Coon Killed my Broody on Day 7- Moving to a DIY Incubator

[nmab05]

My broody speckled sussex was on day 7 today of sitting on some Trader Joe's fertile eggs. I got her the eggs last week to allow her to hatch some chicks instead of separating her into a wire cage to break her broodiness. Well I was away today and came home to find a raccoon running away from the coop. I found her dead and some of the eggs gone or broken. My RIR is missing and I feel terrible.
I brought the six remaining eggs inside, cleaned them off as best as I could and made a quick diy incubator. I've never done this before. I have an eco bulb that is the equivalent of a 60w bulb sitting in a bowl for fire safety and a small dish with a sponge soaked with water. I've closed the top of the box and placed a plate on it to hold the lid down. I'll pick up a temperature/humidity reader tomorrow and turn the eggs by hand. Any thoughts on this incubator? I'm really rooting for these little ones!

 

[Daedalus62]

Eco lamps don't put out as much heat as incandescent's... Eco equivalent or not...You're really looking for heat, not light intensity output.

Get your thermometer/hygrometer asap... And good luck with those eggs!!

Cheers

 

[nmab05]

I guess my RIR had an amazing hiding spot because she is back this morning! I am thrilled about that! The eco bulb is a 14watt but it doesn't seem warm enough in the box but I'm out to get my temperature reader this morning. I'll know for sure that way. I'm hoping the set up will work.

 

[Daedalus62]

Glad for your RIR

Can't you get an incandescent bulb?... They're way more heat efficient than eco's... I think even a small 25W one will work in that setup... Just keep it away from those wood shavings.

Cheers

 

[nmab05]

Yes I'm replacing the bulb this morning. I just didn't have any incandescent bulbs in the house when it happened last night. I stayed up until 2am checking on them.

 

[nmab05]

So Radioshack in my area did not have a thermostat so I was finally able to get one at Home Depot today. I had been afraid of fire so I did not have the lamp on while I was at work Monday. My hubby worked from home today so I was able to leave it on. It was so dang hot here today and when I got home and put the thermostat in it was at 118! I hope they didn't roast! I added some water in containers so the humidity would go up because it was so dry and got it down to 99 now. I'm thinking about candling to see if there is any movement. Poor littles.
Any experience with results at high temps?

 

[nmab05]

Yikes!

I candled and saw a little vein in one.

 

[nmab05]

I'm a newbie. Can you tell? Can anyone tell me how to improve the humidity? I placed additional dishes of water surrounding the eggs but am only at 20%.

 

[mollybuck]

Sorry about losing the broody, stupid coons.

i wouldnt worry about the humidity as much as the temps. Do you have any other candling pictures? I hate to say it but that one looks like a blood ring. its hard to tell though because the whole thing is lit, are there more veins, smaller ones?

 

[nmab05]

I'll see if I can get some better pictures and post them.