AAARRRRGGGGG Hova-Bator issues

[anjbagley]

Thank you, you guys are awesome! I was so stressed this morning! I have never heard about putting the eggs in cartons and tipping them. Can any one tell me about that? Also, acouple of bottles of water in the bator will help keep the heat in?

 

[Intheswamp]

Quote:
Thanks!!! Every once in a while it is bound to happen LOL!

<chuckle> I know what you mean...I can *almost* remember when it happened to me.

Ed

 

[Julie08]

the water depends on the amount of eggs, I dont know how big your bator is or how many eggs are in it. But if you have a bator that will hold 60 eggs and you have 6 in it then there is a lot of space only being occupied by warm air which will escape faster. Think of it like having a cold glass that comes out of the freezer filled with cold air, the cold air in the glass would probably only last a few second before it is mixed with warm air and replaced or warmed. If you took an ice cube out it would solid and last in its cold solid form much longer then the cold air in the glass. SO if you have a lot of space (air) in the bator the air will escape when opened. BUT if you fill some of that air with warm water in bottles then the temp would stay more constain since the warm water will stay much warmer for longer then the warm air.

As for the egg carton method, you can load all the eggs in cartons (large end up) instead of turning them you elavate one end of the carton in place of each turn. So say for instance you are currently turning at 7 am, noon, 3 PM, 8PM and midnight. You would put a block maybe an inch or so on one end of the carton at 7, then move it to the other end at noon, back to the first side at 3 etc.

(I really hope this makes sense)

 

[Intheswamp]

Quote:
Basically tilt the carton side to side at something like a 45* angle. Some people have actually tilted the entire incubator but you have to be careful that the water in the channels doesn't pour out the ventilation holes.

The bottles of water act as a heatsink. In other words, the water stabilizes at the ambient temperature inside the incubator. When the lid to the incubator is removed the heat is lost and when the lid is replaced naturally it has to come back up to temperature. The bottles of water are already pretty much at the preferred temperature and help the incubator recoup it's temperature faster. The water helps stabilize the temperature to a constant temp. A full load of eggs in the incubator will do the same thing...stabilize the temp.

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[Julie08]

Quote:
Basically tilt the carton side to side at something like a 45* angle. Some people have actually tilted the entire incubator but you have to be careful that the water in the channels doesn't pour out the ventilation holes.

The bottles of water act as a heatsink. In other words, the water stabilizes at the ambient temperature inside the incubator. When the lid to the incubator is removed the heat is lost and when the lid is replaced naturally it has to come back up to temperature. The bottles of water are already pretty much at the preferred temperature and help the incubator recoup it's temperature faster. The water helps stabilize the temperature to a constant temp. A full load of eggs in the incubator will do the same thing...stabilize the temp.

Best wishes,
Ed

LOL want to dance?? Seems like we have been stepping all over each others already anyhow!

 

[Intheswamp]

It do seem so, it do seem so.

...I think you like your toes better than to dance with me! These two left feet....er, or are they right feet?

 

[Julie08]

yeah I dont dance either, I hope we have been helpful I will be interested to see how it works out.

 

[anjbagley]

Quote:
This really sounds soooo much easier. Are the results as good as with turning? I assume that you tear the lids off so the eggs are open to the air. Do you have to do anything different with the temp, humidity, etc?

 

[iajewel]

I have a turner and my Hoovabator fluctuates too. It sucks.
As for opening your bator, try not opening it. Put a few magazines under it and rotate them so your bator tilts. That way you don't need to open the lid every day.

 

[anjbagley]

I think that you guys figured out my problem though. I didn't have the eggs in the bator yet, I was trying to get the temp and humidity stable so that I could put them in. That is why the temp dropped so fast. The other bator that only drops a degree or two is loaded with eggs. Don't you just love us new hatchers!