When you keep poultry, sometimes Mr Fox pays you a visit and kills all your chickens. He visited me last spring, but was kind enough to leave me one hen alive. That got me thinking about what I would do if he had killed off all of them, especially if it happened during a long power cut.
If you are keeping a rooster with your hens, then you will always have fertilized eggs to start a new flock with.
I have found a pdf with how to build a incubator heated by kerosene, but i wonder if it would be possible to make one where i could use rapeseed oil instead? Because i can't produce kerosene, but i can grow rapeseed.
http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/members.echoco ... ubator.pdf
Any thoughts?
Off grid incubator
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featherstick
- Posts: 1124
- Joined: Mon Feb 17, 2014 9:09 pm
Re: Off grid incubator
That's a fascinating piece of low-tech ingenuity!
I suppose in your situation the viability depends on whether you can get the rapeseed oil to burn in a similar way to kerosene/paraffin. Issues would include the stability of the flame, wicking of the oil, clogging of the wick etc. My initial impression is that it would not be a straight swap as you couldn't just put oil in a paraffin burner and expect success, so you will have to do some experimenting and building to find a way of burning oil that is 1) consistent 2)controllable 3) reliable 4)long-lasting.
Good luck.
I suppose in your situation the viability depends on whether you can get the rapeseed oil to burn in a similar way to kerosene/paraffin. Issues would include the stability of the flame, wicking of the oil, clogging of the wick etc. My initial impression is that it would not be a straight swap as you couldn't just put oil in a paraffin burner and expect success, so you will have to do some experimenting and building to find a way of burning oil that is 1) consistent 2)controllable 3) reliable 4)long-lasting.
Good luck.
Re: Off grid incubator
Great ideas there! I wonder if charcoal would also be a suitable fuel, instead of kerosene?
Re: Off grid incubator
http://www.judyofthewoods.net/diy/lamp.html
I ve made these in the past as an experiment used rape seed,soya oil and used veg oil and used strips of old cotton t shirt twisted as a wick,maybe inside a terracotta pot inside your incubator box may give off enough heat,but depends on how long your wick lasts.
I also tried the strings of a new mop head,which works OK for a while.
Just thought I'd throw my tuppence worth in
I ve made these in the past as an experiment used rape seed,soya oil and used veg oil and used strips of old cotton t shirt twisted as a wick,maybe inside a terracotta pot inside your incubator box may give off enough heat,but depends on how long your wick lasts.
I also tried the strings of a new mop head,which works OK for a while.
Just thought I'd throw my tuppence worth in
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yorkshirewolf
- Posts: 341
- Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 11:52 pm
Re: Off grid incubator
I'm sure i saw an old egg incubator on an episode of Edwardian Farm, it was heated with a candle or something similar, might not sound very safe (and i may be wrong on the exact heat source, but it definitely wasn't electric.
do a google search for antique egg incubator. might give you some ideas
do a google search for antique egg incubator. might give you some ideas
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MissAnpassad
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2015 7:52 am
- Location: Sweden
Re: Off grid incubator
I looked at the episode of Edwardian Farm and it was a paraffin lamp. 21 minutes in:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4eTWXo4jr4[/youtube]
Rapeseed oil was used in oil lamps before kerosene, but noone seems to make those fixtures any more and the antique ones are way to expensive. Like this one: : http://www.stiffkeylampshop.com/product ... a-oil-lamp
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4eTWXo4jr4[/youtube]
Rapeseed oil was used in oil lamps before kerosene, but noone seems to make those fixtures any more and the antique ones are way to expensive. Like this one: : http://www.stiffkeylampshop.com/product ... a-oil-lamp
Re: Off grid incubator
Hope that lamp comes with a genie for that price.MissAnpassad wrote:I looked at the episode of Edwardian Farm and it was a paraffin lamp. 21 minutes in:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4eTWXo4jr4[/youtube]
Rapeseed oil was used in oil lamps before kerosene, but noone seems to make those fixtures any more and the antique ones are way to expensive. Like this one: : http://www.stiffkeylampshop.com/product ... a-oil-lamp
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featherstick
- Posts: 1124
- Joined: Mon Feb 17, 2014 9:09 pm
Re: Off grid incubator
I have plans somewhere for an egg incubator, I think. Want me to scan and post?
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MissAnpassad
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2015 7:52 am
- Location: Sweden
Re: Off grid incubator
Yes, please!featherstick wrote:I have plans somewhere for an egg incubator, I think. Want me to scan and post?
Re: Off grid incubator
Seconded! If the long decline picks up the pace, this might be really valuable to have. Thank you.MissAnpassad wrote:Yes, please!featherstick wrote:I have plans somewhere for an egg incubator, I think. Want me to scan and post?