Thanks! 20 out of 37 eggs hatched! update.

[dirtfishing1]

I got from a nieghbor a very large cabnet style incubator, it is the size of a small fridge unit. I have been running it for almost a week trying to get the temp and humidity just right. I have been reading different temps here in the forum and in some books I have. My question is what is the best temp setting for a still air cabnet style bator. do I want 99.5 or 101or ? What humidity is best as well 40-50 or 60%?

Many thanks for any help.

Dirt

 

[skeeter]

use the water weasel method and try to keep it at 99.5,as far as humidity goes ive read so many things about it ,my last batch i kept at 45-50% then bumped it up to about 65% for days 19-21 and it worked fine for me,oh and id put in a fan,evens the temp alot better thru out the bator,just tike a convection oven,more even baking,you will gt a better hatch rate because there will be no cold spots,try and flag down speckled hen shes hatched more eggs than carters got pills,good luck

 

[seminolewind]

I agree.

 

[d_rooster]

skeeter is right about using a circulating fan in your incubator. If there is any way that you could add a small fan to help circulate the air inside the incubator, then your temperatures will fluctuate less and you will find you have to make fewer adjustments to temperature settings.

After adding a fan inside my smaller still-air incubator I tried to keep the air temperature between 99.7 and 100.2 degrees. I also used the water wiggler toy with a thermometer stuck inside to be sure that those air temps produced 99.5 degrees inside the wiggler.

I kept the humidity within the 40-50% range the first 18 days, then I increased it to about 60-75% until all of the hatching was done.

 

[dirtfishing1]

Thanks for the input.
I will stop at the computer parts store tomorrow for a fan and the wife will pick uo a wiggler at the dollar store.

Thanks a bunch.

 

[d_rooster]

Dirt,

If you are good with wiring, then perhaps you could wire the fan into the incubator's electrical system somehow. I know that the old computer fan that I scavenged for my incubator is 12 volts DC and takes a minimum of 6 volts to get the little motor started when the electricity is applied.

You can recycle a 12V DC adapter, with a higher mAmp rating than the fan, from some old electronics device, cut the cord and splice the adapter to the fan wires, or you can get fancy and do like I did - purchase a variable volt AC to DC power adapter at somewhere like Radioshack, cut the cord, and wire it onto the computer fan (example - Radioshack catalog #273-028, but I think Wal-mart has something similar, too). The variable voltage adapter is nice because it lets you have some control over the speed of the fan by increasing or decreasing the voltage setting once you have started at the 6V setting.

 

[carugoman]

I'd go with something similar to D_rooster,in that,a computer power supply(250 watt minimum,)that has all sorts of power connectors coming out of it. This power supply is AC going in,DC coming out. This power unit can supply both ac+dc power to all sorts of devices,analog or digital,such as thermostats,hydrometers,digital thermometers or a small programmable ROM board that one can program to handle all the control systems automatically and painlessly...and I'd be more than willing to show you how(I do this stuff as my vocation.) Most important: it's cheap or minimal cost and the programming software is free and the learning curve is a gentle slope.

All y'all take care!

 

[dirtfishing1]

I got the wigglers today,thanks to the wife. But I forgot to get the computer store at lunch time. I will try tomorrow.
I have an old computer in the basement that I can use for parts. I will most likely take it apart tonight and see what I can come up with. I plan on using a spare power supply on hand with a variable resistor to control the fan speed. Thanks for the offer on plc programming but thats a little to far ahead for right now. I just want to get this working by springtime to get some eggs a hatchin.

Thanks again,

Dirt

 

[skeeter]

i used a fan out of an old computer but either it or the adaptor burnt out at day 18 or 19,but my chicks still hatched

 

[dirtfishing1]

Set 37 eggs last night about 8pm.
I have an old computer power supply giving power to computer fan inside the unit. I have been able to maintain
99.5 degrees and 53-57% humidity for 2 weeks.
Thanks for all the help. I will try to get some pictures posted later this weekend.
I also built a custom brooder from scrap pallett wood, particle board, and an old window. I have a total of $12 in it.
Hope I get a good hatch day in 3 weeks. We will see. Thanks again for all the information.'

Dirt.