Sorry this is so long.....it's my second hatch and the first wasn't too successful and I have less eggs this time so I really, really want them to hatch.
Ok, I have a homemade incubator I modeled after Miss Prissy's. If I ever do this again I will buy a bigger styro cooler. I realized after I put all the necessary parts in that it quickly shrank in size. It has been a good incubator so far though.
I have been able to keep wiggler temps between 98.7 and 99.5 for the first 18 days with humidity between 43%-47%. I have two rubbermaid containers under the hardware cloth and I made two holes in the side of the bator. I ran small fish tank tubing through the holes to the rubbermaid containers and bought cheap ketchup and mustard containers from the dollar store. I took the lids off, inserted the squeezy lid into the hose and taped it off. All I have to do to add water is attach the ketchup bottle to either of the lids and squeeze water in.
Today is Day 18 and I added a sponge and a wet paper towel that should wick off the sponge and got the humidity up to 59%-62% at first. When that didn't feel like enough I made a hole in the side and attached a hose right above the sponge so I could squeeze in more water as needed. I squeezed in more water, which apparently was more than the sponge could hold so the excess ran off into the bottom of the incubator. It has ridges in the bottom that are now also holding water so the humidity is up to 69%. Temps still running about the same in the wiggler.
So my concerns are: (Pics below my many questions for reference)
- Is the humidity high enough if it stays at 69% ?
- Are my temps too low?
- There is hardly any room in there....will the chicks be smooshed and stuck between the carton and the light?? I don't want them to get stuck and get burned by being stuck near the light for too long.
- While the wiggler stays at 98.7-99.5, the actual air temp in the bator goes from 95-105 sometimes. Will that be too hot for the babies when they hatch?
- The one egg, as you can see by my pencil drawing has the air cell settled on the side of the egg mostly, just a tiny bit at the top. Instead of keeping it straight up and down. I leaned it to the side so the air cell is facing up. Is that okay or should I leave it straight??
- And lastly, am I just being neurotic?
Incubator set up:
Not much room:
Sponge inside bator:
Tubes outside the incubator:
This is the egg with the crooked air cell. In this picture it is showing the side of the egg which is tilted upward.
Thanks for reading my lonnng post! and Heeeelllpppp!
Ok, I have a homemade incubator I modeled after Miss Prissy's. If I ever do this again I will buy a bigger styro cooler. I realized after I put all the necessary parts in that it quickly shrank in size. It has been a good incubator so far though.
I have been able to keep wiggler temps between 98.7 and 99.5 for the first 18 days with humidity between 43%-47%. I have two rubbermaid containers under the hardware cloth and I made two holes in the side of the bator. I ran small fish tank tubing through the holes to the rubbermaid containers and bought cheap ketchup and mustard containers from the dollar store. I took the lids off, inserted the squeezy lid into the hose and taped it off. All I have to do to add water is attach the ketchup bottle to either of the lids and squeeze water in.
Today is Day 18 and I added a sponge and a wet paper towel that should wick off the sponge and got the humidity up to 59%-62% at first. When that didn't feel like enough I made a hole in the side and attached a hose right above the sponge so I could squeeze in more water as needed. I squeezed in more water, which apparently was more than the sponge could hold so the excess ran off into the bottom of the incubator. It has ridges in the bottom that are now also holding water so the humidity is up to 69%. Temps still running about the same in the wiggler.
So my concerns are: (Pics below my many questions for reference)
- Is the humidity high enough if it stays at 69% ?
- Are my temps too low?
- There is hardly any room in there....will the chicks be smooshed and stuck between the carton and the light?? I don't want them to get stuck and get burned by being stuck near the light for too long.
- While the wiggler stays at 98.7-99.5, the actual air temp in the bator goes from 95-105 sometimes. Will that be too hot for the babies when they hatch?
- The one egg, as you can see by my pencil drawing has the air cell settled on the side of the egg mostly, just a tiny bit at the top. Instead of keeping it straight up and down. I leaned it to the side so the air cell is facing up. Is that okay or should I leave it straight??
- And lastly, am I just being neurotic?
Incubator set up:
Not much room:
Sponge inside bator:
Tubes outside the incubator:
This is the egg with the crooked air cell. In this picture it is showing the side of the egg which is tilted upward.
Thanks for reading my lonnng post! and Heeeelllpppp!
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