August Hatch-A-Long!

[familypendragon]

OK in still air incubators the air is warmest closer to the top. So if you have your thermometer standing up, it is reading the air temp that is closer to the top. If you lay it on its back, it will read the temp on the rack where it is laying. So you should have 2 different temps. You want the temp when it is laying on the bottom to be 99 degrees.

If you get it 99 at the bottom, then stand the thermometer up, it will be 101 maybe as high as 102. So if you are going to lay your eggs on the bottom, then lay your thermometer on its back and read the temp that way.

Got it! Thank you!

 

[jnjmanning]

Got it! Thank you!

Whew....lol I was afraid I had you too confused to straighten it out....lol

This is the mistake most people make in still air incubators. They put their eggs in turners, (which raises the eggs higher and closer to the hottest air) then place the thermometer to where it is reading the top temp, set that temp at 99, leaving the bottom of the egg as low as 96 or 97. That is why you have late hatches.
Another reason why I use an incubator now that is fan forced air. My temps never drop below 99.5 and never higher than 100.2.

 

[familypendragon]

My actual incubator is forced air and runs between 99 and 100 degrees 99% of the time monitored with a hanging probe sensor that is level with the center of the egg in the auto-turner. It is hanging down through an extra vent I punched through the very center of the bator. But I got the cheapo LG still air one to use a separate hatcher.

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

I have and LG still air I am going to use as a hatcher and I have been running it empty for a few days to get the hang of it. Doing pretty good at holding temps, and I have a layer of hemp woven fabric in the bottom that I am dripping water onto through the vent hole to get humidity. I have figured out for now that about 5 teaspoons of water gets me to 65% humidity. No matter how carefully and minutely I change the temp dial I can not get the desired 101. I get either 100 or 102. I am thinking that if I just leave it at 100, the additional heat from the chicks should make it fine. I am already hooked and not even done with my first hatch. I find myself skimming the hatching egg page and thinking.... I have 9 empty slots now... LOL! AND I have 25 chicks coming in the mail next Monday

I think I am hooked already too. I have a Hova-bator with a fan but I can't stand the wafer thermostat that never seems to maintain the right temperature more than a day then it either heats way up or way down, Grrr! Thank goodness I am home all day so I can monitor it. I bought a Brinsea that is on the ups truck to be delivered on Tuesday. Thursday is my lockdown day so I am moving my eggs to the Brinsea for hatching.

I have a batch of silkie eggs coming in the mail on Wednesday that I will put in the Hova-bator until the current eggs hatch, then the new eggs will be going to the Brinsea so I can have a more reliable temperature.

I have my indoor and outdoor brooders all ready for all the new chicks. Got a Brinsea 20 brooder so I don't have to worry about fires from lamps. This is getting so exciting! I checked all my eggs today and I'm thrilled that they are all alive and well so far. This is a mystery hatch, I have no idea what bird breeds I have, just various egg colors, brown, tan, off white, and greenish.

 

[familypendragon]

I think I am hooked already too. I have a Hova-bator with a fan but I can't stand the wafer thermostat that never seems to maintain the right temperature more than a day then it either heats way up or way down, Grrr! Thank goodness I am home all day so I can monitor it. I bought a Brinsea that is on the ups truck to be delivered on Tuesday. Thursday is my lockdown day so I am moving my eggs to the Brinsea for hatching.

I have a batch of silkie eggs coming in the mail on Wednesday that I will put in the Hova-bator until the current eggs hatch, then the new eggs will be going to the Brinsea so I can have a more reliable temperature.

I have my indoor and outdoor brooders all ready for all the new chicks. Got a Brinsea 20 brooder so I don't have to worry about fires from lamps. This is getting so exciting! I checked all my eggs today and I'm thrilled that they are all alive and well so far. This is a mystery hatch, I have no idea what bird breeds I have, just various egg colors, brown, tan, off white, and greenish.

LOL! Yep - we got it bad already!

 

[what did I do]

The kids have a friend staying the night so we candled the eggs. We took out a few blanks and fill the turner with the eggs that were on top and off to the side. We will have 42 eggs going to the fair to hatch. Wish my ds luck. He has to do an interwiew with them and set up a little booth for the I incubator and brooder.

 

[chickydee64]

LOL! Yep - we got it bad already!

I have bad news.......It does not get better.................

I get as excited now as I did with my first batch.....................

 

[JuNK GyPSY]

I think I am hooked already too. I have a Hova-bator with a fan but I can't stand the wafer thermostat that never seems to maintain the right temperature more than a day then it either heats way up or way down, Grrr! Thank goodness I am home all day so I can monitor it. I bought a Brinsea that is on the ups truck to be delivered on Tuesday. Thursday is my lockdown day so I am moving my eggs to the Brinsea for hatching.

I have a batch of silkie eggs coming in the mail on Wednesday that I will put in the Hova-bator until the current eggs hatch, then the new eggs will be going to the Brinsea so I can have a more reliable temperature.

I have my indoor and outdoor brooders all ready for all the new chicks. Got a Brinsea 20 brooder so I don't have to worry about fires from lamps. This is getting so exciting! I checked all my eggs today and I'm thrilled that they are all alive and well so far. This is a mystery hatch, I have no idea what bird breeds I have, just various egg colors, brown, tan, off white, and greenish.

Lol you sound just like me I started out with a Brinsea Advanced mini and before I even set my first eggs I purchased the Brinsea eco 20 realizing that the mini was never going to cut from this fast growing addiction! I also have the Brinsea 20 brooder and I have 6 Serama chicks under it now, I love it and so do they,I refer to it as the electric hen

The other thing I love about it that I feel it is more natural for the chicks the actually get night and day which I think is more healthy for them IMO. The no fire hazard it hugh for me as I was always worried about it while I was at work it's all I thought about till I got home ever afternoon and seen my house still standing it was worth every penny if not of this reason only.
Good luck with your hatch can't wait to see what your mystery chicks turn out to be it's like a grab bag at the fair

 

[jnjmanning]

Day 14 is tomorrow, but I always seem to fill up my Sundays, so I candled today. I have 11 whites, 5 partridge, 3 porcelain, and 2 paints going to lockdown in 5 days. All eggs have good chick movement. Air cells are perfect! Humidity inside is a steady 29% with NO WATER. Humidity in room stays a steady 47%(basement). I will add water on day 19 and move these eggs to the hatching drawer in egg cartons to hatch. Last hatch I got 11 of 12 to hatch on shipped eggs. I hope this hatch is as good. If it is I may go into the incubator making business.....lol

The eggs in front and to the right with only 1 air cell marked are my chocolates. Oh yeah, these are Silkies!

 

[CGinJCMO]

Today is day 14 for me too and I took out (I forgot) 12? non-develping eggs. Most of those were blue eggs eggs and since the roo jumped her so often that she has bald patches on her back and neck I don't know why the eggs didn't develop. Her previous eggs developed. I butchered the roo Sunday (I got tired of having to keep my eye on him or remembering to take the foam bat with me) so I have one more week of collecting fertile eggs before I can start expecting fertility to decrease.
I still left a few not-sure eggs in the incubator. One has got this really dark spot near the air cell that I don't know what it means. I'd try to take a photo but don't think I'd get a clear picture of it.

CG