Design of a Microcontroller-Based Automated Egg Incubator with Temperature and Humidity Control for Poultry Farmers in Oyo State

Poultry farming is a significant livelihood source for smallholder farmers in Oyo State, South West Nigeria, and egg hatching success rates are heavily dependent on maintaining precise temperature and humidity conditions throughout the incubation period. This project designed an automated egg incubator with closed-loop temperature and humidity control using a microcontroller-based PID algorithm. A DHT22 sensor measured internal air temperature and relative humidity at 30-second intervals. An ATmega328P microcontroller implemented a PID controller to drive a 60W halogen heating element and a 5V DC fan for heat distribution. A 12V ultrasonic humidifier supplied moisture controlled by a relay activated when humidity fell below 55 percent. An egg-turning servo motor mechanism rotated a 25-egg tray by 45 degrees every 4 hours to prevent embryo adhesion. A 20x4 LCD displayed set points and actual readings. The incubator was tested across three 21-day simulated chicken hatching cycles using fertilised eggs sourced from a commercial hatchery in Ibadan. Temperature was maintained within plus or minus 0.3 degrees Celsius of the 37.5 degrees Celsius target for 97.4 percent of incubation time. Humidity was maintained within plus or minus 3 percent RH of target in 94.1 percent of measurements. Hatch rates averaged 81.3 percent across three trials, compared to a 65.2 percent baseline for the farmer's previous manual incubation approach. Total construction cost was 38,600 naira. The study recommends incorporating an alert SMS module and testing with duck egg incubation parameters.

Keywords: automated incubator, PID control, poultry farming, Oyo State, temperature humidity control