Any Little Giant helpful tips?

[Coldweatherbirds]

I know it's not a popular incubator, but I can't afford to buy one right now and it's the only one available for me to borrow. On the upside it does have a turner in it. They are mutt eggs from my flock, so nothing to lose by trying. Any hints on how to make this less than ideal incubator perform best? We have pretty low humidity, it being winter in Maine. I'll keep it in my son's room where the temp is the most stable at 65 F. I'm putting it up today (Mon 2/28), hoping to put the eggs in on Wed (3/2) Any tips would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Chickie Mamma]

I have had many great hatches in my LG incubator. I fill the 2 side chambers with water (not the middle) and my humidity stays around 35% for the first 18 days. When ready for lockdown, I fill all chambers and add a wet sponge or paper towel to get it to near 70%. Be VERY careful when adjusting the temp. It is VERY sensitive. Play with it a bit to get used to it before setting the eggs. Once set, its a good incubator. Hope this helps..

 

[gumbii]

i think room stability is the key... if it's stable at 65° you should be fine... everything else will just be cake...

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

This is my first time with an incubator and I have a used lg. I set it up and ran it a few days before I got my eggs in the mail. I then put the eggs in the turner and have had no problems so far. Lockdown is tomorrow. I do check the temp and humidity during the day as it does fluctuate with the temp of the room. I have mine in the dining room. My adjustments have been minimal as it is very sensitive to turning the temp up or down. I am glad i have a thermometer on each side as one side is a little warmer than the other. I use sponges for the humidity. I like my lg and hope that my hatch goes well. I will know by friday!!!

 

[jm93030]

My tip is


Add a laptop fan , make it air circulation LG

 

[Coldweatherbirds]

It's been on for a couple hours and does seem very sensitive to temp adjusting. I'm glad that I read enough to set it up a couple days in advance. I've been saving eggs for 6 days now! Any advice on candling dark shelled eggs?

 

[Coldweatherbirds]

Quote:
We do have tons of computer parts laying around including fans. When I buy an incubator for myself I will definitely add a fan. I just went and looked to see if there was a way to do this without permanently altering my friend's incubator. My husband thinks he could zip-tie one to the wire mesh off to the side of the egg turner. I'm not so sure.

 

[RhodeRunner]

Quote:
Have to agree. Our houses temperatures are very unstable, and that incubator had a terrible time. If you think this is a problem you may want to create an incubator cover. Also, I suggest moving the air (as others have) I found this incubator to be 104 degress in some areas, and then 98 in others.

The egg turner is a nice addition. Besides, not having to turn by hand the incubator had a hard time coming up to temperature/humidity when opened.

Also, as you have said I found the temperature dail to tricky. Play with it several days to get used to it. Then, put in the eggs.

 

[Coldweatherbirds]

Thank you. I just saw another person post about blood rings meaning bacteria got into the egg. But I've read in the past that we shouldn't wash eggs, because that strips the protective layer off the shell. What do I do with the few eggs I have with smears?

 

[RhodeRunner]

Quote:
I have always left them alone, and no problems. However, very dirty eggs are different. I choose not to hatch them or pick/scrape it off.