- Mar 16, 2014
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This is to serve as my log for my first foray into chicken keeping! I plan on using a home made incubator and am planning on getting some eggs from a mixed flock. (because hey, who doesn't love surprises? I know I do!!) I'm really excited and hopeful that this'll turn out. Follow along and feel free to offer advice!
3/28-
I'm still in the process of building/tweaking my incubator. I'm using a big styrofoam box, the kind they ship fish in, that I got from work. I've added a lamp, and I'm reading the temp inside using a digital meat thermometer. After having the light on a couple of hours, it's reading at a steady 111 degrees right now! Way too hot! I still haven't added the viewing panel yet, though, so that may alleviate some of the heat. If that doesn't work out, the next step is going to be to buy a digital reptile hygrotherm, a device that will measure the temp and the humidity AND turn devices on and off if it drops! (How cool is that?) More updates as I have them. Thanks for tuning in~
4/4-
I added a viewing window, and two air vents and great improvement! For almost a full eight hours it stayed between 99 and 101! But... then it started to fall. And keep falling. Down to 95 degrees at the lowest, and then start coming back up again. By the afternoon it was back up to 99, and the evening of the next day it was 105 degrees! still way too much variation. No getting around it, I'm going to need a heat maintaining device, and to upgrade my bulb (I'm actually using a florescent right now) to a 25w incandecent. Fingers crossed that the next post is better!
3/28-
I'm still in the process of building/tweaking my incubator. I'm using a big styrofoam box, the kind they ship fish in, that I got from work. I've added a lamp, and I'm reading the temp inside using a digital meat thermometer. After having the light on a couple of hours, it's reading at a steady 111 degrees right now! Way too hot! I still haven't added the viewing panel yet, though, so that may alleviate some of the heat. If that doesn't work out, the next step is going to be to buy a digital reptile hygrotherm, a device that will measure the temp and the humidity AND turn devices on and off if it drops! (How cool is that?) More updates as I have them. Thanks for tuning in~
4/4-
I added a viewing window, and two air vents and great improvement! For almost a full eight hours it stayed between 99 and 101! But... then it started to fall. And keep falling. Down to 95 degrees at the lowest, and then start coming back up again. By the afternoon it was back up to 99, and the evening of the next day it was 105 degrees! still way too much variation. No getting around it, I'm going to need a heat maintaining device, and to upgrade my bulb (I'm actually using a florescent right now) to a 25w incandecent. Fingers crossed that the next post is better!
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