Advice needed

[chicks rule]

I set 7 Delaware eggs last night, My first attempt at hatching went horribly wrong. Little to no development at all, The eggs were good as they came from Cyn, so I know it was me and my new bator. My question is where in my house is good for placing the bator to hold steady outside temps and lowest chance for drafts? I don't know if that was a factor on the first go around as I had alot of trouble regulating my temps in the bator. Just don't know if the surroundings have an effect or how much of an effect on how the bator holds inside temps, any ideas? I live in a mobile home, so not alot of choices on where to sit the bator, right now it is in my closet. THX

 

[speckledhen]

A closet sounds like a good idea if air can get into it. My Hova sits in a corner bedroom/office that stays cooler than the rest of the house in the winter and warmer in the summer. Right now, there is a small quilted wallhanging draped over about half of it, but not hanging to the bottom. That seems to help stablilize the temps in the Hovabator. The Fridge-a-Bator, being so insulated, doesn't have trouble with air temps like the Hova does.

 

[GloriaH]

I noticed that if I put my Hova-Bator on the floor it really lowers the temp in it. I put it on a milk crate in my guest bathroom. This time I'll put it up on the counter in there.

 

[chicks rule]

Well mine is in the closet sitting on one of those three drawer plastic bins on wheels, I just checked and the temp was 103 and humidity 32, grrrr. I absolutely hate the temp control on the LG 9200, it is so hard to adjust. Last night I had it in my kitchen floor nest to the heat vent and it was doing great, just confuses the crap out of me. I am almost tempted to put the eggs under my broody, just not sure how much longer she will stay broody. Guess I could put half the eggs under her, What do you think about that?????

 

[PurpleChicken]

I've had a few good and a few bad hatches so for with my 9200's.

Here is what I've learned so far:

Put the bator on a piece of plywood. I had mine on a TV tray at first and
the temp would fluctuate a lot. Now that I have mine on a regular unpainted
plywood shelf temps are more stable.

The more eggs the better, The more mass you have in the bator the more stable
it will be. Put a water bottle or two in to help equalize heat or more eggs, even
unfertile ones.

Don't trust thermometers. Get a water wigler fast. Temps will very by 2 degrees
in the 9200 just by location on the thermometer.

Do you have the fan kit? I added it and it helped.

Don

 

[chicks rule]

Thanks Don, I have the water wiggler, it is in the center of the bator, I can add more of my own eggs, they seem to be pretty fertile, I was cooking the grandkids eggs and toast the other night and the first egg I cracked into the skillet had a dime sized embryo in it, freaked the kids out, lol. I will look for a board and give that a try as well, don't have the fan kit, may have to add that later. Thanks for the advice, gonna go get some extra eggs now.

 

[seminolewind]

I agree with the water bottles, it will help stablize the temp. Maybe you can also wrap a blanket around the bator but don't cover the air holes. Try to keep the home at a stable temp. I know that's almost impossible with a mobile home, there's very little insulation. We lived in one for 6 months and had to use heat at night and air conditioning during the day. Karen

 

[chicks rule]

Well of all the dumb luck, I had the bator temps doing great at 102 w/40% humidity, I wake up this morning thinking it is really cold in here, well I guess my pilot light went out sometime during the night and I have no heat, great. It is a LG Still air bator and I do have a beach towel over half of it, Will this drop in temp hurt the eggs, I set them on the 22nd.

Oh and I awoke to some snow on the ground, 36 degrees outside, feels like that inside, Brrrrrr

 

[hsm5grls]

Glad i read this post. I live in a trailer home and am waiting on eggs too. I have had the bator on all week to adjust and monitor it. It dose good during the day but the night temps. drop too low. So I am going to try wrapping it in a baby blanket and see if that helps. After my first hatching disaster I want this hatch to go "perfect" or at least hatch a few. LOL
Thanks for asking this question. Bator temps. drive me nuts and I keep reading and always see slightly different answers. Right now I am keeping it between 96 and 101 but the temp in the water wiggler stays at 99.5 so