Arrgh... Plugged in my incubator yesterday and it fired up right as rain at a steady 100 floor temp and 101.7 top temp and held it for 24 hours. Then I decided to add a little moisture to check out the humidity monitor... Bad move. Now it's clickin' off at 94 degrees. Sigh..... Guess I'll monkey around with it a bit. I'm hoping it's just a fluke, although one never knows with an ancient still-air styrofoam box. (It's a Miller and about 25 years old. I think -- don't quote me -- the company morphed into LG). Overall it has been a good incubator having seen many chicken, goose and duck eggs over the year...replaced the windows (yellowed plastic w/age) and a wafer last year. It's not the prettiest thing in the world as it suffered some rat gnawing on it when I stored it under my mother's house after I moved off the ranch. (And now we know who has rats!)
Tibbs the greyhound took a good sniff at the incubator after it was set up in the study. Gave him a stern "Leave it" and he slunk off to his crate. One less thing to worry about. Last year both dogs were sterling when it came to the bator and chicks and gave them a wide berth. I think they were actually kind of afraid when the chicks were banging about after hatching. Funny to think that a 2 oz. chick can intimidate over 200 lbs of dogs.
The eggs, btw, at present are in storage in the empty casita (guest house) with the thermostat set at 52 so they don't get too hot or too cold while waiting for noon tomorrow. I'm out there a couple times a day levitating the carton sides. DH jokes that I'm making sure our guests are comfortable. He's such a good sport! Whereas he doesn't get *hatch fever,* at least he's happy that I'm jazzed and excited about the NYD hatch. (Afterall, if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy). He's also a very smart man to realize that for a happy home life you don't mess with the nest and, ergo, he defers on the decorating and household operations...even when it includes fussing over eggs.
Yaaah! In the period of time it took to write this, the incubator has reconciled to the original temps. Phew!
e
Of course, now I'm going to spend the rest of the day checking on it.... I'm all anxious and there's not even eggs in it!
Hope everyone's bators treats them well!
This could be a very interesting three weeks.....
(Hmmm...I wonder how much it'd cost to run the casita at 101 degrees for three weeks? Set and forget... Pop in three weeks later to gather the chicks off the floor. I think DH might lose his patience and understanding over that one...)
edited for spelling
Tibbs the greyhound took a good sniff at the incubator after it was set up in the study. Gave him a stern "Leave it" and he slunk off to his crate. One less thing to worry about. Last year both dogs were sterling when it came to the bator and chicks and gave them a wide berth. I think they were actually kind of afraid when the chicks were banging about after hatching. Funny to think that a 2 oz. chick can intimidate over 200 lbs of dogs.
The eggs, btw, at present are in storage in the empty casita (guest house) with the thermostat set at 52 so they don't get too hot or too cold while waiting for noon tomorrow. I'm out there a couple times a day levitating the carton sides. DH jokes that I'm making sure our guests are comfortable. He's such a good sport! Whereas he doesn't get *hatch fever,* at least he's happy that I'm jazzed and excited about the NYD hatch. (Afterall, if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy). He's also a very smart man to realize that for a happy home life you don't mess with the nest and, ergo, he defers on the decorating and household operations...even when it includes fussing over eggs.
Yaaah! In the period of time it took to write this, the incubator has reconciled to the original temps. Phew!
eOf course, now I'm going to spend the rest of the day checking on it.... I'm all anxious and there's not even eggs in it!
Hope everyone's bators treats them well!
This could be a very interesting three weeks.....
(Hmmm...I wonder how much it'd cost to run the casita at 101 degrees for three weeks? Set and forget... Pop in three weeks later to gather the chicks off the floor. I think DH might lose his patience and understanding over that one...)
edited for spelling
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