Ack panicing here!!

[mrsengeseth]

I have two thermometers. One says the temp inside of the incubator was right at 100. the other one, the one freaking me out said ... ugh can hardly breathe...i am in such a panic...115!!! the one that says 100 has been pretty steady with that temp most of the time...a half a degree here and there. the other one has been up and down and up and down all over the place, but never this high!! Did my poor chicks get cooked??

the thermostat never did kick off the temp and it's set pretty low. between 98 and 101 ...

I need a real incubator. This HM one is giving me panic attacks.

 

[speckledhen]

Not sure. What are the brands of thermometer and maybe I can tell you which one is more likely to be right...maybe. Getting good instruments is the biggest challenge of incubating. You'd do better to order an Egg Temp thermometer, made by GQF specifically for incubating. It has an accuracy rating to within .18 degrees. That's POINT one eight. You'll not see accuracy readings on any household thermometers that I know of. It may say they READ within a tenth of a degree, but that's not about accuracy.
The 115 reading may have been because very warm air blew across the sensor and it may not be a true reading. I had one do that to me once, read 112, only momentarily. The other didn't budge and I usually have great, clean hatches.

 

[mrsengeseth]

the other one didn't budge at all...they are both accurite. the thermometer and hydrometer combo ones.

how do you tell at day 7 if the chicks are ok?

 

[77horses]

Quote:
OK calm down.

I wouldn't trust the messed up one, first of all. I don't think it's that hot.

To see if they are OK, just candle them. They should have some veining by now, and if they still do, then leave them alone. Take that messed up temp. gauge out of there! I highly doubt that your chicks didn't get cooked. That temp. gauge is probably just messed up. But to be safe, I would get a whole new one, since BOTH could be wrong. But I doubt it.
If you are still worried, wait a couple days and then candle the eggs again. By day 10 you should probably see the little embryo bobbing around in there.
Your eggs should be just fine!

 

[klf73]

if you have a very high temp you won't know until the next day or so if they are ok, sometimes they look ok the same day. I bought a regular round, cheap($4), non-digital, outdoor thermometer to calibrate my digital thermometers and keep it in the bator. It is never wrong. It's about 4 inches, white with lines for every 2 degrees. I just keep it on 100 even and it has saved me a lot of stress, especially when 1 of the digitals act up. Good luck

 

[klf73]

Quote:
If you have seen veining already, then when you candle the veins will pull away from the egg shell and float. A viable chick will continue to have veining along the inside of the egg.

 

[cajunlizz]

well , 4 weeks ago I had a broody hen that hatched 3 beautiful baby chicks .

TODAY , I went and checked another broody ( today was day 21 ) and guess what ? 6 beautiful chicks ...

So , I guess my broddy hens are easier than having to worry about an incubator .

 

[mrsengeseth]

Quote:
OK calm down.

I wouldn't trust the messed up one, first of all. I don't think it's that hot.

To see if they are OK, just candle them. They should have some veining by now, and if they still do, then leave them alone. Take that messed up temp. gauge out of there! I highly doubt that your chicks didn't get cooked. That temp. gauge is probably just messed up. But to be safe, I would get a whole new one, since BOTH could be wrong. But I doubt it.
If you are still worried, wait a couple days and then candle the eggs again. By day 10 you should probably see the little embryo bobbing around in there.
Your eggs should be just fine!

I am praying you are right. I am practically in tears here over this.

 

[Chicabee19]

http://missvickie.com/howto/cooking101/thermometers-calib.htm

(I don't think this is copyrighted)

There are two ways to check the accuracy of a food thermometer. One method uses ice water, the other uses boiling water. Many food thermometers have a calibration nut under the dial that can be adjusted. Check the package for instructions.
Ice Water Method

Calibration of a thermometer in ice water - To use the ice water method, fill a large glass with finely crushed ice. Add clean tap water to the top of the ice and stir well. Immerse the food thermometer stem a minimum of 2 inches into the mixture, touching neither the sides nor the bottom of the glass. Wait a minimum of 30 seconds before adjusting. (For ease in handling, the stem of the food thermometer can be placed through the clip section of the stem sheath and, holding the sheath horizontally, lowered into the water.) Without removing the stem from the ice, hold the adjusting nut under the head of the thermometer with a suitable tool and turn the head so the pointer reads 32 °F.


Boiling Water Method

Calibration of thermometer using boiling water - To use the boiling water method, bring a pot of clean tap water to a full rolling boil. Immerse the stem of a food thermometer in boiling water a minimum of 2 inches and wait at least 30 seconds. (For ease in handling, the stem of the food thermometer can be placed through the clip section of the stem sheath and, holding the sheath horizontally, lowered into the boiling water.) Without removing the stem from the pan, hold the adjusting nut under the head of the food thermometer with a suitable tool and turn the head so the thermometer reads 212 °F.

For true accuracy, distilled water must be used and the atmospheric pressure must be one atmosphere (29.921 inches of mercury). A consumer using tap water in unknown atmospheric conditions would probably not measure water boiling at 212 °F. Most likely it would boil at least 2 °F, and perhaps as much as 5 °F, lower. Remember that water boils at a lower temperature in a high altitude area. Check with the local Cooperative Extension Service or Health Department for the exact temperature of boiling water.

 

[hinkjc]

Is this HM bator a still air (no fan)? I am guessing that the thermometers are reading from 2 different points in the bator and the one reading extremely high is too close to the heat source. Can you check that? I've never had an accurite off by that much.. I really think it has to do with placement.

Jody