4th Annual BYC NYD Hatch-a-long

[cochins1088]

Ok, this is kind of weird. I had my eggs in a little refrigerator at 49 degrees, but they felt so FREEZING cold, I took them out and put them in my bedroom. Now the bedroom is about 60 degrees right now (we don't heat usually) and I was checking on them to turn them again, and they still felt like ice cubes! They're little Serama eggs, but you'd swear they were egg shaped ice cubes! It's so weird! They've been out of the fridge since last night. Do your eggs feel colder than it seems like they should? LOL???

Anyway, I can't believe we get to set in 38.5 hours .........

Wait, waddaya mean I'm being too obsessive?

Mine are being kept at 68 degrees and they feel really cold, it's just how eggs are. It does get me thinking though, I'm currently taking a Physics class and we just learned about heat transfer last week so I really should have an explanation for this.

And believe me, my friends and family are probably getting annoyed cause I tend to bring up this hatchalong fairly often and I'm also counting down. A bit obsessive? Nah..

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

Thanks will do!!!


Question: IS fresher better?? I have enough eggs as of today to set, but i will be getting more eggs tommmorow and tuesday morning, should i replace the fresher eggs with the eggs I picked last week? If i just kept the ones i have the oldest ones would be 6 days old. Am i making sense? Not sure... ahaha

Yes it is better. 7 days your fine. After 10-14 viability goes downhill pretty fast.

 

[midwest]

I am new to this as well but here are my thoughts on mu 1602N:

The bator consists of a heating coil and a thermostat. Mine also has a fan and a turner.

A thermostat is just an on off switch, The heater does not have a rheostat that makes it adjustable - its either on or off. Adjusting the thermostat only tells the heater when to turn on and off. If the room changes temp, the bator should respond unless the swing is dramatic and it loses heat too fast. If the bator is cool and the red light is not on - you have your thermostat set wrong.

The turner motor generates heat but not enough to stop the heater coming on and off as it needs to.

My thermostsat has proven extremely reliable. It took some adjusting at first. It also varies slightly with humidity. I use a meade thermomemter and hygrometer with a remote sensor. If I dont touch the bator, The thermostat and hygrometer remain stable - no more than a degree F variation.

I got a second 1602N with a fan. My first is a hand me down - the second brand new - but both identical. I ran it all day with a second remote sensor in it. Once I got the temp to where I wanted it, it has just stayed there - again within 1 degree F.

I struggle with people not understanding thermostats all the time when they are hot and the AC is running - they drop the thermostat setting way down to make the room cool faster - it does not wook. It makes the room cool longer. The AC just runs at max till the thermostat tells it not to. Just like the bator. To get it right takes small steps and patience.

The wafer thermostat is the same wafer as in all styro bators.

I dont think the problem is that people don't understand what a thermostat is or does. The problem is that they don't all work as they should. We have a Little Giant styro bator. It does not have a wafer thermostat it has an electronic one. And it is junk. Should it matter what the room temp is.....No it shouldn't. Does it....Yes. When the room temp changes so will it. Does it make sense....Not at all but it is what it is. We have ours in a spare bedroom with a thermostat controlled heater and the room temp only varies for the most part by three degrees. With our LG you can't adjust it as you go. If you move the thermostat dial just enough to know it moved the temps can move 4 or 5 degrees. We never adjust it once eggs are in it. It will also stay within about 1 degree at almost all times but there has been times it has dropped to 95 degrees and other times it has spiked to 105 degrees. Yes a thermostat is a simple on and off switch but it doesn't always turn it's self on and off when it is set to. That's where the fustration is for many of us.

 

[SirUlrichsMom]

i cant wait to set these eggs iv got! i was hoping for more... may have to snitch some from my buddy. lol

ive ben working on my bators so that i dont have to open them once there set. i now have tubes running down to fill it with water. got new gages to keep track of everything.
gotta finish cleaning up my turner that got messy the other day and il be all set to set.lol

 

[Daloorashens]

Can I guess again on the number of eggs set??? More people keep signing up, so I obviously was premature in guessing, haha

 

[ozexpat]

I dont think the problem is that people don't understand what a thermostat is or does. The problem is that they don't all work as they should. We have a Little Giant styro bator. It does not have a wafer thermostat it has an electronic one. And it is junk. Should it matter what the room temp is.....No it shouldn't. Does it....Yes. When the room temp changes so will it. Does it make sense....Not at all but it is what it is. We have ours in a spare bedroom with a thermostat controlled heater and the room temp only varies for the most part by three degrees. With our LG you can't adjust it as you go. If you move the thermostat dial just enough to know it moved the temps can move 4 or 5 degrees. We never adjust it once eggs are in it. It will also stay within about 1 degree at almost all times but there has been times it has dropped to 95 degrees and other times it has spiked to 105 degrees. Yes a thermostat is a simple on and off switch but it doesn't always turn it's self on and off when it is set to. That's where the fustration is for many of us.

I guess I got lucky. For me personally, I love the Hovabator I am using but lots of people seem to have issues. You obviously know the theory behind the device, I wish your machine was more stable for you.

You cant replace the thermostat so easily but perhaps for those with wafers, a replacement wafer may work. The one they currently have may be warped and therefor unpredictable. Just a thought.

My goal is to turn over the incubation process to my gardener in the Philippines who will propagate our flock once we establish it. Bernie has no education and will initially be intimidated by the whole process. The first setting in the Philippines will be Christmas eve. I will be there till New Years eve then have to come back to USA till day 19 of the incubation. It will be a no touch incubation for sure. I am thinking of building a mega bator over there as the styrobators I have are 110V and most of the world uses 220V so I am using a step up transformer. I have looked on ebay at disgital thermostat controllers and saw a you tube instruction on one used by the home brew guys. It looks good and is less than 20 bucks. I ordered a 110V and a 220V. I will build a 110V prototype here and see how it goes. I think that Bernie will be (and therefor so will I be) much more comfortable with the digital controller if I can make sure its stable. I feel I can make a pretty decent fan forced multishelf bator for about $100.

 

[cluck-cluck]

Does anyone know of a brooder that is pretty sealed off so the place doesn't get so dusty? I don't want anymore dust! I'm sick of dust! I want to be free of dust, but not birds??!!

Mine are being kept at 68 degrees and they feel really cold, it's just how eggs are. It does get me thinking though, I'm currently taking a Physics class and we just learned about heat transfer last week so I really should have an explanation for this.

And believe me, my friends and family are probably getting annoyed cause I tend to bring up this hatchalong fairly often and I'm also counting down. A bit obsessive? Nah..

LOL, good to know, now explain please,

I guess I got lucky. For me personally, I love the Hovabator I am using but lots of people seem to have issues. You obviously know the theory behind the device, I wish your machine was more stable for you.

You cant replace the thermostat so easily but perhaps for those with wafers, a replacement wafer may work. The one they currently have may be warped and therefor unpredictable. Just a thought.

My goal is to turn over the incubation process to my gardener in the Philippines who will propagate our flock once we establish it. Bernie has no education and will initially be intimidated by the whole process. The first setting in the Philippines will be Christmas eve. I will be there till New Years eve then have to come back to USA till day 19 of the incubation. It will be a no touch incubation for sure. I am thinking of building a mega bator over there as the styrobators I have are 110V and most of the world uses 220V so I am using a step up transformer. I have looked on ebay at disgital thermostat controllers and saw a you tube instruction on one used by the home brew guys. It looks good and is less than 20 bucks. I ordered a 110V and a 220V. I will build a 110V prototype here and see how it goes. I think that Bernie will be (and therefor so will I be) much more comfortable with the digital controller if I can make sure its stable. I feel I can make a pretty decent fan forced multishelf bator for about $100.

Wow, it sounds like you're up to something serious there!

 

[CluckyCharms]

I'm freezing my butt off. I have checked on the big kids (7 week old chicks) in their unheated coop at least a dozen times (probably more like 20) in the last few hours and I have NO idea what a cold chick looks or acts like. They're perched on the roost together and sort of act perturbed that I'm back again but they still just sit there...they're not shivering like humans do but they're looking pretty blah and fluffy...not comfy and warm and relaxed like they usually look. I hate this weather!! I never used to mind the cold until I had chickens out there. Not being a chicken stinks because it would help if I knew if they were comfortable or not.

I can't even sleep because I'm scared to death I'll wake up to frozen feather bodies.

...maybe I should take the heat lamp back out there.

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

I'm freezing my butt off. I have checked on the big kids (7 week old chicks) in their unheated coop at least a dozen times (probably more like 20) in the last few hours and I have NO idea what a cold chick looks or acts like. They're perched on the roost together and sort of act perturbed that I'm back again but they still just sit there...they're not shivering like humans do but they're looking pretty blah and fluffy...not comfy and warm and relaxed like they usually look. I hate this weather!! I never used to mind the cold until I had chickens out there. Not being a chicken stinks because it would help if I knew if they were comfortable or not.

I can't even sleep because I'm scared to death I'll wake up to frozen feather bodies.

...maybe I should take the heat lamp back out there.

If it helps you sleep at night, do it You know theyll love you for it

 

[gabrielle1976]

My chickins are indoors so I cant say from experiance but I have read a few serprate things in books and articles on line, that the deep litter method can help keep a coop warmer and also if its a smaller coop and not huge you canplace bales of hay/straw , all round the outside touching the walls even two high and helps saposdly.
Good luck I bet they wll be ok but do what you need to.