should put it on top of the incubator pushing the air down into the eggs? As it is now, it is above the eggs and moves the air above the eggs so it's not blowing directly into the eggs.