Where to buy egg incubator components
Container
For a simple foam container, a local grocery store usually has options for low-cost foam coolers. WalMart regularly sells them for about $3.00. K-mart, Albertsons, Krogers and many other local stores will have foam coolers that are very good at providing an insulated container. Other options would be regular plastic coolers. They will be more expensive but very easy to clean and more robust. Any of the stores mentioned above will have them as well as any outdoors store such as Big 5 or Cabela's. Even hardware stores and home improvement stores such as The Home Depot and Lowes will have them. A less expensive option could be the dollar store. They have small foam coolers that can easily be configured into an incubator. However, they are fairly small. A favorite option is to use a used cooler, either foam or plastic that you may have around.
Heater
Probably the most popular type of heating device used in home-made incubators is a light bulb. Just a regular incandescent bulb. The light bulb wattage you would need depends on the size of your incubator. If you have an incubator container about the size of the popular Hova-Bator or Little Giant incubators, you will likely need between 30-40 watts. For larger incubators, you may need several hundred watts. You can purchase light bulbs at just about any grocery, hardware or home improvement store. The light socket you will need can be found at any hardware store or home improvement store. They can also help you with any wiring questions you may have.
Here is a list of some other heating options:
Resistive wire heater - available from GQF.
Hair dryer components (be careful, this is a LOT of wattage) - probably available around your house. Be sure to get permission from the hair dryer's owner. :)
Very small space heater - try ebay, there's always lots of options available. Small is key unless you have a very large incubator.
IncuKit - see our listings for IncuKits (includes a heater, fan, and thermostat)
Low-wattage heating element - Google search the size you are looking for. For example, search for "50 watt heating element".
FlexWatt heat strip - see our selection of FlexWatt.
Thermostat
We offer a few different options for controlling the temperature in your incubator. See either of these links:
Thermostat Listings
IncuKit Listings
Humidity Control
Controlling the humidity in your incubator with an automatic system is actually a bit tricky and purchasing a system that will do this for you can be quite expensive. However, monitoring it with a hygrometer and managing it yourself is quite simple and takes very litte effort. See the next item for low-cost hygrometers.
Thermometer and Hygrometer
Our thermometer/hygrometer units give you the convenience of seeing the temperature and humidity in one simple unit. We have some very popular models that don't break the bank.
Thermometer/hygrometer units
Automatic Egg Turner
We have egg turners for both the Hova-Bator and Little Giant table top incubators. And we have replacement parts for these egg turners as well. Need quail rails? We got 'em. Need a spare turner motor? We got 'em too. See all of our options here:
Egg turners
Egg Candler
The egg candler is one of the most commonly forgotten accessories that can add some great fun to your incubation process. If you would like a low cost but VERY effective egg candler, the Incu-Bright is for you! With customized super bright LED's it lights up eggs better than the competition and at a great price.
Egg Candlers