Help! All 3 thermometers reading different.

Yay! So exciting!!!'

Ok I couldn't help it! My hubs has a really bright LED flashlight. He wasn't home with it when we candled last time and we sort of had a hard time seeing the EE babies since the shells are green. With this flashlight we could see the air cells really good. We saw 4 or 5 babies moving around in there which my daughter really likes to watch. We did see 2 more blood rings and 1 that looks cracked. I'm gonna leave it until next weekend and see what it looks like. Do you all think I should cull it earlier since it is internally cracked?

If it were me I would leave the cracked egg in unless it starts to smell or you candle and it is for sure dead. A cracked shell is not a death sentence. You can use clear nail polish or candle wax to seal the crack.

I bought two of the egg shaped ones designed specifically for incubators. The probe is a ceramic egg. You put it in with your batch and it advertised being accurate. Well both side by side will give me 1-2 degrees of a difference.

I have lost count of how many thermometers I have bought and I am about ready to give up on my incubators as I just can't get an accurate temperature.

It is really difficult. I was considering aquarium thermometers or maybe even the old style of mercury filled glass ones.

kuchchicks said:

If it were me I would leave the cracked egg in unless it starts to smell or you candle and it is for sure dead. A cracked shell is not a death sentence. You can use clear nail polish or candle wax to seal the crack.

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I did candle today at 14 days. We started with 12 silkies and 12 olive eggers. We had 3 blood rings in the first 7 day candling and today we had a quitter and 2 clears. I had questions on them in at 7 days. Of the 6 we have lost only 1 was a shipped silkie egg and it was just clear. The yolk was like fluid in the egg. Does that mean it was never fertile or just didn't grow? The other 5 have all been blood ring and 1 clear olive egger eggs which I got locally (She did say she had gotten them out of the fridge so I wonder if that is why). The last one was a quitter I think. It looks to me like day 10 maybe. The cracked egg as clear.

Other than the ones that we lost we have 18 growing great. Air cells look good and all the babies were wiggling away in there. My daughter (6) loved seeing them move around and we even took a video. She wants to make a report at school once the chicks hatch about the whole process. She is such a farm kid. I don't think I will let her do one on the goats...not sure all the kids could handle that. Her teacher is kind of city too lol. So here are 2 pictures of the eggs at 14 days and then the last 2 are of the quitter. Any thoughts on that little guy would be appreciated. Thanks.









My daughter wasn't even grossed out by the little baby in there. She said "We can use this to learn from it for the future" She is one smart little cookie. She isn't grossed out by much...gutting a deer gets her though. She shot a nice buck this year and had to walk away while dad gutted it lol.

Harborotter said:

I bought two of the egg shaped ones designed specifically for incubators. The probe is a ceramic egg. You put it in with your batch and it advertised being accurate. Well both side by side will give me 1-2 degrees of a difference.

I have lost count of how many thermometers I have bought and I am about ready to give up on my incubators as I just can't get an accurate temperature.

It is really difficult. I was considering aquarium thermometers or maybe even the old style of mercury filled glass ones.

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I think I have gotten my thermometers figured out. I have to have the Incutherm plus in just the right spot or it will read a little high. I also keep a spread sheet with averages of temp and humidity and the room temp which I record 3 times a day so that helps keep my mind at ease. The only thing I don't like is that there is no number after a decimal on the Accurite so I don't think I would like the fish tank or mercury ones since I can't tell exactly what it is. I had a mercury one in there in the beginning, but it was just a pain in my butt. I really like the two I have now, they seem to be doing alright. 18 out of 24 isn't too bad I don't think considering 2 were totally clear and 3 were blood ring and 1 just quit about day 10 maybe.

I have two incubators that each hold 48 and I would just like to get them on track soon. I have rare ducks that could start laying in February!

I even tried the same thermometer that you originally posted. If the mercury thermometers work, I am willing to check them frequently. I have to anyways as my automatic tilter does a horrid job. It tilts 3 times a day but it goes right to left and back to right. So I have to 'turn' them in the tilter all the time.

You wouldn't think that finding a dependable thermometer would be so difficult.

I am crossing my fingers that you have it all worked out.

When I occasionally hit the right temp, and turn the eggs myself, I get over 90% with these incubators. But my last hatches have been failures.

Harborotter said:

I have two incubators that each hold 48 and I would just like to get them on track soon.  I have rare ducks that could start laying in February!  

I even tried the same thermometer that you originally posted.  If the mercury thermometers work, I am willing to check them frequently.  I have to anyways as my automatic tilter does a horrid job.  It tilts 3 times a day but it goes right to left and back to right.  So I have to 'turn' them in the tilter all the time.  

You wouldn't think that finding a dependable thermometer would be so difficult.

I am crossing my fingers that you have it all worked out.

When I occasionally hit the right temp, and turn the eggs myself, I get over 90% with these incubators.  But my last hatches have been failures.  

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So far (14 days) I have 18 of 24 still going. That's better odds than I was expecting with the little giant. This is our first time incubating so I think we're doing pretty good. Still have a week left so we will see.