Completly lost. Trying to hatch eggs

[AmyLynn2374]

People can get 100% hath rate in that cheapo LG. It just takes patients and getting to know your equipment. 

Biggest problem is the operator constantly moving the temp dial for every little thing....this is going to get you into big trouble. Little change and wait a good 8 hours to see what it does. Once eggs are in there is mass holding temp. The change made will take a ling time to lower or raise temp of all that egg mass, the cooler or hotter than setting eggs will effect your reading until they are to temp. People like to nudge up, hour later nudge up more and finally get the temp they want then go to bed only to awake to the eggs finally getting up to temp resulting in air temp in incubator spiked to incredible highs. Relax, baby steps in temp changes. Use a marker to have reference line of a known setting. The adjustment on LG is very finicky and such a small diameter a little nudge goes a long way. TO remedy that cut small hole in milk cap to fit over the stick dial and super glue in place. Now you've a large diameter for fine adjustments.

Keep incubator away from windows, drafts and sunlight are going to swing that baby all over the place. Solar radiation being the big no no. Keep away from windows....

Salt test. And the the second rule of hatch club is salt test. And the third rule of hatch club is...do a salt test. Ay cheapo hygrometer will do. From $5 to $30 unit none will be accurate. Relax, so a salt test to calibrate it. It will accurately give you a wrong reading up and down the scale. If your unit is off by 9% RH at 75% RH it will be off by 9% at 30% RH. With a salt test you know how far off it's reading. Then what the unit is telling you actually means something.

True! I hit 100% in mine with 20 eggs. But those dials are a doozy! That's why if mine settled between 99.5 and stayed under 101 I left it alone! Lol

 

[oregonkat]

I have 14 BCM and 14 Blue Isbar eggs in a borrowed 5200LG, talk about old, with a turner. Temps are holding at 99.5 and 102 at top of eggs and RH holding at 37% day 3 today. I have read that the Black Copper Marans and the Blue Isbars prefer to hatch on the slightly drier side. The question that I have is whether any of you put down fabric, either cheesecloth or muslin over the metal grid right before lock down after removing the turner. If so, do you use a jar with a sponge in it for raising the RH or do you use the wells at the bottom of the incubator and then does the fabric get wet? Thanks.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I have 14 BCM and 14 Blue Isbar eggs in a borrowed 5200LG, talk about old, with a turner. Temps are holding at 99.5 and 102 at top of eggs and RH holding at 37% day 3 today. I have read that the Black Copper Marans and the Blue Isbars prefer to hatch on the slightly drier side. The question that I have is whether any of you put down fabric, either cheesecloth or muslin over the metal grid right before lock down after removing the turner. If so, do you use a jar with a sponge in it for raising the RH or do you use the wells at the bottom of the incubator and then does the fabric get wet? Thanks.

I think the old LGs were fair incubators but they killed themselves when they went digital. I have heard the same about the BCMs, but I run all my standard chicken eggs at around 30%.
I use the rubber shelf liner for the bottom. I don't use the wells during the first 17 days and at lockdown I fill the wells, put my screen back in with the shelf liner on it. put my eggs back in and I add a sponge or two, depending on what I am getting % wise, (I aim for 70-75% at hatch). And when I need to replinish humidity I just re wet my sponges. I never fuss with the water wells prior to hatch or after the initial filling at lockdown. The shelf liner I get at the dollar store.

 

[oregonkat]

I think the old LGs were fair incubators but they killed themselves when they went digital. I have heard the same about the BCMs, but I run all my standard chicken eggs at around 30%.
I use the rubber shelf liner for the bottom. I don't use the wells during the first 17 days and at lockdown I fill the wells, put my screen back in with the shelf liner on it. put my eggs back in and I add a sponge or two, depending on what I am getting % wise, (I aim for 70-75% at hatch). And when I need to replinish humidity I just re wet my sponges. I never fuss with the water wells prior to hatch or after the initial filling at lockdown. The shelf liner I get at the dollar store.

Great, thank you. The shelf liner is an excellent idea.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

RH is RH. There is no magic way for everyone to get the same by using the same method. We live in different climates and heat out houses differently. Some dry heat some moist heat. The bottom line is if your hygrometer is calibrated via a salt test the true number inside the incubator is the true number.

True number for incubation that works best for me is 30-35% RH. edit to say I actually vary this as things dry out....20-35% RH.

True Number for hatching (last three to four days depending when they actually hatch) 70-75% RH.

Will those numbers inside the incubator take filling wells? adding sponges? Nobody can tell you that as not only is your local climate different but your home heating is different than your neighbors. Do you use wood heat? etc....alll different climate at the very local level of home heating. Use what works. If your hygrometer is calibrated via salt test then trust that and what is proven to work. 30% incubation, Min 70% during hatch.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

RH is RH. There is no magic way for everyone to get the same by using the same method. We live in different climates and heat out houses differently. Some dry heat some moist heat. The bottom line is if your hygrometer is calibrated via a salt test the true number inside the incubator is the true number.

True number for incubation that works best for me is 30-35% RH. edit to say I actually vary this as things dry out....20-35% RH.

True Number for hatching (last three to four days depending when they actually hatch) 70-75% RH.

Will those numbers inside the incubator take filling wells? adding sponges? Nobody can tell you that as not only is your local climate different but your home heating is different than your neighbors. Do you use wood heat? etc....alll different climate at the very local level of home heating. Use what works. If your hygrometer is calibrated via salt test then trust that and what is proven to work. 30% incubation, Min 70% during hatch.

Also elevation. Hatching in high elevations is harder and usually requires a higher humidity. Egg shell quality and size will also determine what works better humidity wise.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Great, thank you. The shelf liner is an excellent idea.

I just wanted to add, I had a friend who bought the rubber shelf liner but it had tighter mesh than what I used and was having problems with humidity through it, after she replaced it with what I used her humidity came up and was much better, so make sure there's enough "mesh" size (I don't know what else to call it), so circulation and humidity doesn't get cut down.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

But again, RH inside your incubaor is same RH world around. HIgh elevations like Colorado are dry....like Arizona is dry...but your neighbor may use a humidifier and not need sponges...

To be clear....if your hygrometer is calibrated then the RH your reading is the same RH as a person with a calibrated hygrometer on mars. RH is Relative Humidity. It does not matter if your in Iceland or New Zeland. RH is RH the world around if your using the same device. So...in a closed enviornment like a incubator what will it take to acheive that RH? It depends on if your room RH. Somme use humidifiers in high elevation for home comfort, some heat with wood....some....it is all realative to what your house RH is and that is very much a local to your home thing and not elevation or desert thing. Your home air humidity is what is circulating through the incubator. If your house air is dry it will take more moisture in incubator to maintain a certain RH. If your home has a heated indoor pool and your incubating next to it then you will never acheive 30% RH for first 18 days. But again, would that matter much? Depends how far off the norm you really are...it's relative.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

But again, RH inside your incubaor is same RH world around. HIgh elevations like Colorado are dry....like Arizona is dry...but your neighbor may use a humidifier and not need sponges...

I never argued that.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Nah Lynn....not an argument, we agree on RH for incubation. What is frustrating is local environment....well that means nothing to house enviornment. and what it take to get that RH? Well calibrate your hygrometer and tell us what it took....ya know, it's alll the misinformation combined with....there is a lot of confusion and adding where a person lives really means little as it's what they keep the very local air that's circulating in incubator that really means something....but again, whatever it takes to get the sealed environment of incubator to right RH is what it takes. If yoru hygrometer is calibrated....that's what it takes.