ABSTRACT
Studies showed that the use of an automated incubator powered from the mains electricity, a solar powered incubator or the kerosene type incubator for the production of day-old chicks is either very expensive to manage or ineffective in operation. Hence, this research work is aimed at designing, fabrication and testing of an automated incubator powered by energy generated from burning of Liquified Petroleum Gas with the use of a micro-controller device. A micro-controller device was developed in order to achieve a timed automated sparking mechanism for a Liquified Petroleum Gas burner and egg crates turner. The micro-controller, which has a screen display of temperature and humidity readouts, has the sole responsibility of maintaining a steady temperature and humidity inside the incubator chamber. A 3D model of the designed incubator was produced using Solidworks software package. Performance evaluation carried out on the incubator revealed that seventy-nine (79) eggs hatched successfully out of one hundred and twenty (120) eggs set for hatching. This represents about 65% of the eggs set. Also fifteen kilogram (15 kg) of LPG was consumed during the incubation process. This cost about four thousand and eighty naira (N4,080:00). Since only seventy-nine (79) eggs hatched successfully after incubation, this translates to an incubating cost of fifty one naira sixty five kobo (N51:65k) per chick. Finally, the incubator was able to maintain the optimum temperature and humidity of 37.5 0C and 45% respectively during performance evaluation test.