Any Little Giant helpful tips?

[Coldweatherbirds]

The more I read, the more crazy I'm getting: Wash vs not, humid vs dry, 10 day old eggs ok vs. never more than 7 days, turn while storing vs. leave alone, candling or not. Yikes. So much can go wrong. How do chickens handle the stress? Oh yeah, ignorance is bliss!!!!

 

[abhaya]

I cover mine with a towel it seems to really help with keeping it stable

 

[they'reHISchickens]

I added weatherstripping to our LG and hubby put a computer fan in it. Ask the owner: maybe they would like a fan!
I also keep ours in a box! An air conditioner box is about 3 inches larger all around to keep drafts off. I semi-fold the covers over. I keep two thermometers in it, both digital. One is a remote and the readout is right next to the TV in the living room where we can glance at it often. It also has 24 hours highs and lows for temp and humidity. I doublecheck the one inside the bator with a flashlight at least once a day.
I don' lift the lid until it's time to lockdown and remove the turner. If I have to add/whatever, I do it through the windows. Not as much heat is lost.
For lockdown, definitely use a washcloth positioned in an area you can add water through a straw down one of the holes. It was tough to get the humidity high enough at first. A sponge was not enough.
This time I want to try: egg carton hatching and separating egg groups.
Currently having concerns with low humidity due to dry wood heat.

IMHO, the LG is ok for the money. I don't want to spend hundreds to hatch a few dozen chicks yearly.

 

[Cold Canadian]

If you can add a fan as was suggested .My LG works fantastic , better then some other peoples more expensive models .Just keep the humidity levels were they should be ..30% for the first eighteen days ...then up to 70 to 80 % for the lockdown .You should be fine , they might be cheap , but they have all the right equipment to get the job done ....................good luck

 

[cpegram]

Quote:
X2 I did with mine and I am on my first hatch day 22 so far 26 eggs hatched out of 30...awesome!!!!

 

[Coldweatherbirds]

I'm going to give it a go without the fan this time. Mostly b/c my eggs will be 7 days old tomorrow and I won't be able to get permission, put a fan in and then get the temp re-stabilized in time. I'm going to buy a Styrofoam hova-bator with egg turner for myself in a couple months. I'll definitely be putting a fan in that. And a remote thermometer: What a great idea! I'll keep the read-out next to my coffee maker!

Ummm... but I tried candling a few of my eggs just a minute ago. I couldn't make out the air sac unless it is tiny. There was a floating blob in the eggs I could see through. The shells of my brown and blue eggs have varying transparencies. Can't see anything really.