Incubators in unheated spaces - insulation

[Naturalness]

So, I'm considering spending some money on a slightly more expensive incubator - a brinsea - but am uncertain due to the room temperature requirements.

Here's the thing: we live off grid in the hills in a very minimalistic fashion. Our solar power is limited and natural temperature swings can be quite drastic, even indoors. At night I can not keep the room temperature above 17 C as specified, even in September, while during the day we easily reach 28-30C, and it's only going to get cooler towards winter.

Does anyone have experience using styrofoam or other types of insulation materials with this kind of incubator to protect against external unfavorable temperatures?
I would opt for a model with higher power but I'm afraid that with shorter daylight hours our system may not make it... 40W so far seems stable.

I'd appreciate any input. Thanks for reading.

 

[Debbie292d]

So, I'm considering spending some money on a slightly more expensive incubator - a brinsea - but am uncertain due to the room temperature requirements.

Here's the thing: we live off grid in the hills in a very minimalistic fashion. Our solar power is limited and natural temperature swings can be quite drastic, even indoors. At night I can not keep the room temperature above 17 C as specified, even in September, while during the day we easily reach 28-30C, and it's only going to get cooler towards winter.

Does anyone have experience using styrofoam or other types of insulation materials with this kind of incubator to protect against external unfavorable temperatures?
I would opt for a model with higher power but I'm afraid that with shorter daylight hours our system may not make it... 40W so far seems stable.

I'd appreciate any input. Thanks for reading.

There are actually styrofoam incubators. The first time I tried incubating, my neighbor farmer borrowed me hers. I can't remember the brand name, but at the time, with the auto turner and humidity, it was going to run me several hundred, so instead, I bought a Brinsea too.

The only issue with you putting your incubator in a styrofoam container would be circulation, as the fan runs inside them to bring in fresh air. Perhaps just wrapping it in a heavy quilt would do the trick, being sure you left it open where the vent is.

I would also get a separate thermometer/hygrometer and set it outside of the incubator, inside whatever you use to insulate it. The best one I know of is the Govee which you can have both temp and humidity alarms set in the app on your phone.

 

[NatJ]

Depending on which Brinsea model you get, it might also help to sit the incubator on top of something like styrofoam (if the incubator does not have any ventilation on the bottom--most do not), but leave the top & sides uncovered so the ventilation is not affected. That will keep it from losing as much heat to whatever table or shelf it is sitting on.

Instead of trying to insulate the incubator itself, or maybe in addition to that, you could try putting it inside a cupboard or closet. The heat given off by the incubator will help heat that space, and it might be enough to make the difference in whether it works right.

This is probably obvious, but for any idea that sounds good-- try the incubator with a thermometer for a few days, before actually adding eggs!

Just to check-- if chicks do hatch, do you have a way to keep them warm while they are young? It would be very frustrating to figure out the incubator, hatch the chicks, and then have them die of cold.

Here's the thing: we live off grid in the hills in a very minimalistic fashion....I would opt for a model with higher power but I'm afraid that with shorter daylight hours our system may not make it... 40W so far seems stable.

If you don't find a way to make it work now, maybe try again next spring or summer. Warmer nights could help, and longer days could also give you more power to work with. If it gets too hot in the summer, see if you have a basement or root cellar that holds an acceptable temperature at one season or another.

 

[Naturalness]

I have a brooder indoors and with some straw and other measures the chicks should be fine as they can easily be kept draft free and dry and reasonably warm.

It's funny but I literally don't have any cupboards or such enclosed spaces, but my idea is to try a large carboard box with extra insulation and close it only at night when it gets cool. This should allow sufficient o2 for the night but limit convection related loss of temperature. Now I just have to find a big enough box...

 

[NatJ]

I have a brooder indoors and with some straw and other measures the chicks should be fine as they can easily be kept draft free and dry and reasonably warm.

Oh, good. I'm glad you have that planned already.

It's funny but I literally don't have any cupboards or such enclosed spaces, but my idea is to try a large carboard box with extra insulation and close it only at night when it gets cool. This should allow sufficient o2 for the night but limit convection related loss of temperature. Now I just have to find a big enough box...

I have read of people getting big cardboard boxes from grocery stores (like the ones watermelons arrive in: 3 feet or more on each side), to use for chick brooders. Something similar might work to create a mini-room for an incubator.

Do you have any big plastic storage containers? Depending on size, one of those might work.

Draping fabric (sheets or towels) over supports (like chairs) might also be a way to contain some air near the incubator so it stays a bit warmer. Or maybe a small tent?

(I'm just throwing out ideas here. Maybe one will work, or will suggest something else that will work.)

Come to think of it, try measuring the temperature at night in various parts of your house because it may not be the same everywhere. If you have a water heater, it might slightly warm the air nearby, even if it is not actively heating during the night. A place near windows might be cooler. The corner of a room might be warmer or cooler than the middle of the same room. I wonder if your own body heat might make a difference in your bedroom, so that's definitely somewhere to check as well.

 

[Naturalness]

Those ate some great ideas. Thanks so much! At the moment temperature is still stable. Hopefully it lasts until October.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

All good ideas, especially using cardboard to create a mini room to house the incubator. Whatever you do, be careful not to block air from the ventilation holes in the incubator. oxygen and carbon dioxide transpiration is important.

 

[Naturalness]

So I went and tried this kind of during winter. Temperatures in the house could drop to 10-12C over night and during the day often wouldn't rise much until we'd light the fire in the evenings. Incubator specifications said not lower than 17C ambient temp.

So I found a plastic tub that fit loosely over the incubator, wrapped it with bubble wrap and kept a slit at the bottom for air exchange. This raised the immediate temperature around the incubator a few degrees but for the colder nights I had to add a heavy blanket on top to keep the warmth in and it worked like a charm. Internal temperature could be maintained around 20C.

I would lift the box up two to three times a day for extra air exchange and to check the temperature.

My chicks hatched perfectly.
So, in conclusion, it's a low cost way to deal with non-climatized spaces in winter down to about 10C if you want to incubate.


To keep the chicks warm enough I needed to use a heating mat plus a heating plate type brooder at least for the first week or so. Otherwise they complained.

Hope this helps anyone else with similar questions.

 

[NatJ]

So I went and tried this kind of during winter. Temperatures in the house could drop to 10-12C over night and during the day often wouldn't rise much until we'd light the fire in the evenings. Incubator specifications said not lower than 17C ambient temp.

So I found a plastic tub that fit loosely over the incubator, wrapped it with bubble wrap and kept a slit at the bottom for air exchange. This raised the immediate temperature around the incubator a few degrees but for the colder nights I had to add a heavy blanket on top to keep the warmth in and it worked like a charm. Internal temperature could be maintained around 20C.

I would lift the box up two to three times a day for extra air exchange and to check the temperature.

My chicks hatched perfectly.
So, in conclusion, it's a low cost way to deal with non-climatized spaces in winter down to about 10C if you want to incubate.


To keep the chicks warm enough I needed to use a heating mat plus a heating plate type brooder at least for the first week or so. Otherwise they complained.

Hope this helps anyone else with similar questions.

Thank you very much for coming back and updating!

I'm glad to hear it worked so well