I borrowed this from a friend and have been researching and playing with it to try to figure things out. Because it’s not mine I can’t add any modifications to it. My question is where is the best place to put the thermometers (I have 2 separate from that’s on it), I was going to add heat sinks, probably mason jars filled with warm water unless someone has a better option, when I do add eggs where is the best place for them. I’ve never incubated before so this is all new to me. This is a picture of it, I can’t find a model number on it.
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Good morning!
Mason jars seem heavy to me, I use water bottles. I can't tell, does that model have a fan?
If you had a light/flat thermometer, it would be placed sitting on top of the eggs. Laying on the rack gives you a lower temp reading. Higher than that gives you a higher temp reading.And if that isn't enough, the humidity should give you reading just the opposite with lower humidity in the higher temp zone.
Anyways, I also use 2 thermometers with digital read outs that I can't lay on top of the eggs. I move them around in there before setting eggs and see how it varies. Note, mine is a still air incubator. My house runs too cold to the the incubator up to temp without adding some blankets to the outside, being careful not to cover the air holes on top or bottom of the bator. My temp laying on the rack says 98, and sitting up a little higher than top of the eggs reads 103. I know that's a little high, but it's a little higher than the top of the eggs so it equals out. I have even put a meat thermometer in the top air hole and it reads 104.3 when the bator is at the right temp. It's just kind of a fail safe that I have practiced with. The extra blankets also help to stabilize the temp if you house temp swings to far.
I put the eggs about the middle, Marked x on one side and o on the other. I put a little arrow between the X and O to make sure I turn back and forth the correct way instead of tumbling in circles. Because I have still air and the temp isn't the same everywhere as it should be with a fan, I move my eggs to a slightly different location 1 time per day. Say moving from top to center or bottom and from center to outside. I have no exact rotation, I just try and make sure they move around.
I also highly recommend the "dry incubation" method. Look it up if you haven't seen it yet. I have only hatched a few times. But I do have good hatches... and get about 80% boys!
I have 11 in the incubator right now. I accidentally aborted 1 embryo when I misread the candling.
But it's a learning process. When I hatch my Marans, candling has been difficult to impossible. So I didn't candle at all. Screwed up on how many times I turned per day. Incubated at 10% humidity. And yet life finds a way. Nutrition of parent stock DOES have an impact on chick viability.
If I missed anything, just ask. I don't know it all and am here to learn just as much as anybody else. But I'm willing to share what little info I do have. I discovered if I set eggs on Thanksgiving, I can have a Christmas Eve hatch!
Happy hatching!
