My homemade forced-air incubator was holding the temp steady at 99.3 for the first 10 - 11 days. Then, without explanation, the temp rose to 100.4. I had not made any changes and the bator is in the basement without any doors or windows so the ambient temp stays almost dead constant. I wasn't too worried about the increase and didn't want to start fiddlin' with the thermostat. I was thinking that maybe the chicks were beginning to generate body heat and that had caused the increase?
Anyway, early this morning (2:00am) I went downstairs to turn the eggs and check the temp / humidity...still at 100.4. Then, this morning, the temp was at 104.1.
I checked the max temp recording and it read 104.6 so I turned the t-stat down a little bit. I checked it about 3 hours later and it was at 95. I bumped it up a little more and am now at 96, so I just bumped it up a little more.
My last hatch, which was my 1st, didn't go very well. That was a still-air unit without a heat shield and I think the eggs got cooked. There were four that quit at about day 7 and the other four fully developed, but never hatched. Due to what happened last time, I'm really worried about this and the possible effect on the eggs. Once I get the temp back to 99 - 100, should I candle the eggs to see if there is any movement or just let them alone? I did candle on day 11 and saw good development / movement in four of the six eggs I had set. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
My last hatch, which was my 1st, didn't go very well. That was a still-air unit without a heat shield and I think the eggs got cooked. There were four that quit at about day 7 and the other four fully developed, but never hatched. Due to what happened last time, I'm really worried about this and the possible effect on the eggs. Once I get the temp back to 99 - 100, should I candle the eggs to see if there is any movement or just let them alone? I did candle on day 11 and saw good development / movement in four of the six eggs I had set. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
