Little Giant Incubator Tricks

[cmom]

Quote:
Put a smaller fan in. I use my LGs and Hova-Bators as hatchers. They work good that way especially if you do staggered hatches like I do. I put about 100 eggs in the cabinet incubator last week and am putting another 100 + in today.

 

[rarebear]

Brian, you say you haven't had great results with the LG...has that been with or without a fan? By the way all 12 of your Welsummer eggs are growing...it's getting pretty dark in there at day 12. Nine more days.

 

[bwalden]

Put a smaller fan in. I use my LGs and Hova-Bators as hatchers. They work good that way especially if you do staggered hatches like I do. I put about 100 eggs in the cabinet incubator last week and am putting another 100 + in today.

I have considered using a smaller fan and using it as a hatcher after I build my cabinet incubator.

 

[bwalden]

Brian, you say you haven't had great results with the LG...has that been with or without a fan? By the way all 12 of your Welsummer eggs are growing...it's getting pretty dark in there at day 12. Nine more days.

I've never had a fan in my LG so I added a PC fan I got off ebay. I guess it's too big and creates too much heat.

That's great on your Wellie eggs. Hope they all hatch! Thanks for the update.

 

[bwalden]

bwalden-- I use an LG and a homemade henny penny--and I have had mixed results. SO many factors go into getting a great hatch. The best I had was almost 100%; other hatches 0% from shipped eggs.

I understand the DIckeys and the like have greater ability to stay even temps and correct humidity ,etc. LG is a very small unit and subject to the environment around it. After tracking data, I found the the outside weather, eventually effected the room environment, and then the LG. Knowing that allowed me to plan ahead and watch more carefully. 102 weather eventually drove up the temp in the LG--that was the hardest to control without changing the knob!!

Have fun making a new one--I found it very satisfying!!

Yeah over the years I've had mixed results. Sometimes get near 100% with my eggs and other times not so great. Shipped eggs you just never know with them. My biggest concern after I put a new digital thermometer in it was the huge temp swings. It would be 97-98 degrees and an hour later 102 degrees. I always put my incubator in my bedroom closet floor so that the outside environment did not effect the temps of the incubator. But those temps swings are killing me. That's were I've read on here mostly to add the fan. Just need a smaller one I suppose.

 

[cmom]

I have had many very good hatches in my LGs. I have had 100% hatches but usually 90 - 95%. The last time it was about 50% but that is because about 50% of the eggs turned out to be not fertile. Of the fertile eggs I lost one (a quitter). I don't worry about the temperature swings as long as they stay around 99 to around 101. The temperature for a still air is recomended to be around 101. A broody usually gets off her eggs once a day to eat, drink and poop. If you can successfully hatch in an LG, you can hatch in anything.

 

[bwalden]

I have had many very good hatches in my LGs. I have had 100% hatches but usually 90 - 95%. The last time it was about 50% but that is because about 50% of the eggs turned out to be not fertile. Of the fertile eggs I lost one (a quitter). I don't worry about the temperature swings as long as they stay around 99 to around 101. The temperature for a still air is recomended to be around 101. A broody usually gets off her eggs once a day to eat, drink and poop. If you can successfully hatch in an LG, you can hatch in anything.

Yeah it's a funny thing. When I was a kid, I had and LG and a hova-bator both styro chest type incubators. I could put anything in those and hatch them out. Ducks, Geese, Guineas, quail, and of course any sort of chicken egg I could get a hold of. But back then I never worried about temp swings or humidity or fans and any of that stuff. If the little glass thermometer said 99.5 or 100 and my water channels were full I was just as happy as could be. I didn't have the auto egg turner, turned them all by hand 3 times day. I think as an adult we or I tend to over analyze things sometimes. Don't get me wrong, i'm all for a better easier method. I can just remember being disappointed if 1 or 2 eggs out a full incubator (with no auto egg turner) didn't hatch. But that was before I knew anything about shipped eggs.

 

[judge]

Hi all-just wanted to share my experience. i bought an LG from TSC. I had my doubts as I had read many reviews on this product, and they were not good. It was suggested to me to buy a Genesis HovaBator, but didn't want to spend the money so I bought the LG.
I set 6 eggs that I took from the coop that morning. DH also wanted me to see if the huge egg I had gotten the day before and had put in the fridge, would hatch. (i knew t wouldn't, so I don't count it)
The night before I set up the incubator I regulated the temp using the thermometer that came with it. I filled the channels to the top, set the eggs and put in the thermometer. Everyday I turned the eggs by hand 3x. I just kept watching the thermometer. I would very carefully turn the dial if needed. I do not have a fan either. One day when I came back from town the temp said 103. I lifted the lid to let some heat escape and turned down the dial.
On lockdown day I added a digital thermometer and humidity thing that is meant to detect indoor and out door humidity that hubby got for Christmas. I had not even thought about humidity before lockdown (ths is my first hatch) I added water, and duct taped the seam. The humidity stablized to around 70% and the temp stayed between 97 and 100.
I hatched 4 of 6 eggs on day 20. The other 2 eggs were clear when I candled them around day 23.
I will be hatching a dozen white chantecler eggs this month using the same method. I hope it works again.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
Well put...

 

[bamachicks8]

Let us know how it goes congrats on your first hatch