Puff of Fluff Hatch Journal: 1st attempt with Bator 3-06-2009
Home /still air LG incubator with egg turner
My 1st attempt to incubate chicken eggs using Little Giant still air incubator with egg turner. I am Testing 3 thermometers: 1 with hygrometer (purchased from Wal Mart), 1 Pyrex digital stick cooking thermometer (type used for meats, candies etc) and then the little one on clear plastic that came with the egg turner. So far all three are staying within ½ degree F of each other. OK, now are you ready for a good laugh? I came up with an idea and experimented with it several times and it worked outside of the incubator, so now it gets its true test inside the incubator. Meet
My Bator mate. It needs a name!
It is from baby bath toy Bath Time Squirters by Mommy & Me. OK go ahead and laugh, I spent about three and an half hours going thru Wal Mart one night looking for just the right pliability and most workable looking shape to use for this attempt. I started in Hardware, then garden, then pets, then house wares, then toys, I even tried the dry goods isles in grocery, to no avail. Then just as I has about given up I thought I would try one of the small baby bottles with the little insert lines and right net to them were some baby bath toys. So I got the bottle to try and the bath toys.
The bottle was too tall for my bator even without the egg turner in the bator. So I started experimenting with the bath toy. They have only one very small hole located in the mouth and you squeeze the air out and then put the toys mouth in water to fill it. I choose the one that had both a body shape closest to an egg and would fit into the bator egg turner cup best.
I filled the toy using 89 F water and a mug with 117 F water. I inserted the probe of my digital cooking thermometer (the type with the cord that connects the probe to the read out display unit) into the toys mouth and placed the toy into the mug of hot water. I had placed my Pyrex stick type digital cooking thermometer in the mug.
Watching as both thermometers kept changing readings. The toy was climbing starting at 89 F and the mug was cooling, starting at 115 F. The toy climbed to 102 before it reached its peak. The mug water started to slow its cooling as it got closer to the toys peak temp. That was interesting to watch when the mug temp was cooling and the toy was heating.
The mug temp cooled down to the same as the toy at 102 F and held for about 2 minutes, then started cooling again slower. The toy held at the 102 F for approximately 4 ½ minutes before it started cooling slowly also. The lower the temp went the slower they would cool. The toy was keeping the mug water warmer by the heat it had absorbed and that was slowing the cooling effect the mug water had on the toy in causing it to cool.
I tried this type of experiment three times over a two week time frame with very similar results each time.
OK so let’s try it for real:
Bator mate is filled with Distilled Water for this trip.
Album above has set up pics.

Journal
03/06/2009 Set up, plug in and started 7:23 PM
7:23 PM Bator mate 91.6 F; thermometers reading 68 F, 68.3 F, and 68 F with 26% humidity.
8:05 PM Bator mate 92.7: Bator temps 99 F, 99.4 and 99 F with 21% humidity.
8:15 PM Bator mate 94.3: Bator temps 99 F, 99.5 and 99 F with 20% humidity.
Note: Humidity keeps dropping could be major problem. Nevada, high desert, dry climate, must watch humidity close.
8:30 PM added warm water to Bator. Bator mate 94.1: Bator temps 92 F, 92.3 and 92. humidity jumped to 64%.
Note: Hmm, will wait for a while to see if humidity stabilizes.

03/07/2009
12:17 AM Bator mate 95.7 F: Bator temps 96 F, 98.1 F and 100 F with 62% humidity.
1:26 AM Bator mate 95.7 F: Bator temps 96, 98.1 and 100 with 62% humidity.
Note: Had opened bator to re-adjust hygrometer to read easier.
9:00 AM Bator mate 96.8: Bator temps 98F, 99F and 101F with 62% humidity.
9:15 AM
Note: Opened the 2 large vent plugs on top to try to lower humidity a little.
9:32 AM Bator mate 96.06F: Bator temps 98F, 98F and 100 with 61% humidity.
Note: Humidity went down by 1% in 7 minutes but Bator mate temp and Bator both started to lower so I put plugs back in.