DIY Incubator Adventure

[Kafen]

Okay so today is Day 7 for the eggs in the incubator! I candled them briefly before I put them in to make sure there weren’t any cracks, but tonight is the first time we’ve candled to see any development. Here it is, the moment of truth....



14/15 are growing! I’m so thrilled. One was a blood ring so we’ve taken it out. The others were active and I’m already so attached. I mean to sell some of these too, it’s going to be hard! I hate to get excited this early, but I can’t help it. I’m a proud mama!



I do find that my coolerbater heats up overnight, and I’m wondering what I can do about that. All in all the water heater thermostat has been good but, I don’t want to cook the chickies. I’ve been turning it down just slightly to accommodate this but I’d like if it didn’t happen in the first place.



On a side note, I’m wondering if others using a water heater thermostat noticed them flashing. A lot. Like turn the rave music up and have a party. It’s just cycling so fast, it doesn’t wait more than a split second to turn back on again!



My next candling date is at day 14, hope everything goes well until then!

 

[careeka22]

Okay so today is Day 7 for the eggs in the incubator! I candled them briefly before I put them in to make sure there weren’t any cracks, but tonight is the first time we’ve candled to see any development. Here it is, the moment of truth....



14/15 are growing! I’m so thrilled. One was a blood ring so we’ve taken it out. The others were active and I’m already so attached. I mean to sell some of these too, it’s going to be hard! I hate to get excited this early, but I can’t help it. I’m a proud mama!



I do find that my coolerbater heats up overnight, and I’m wondering what I can do about that. All in all the water heater thermostat has been good but, I don’t want to cook the chickies. I’ve been turning it down just slightly to accommodate this but I’d like if it didn’t happen in the first place.



On a side note, I’m wondering if others using a water heater thermostat noticed them flashing. A lot. Like turn the rave music up and have a party. It’s just cycling so fast, it doesn’t wait more than a split second to turn back on again!



My next candling date is at day 14, hope everything goes well until then!

That's great! Can you adjust the temp to give a little wider range for shut off? I'd be worried about bulbs blowing with the flickering. I find the hardest part about hatching is lockdown, I hope you get some nice strong babies!

 

[Kafen]

That's great! Can you adjust the temp to give a little wider range for shut off? I'd be worried about bulbs blowing with the flickering. I find the hardest part about hatching is lockdown, I hope you get some nice strong babies!

Thank you! I don’t have a range to set it to, just a dial. I had heard that the water heater thermometers had such a big range (to the tune of +/- 5 degrees, which is way too much!) so I followed some instructions about how to make It better. It’s almost like it’s too much better. I think I want to try to undo some of that for the next hatch, but I don’t want to muck about it with it now. What thermostat do you use?

I’m totally worried about the bulb as well! We put a brand new one in, hoping that it could at least last a hatch....

 

[careeka22]

Thank you! I don’t have a range to set it to, just a dial. I had heard that the water heater thermometers had such a big range (to the tune of +/- 5 degrees, which is way too much!) so I followed some instructions about how to make It better. It’s almost like it’s too much better. I think I want to try to undo some of that for the next hatch, but I don’t want to muck about it with it now. What thermostat do you use?

I’m totally worried about the bulb as well! We put a brand new one in, hoping that it could at least last a hatch....

Ah ok cool! I actually didn't put a thermostat in. With one 25w bulb if the room temp is between 65-75 it just stays at 100-102 on its own. I just have to watch for temp drops if it gets cold in the house.

 

[Cjohnsonis]

Okay so today is Day 7 for the eggs in the incubator! I candled them briefly before I put them in to make sure there weren’t any cracks, but tonight is the first time we’ve candled to see any development. Here it is, the moment of truth....



14/15 are growing! I’m so thrilled. One was a blood ring so we’ve taken it out. The others were active and I’m already so attached. I mean to sell some of these too, it’s going to be hard! I hate to get excited this early, but I can’t help it. I’m a proud mama!



I do find that my coolerbater heats up overnight, and I’m wondering what I can do about that. All in all the water heater thermostat has been good but, I don’t want to cook the chickies. I’ve been turning it down just slightly to accommodate this but I’d like if it didn’t happen in the first place.



On a side note, I’m wondering if others using a water heater thermostat noticed them flashing. A lot. Like turn the rave music up and have a party. It’s just cycling so fast, it doesn’t wait more than a split second to turn back on again!



My next candling date is at day 14, hope everything goes well until then!

Question is pic number two of the blood ring?

 

[Mablethechicken]

Good luck with your homemade incubator! I made my own as well and I’m on day 16. Out of 7 shipped eggs I have 5 still developing and on track (knocking on wood as I type this). One looked like a yolker so I don’t think it was ever fertilized or it quit really early and 1 was an early quitter with a visual blood ring. Hoping the other 5 hatch on Tuesday!

Here is a couple pictures of my set up. I also don’t have a thermostat in there so I’m constantly checking the temp and making minor adjustments. I’m using a dimmer switch on a 40 watt bulb to adjust temp. It usually sits at about 2/3 power to get to the right temp. I purchased a digital thermometer/hygrometer by Govee from Amazon. It has an app that you can download so I can track it in real time anywhere within 260 feet. This has been HUGE since I don’t have a thermostat and need to check it ALOT.

I’ve been keeping it at an average temp between 99 and 100 but it does get cooler at night I’ve noticed. It’s in the basement so temps drop down there when it gets chilly. Hasn’t been below 97 though ever and never above 101. The high and low reads on the thermometer are from when I was testing prior to setting the eggs.

I went with a “dryish” incubation strategy. It’s been between 30 to 45% for most of the time. I do have to have a water cup in there to maintain that humidity even with it being in the basement. All but 1 has a detached or saddle air cell so that’s why I decided on the dry method. I heard it can help to reset the air cell to the shell. Also have been incubating upright in an egg carton since day 8 so the air cells are up. Day 8 is when I noticed the detached air cells for the first time during candling. I read this could help also.

I also installed a small USB fan and is positioned to blow upwards and circulate the air. I found that before I installed it while I was testing the incubator prior to the eggs arriving that I couldn’t get the humidity high enough even with lots of water and sponges. I wanted to ensure I could get it above 65% for lockdown when the time came so I wasn’t troubleshooting in a pinch. As soon as I got the fan in there the humidity read higher and stayed steady. I think it’s because all of the humidity was rising to the top and the hygrometer is as the bottom. The fan is also minimizing the occurrence of hot and cold spots.

 

[Mablethechicken]

Good luck with your homemade incubator! I made my own as well and I’m on day 16. Out of 7 shipped eggs I have 5 still developing and on track (knocking on wood as I type this). One looked like a yolker so I don’t think it was ever fertilized or it quit really early and 1 was an early quitter with a visual blood ring. Hoping the other 5 hatch on Tuesday!

Here is a couple pictures of my set up. I also don’t have a thermostat in there so I’m constantly checking the temp and making minor adjustments. I’m using a dimmer switch on a 40 watt bulb to adjust temp. It usually sits at about 2/3 power to get to the right temp. I purchased a digital thermometer/hygrometer by Govee from Amazon. It has an app that you can download so I can track it in real time anywhere within 260 feet. This has been HUGE since I don’t have a thermostat and need to check it ALOT.

I’ve been keeping it at an average temp between 99 and 100 but it does get cooler at night I’ve noticed. It’s in the basement so temps drop down there when it gets chilly. Hasn’t been below 97 though ever and never above 101. The high and low reads on the thermometer are from when I was testing prior to setting the eggs.

I went with a “dryish” incubation strategy. It’s been between 30 to 45% for most of the time. I do have to have a water cup in there to maintain that humidity even with it being in the basement. All but 1 has a detached or saddle air cell so that’s why I decided on the dry method. I heard it can help to reset the air cell to the shell. Also have been incubating upright in an egg carton since day 8 so the air cells are up. Day 8 is when I noticed the detached air cells for the first time during candling. I read this could help also.

I also installed a small USB fan and is positioned to blow upwards and circulate the air. I found that before I installed it while I was testing the incubator prior to the eggs arriving that I couldn’t get the humidity high enough even with lots of water and sponges. I wanted to ensure I could get it above 65% for lockdown when the time came so I wasn’t troubleshooting in a pinch. As soon as I got the fan in there the humidity read higher and stayed steady. I think it’s because all of the humidity was rising to the top and the hygrometer is as the bottom. The fan is also minimizing the occurrence of hot and cold spots.

View attachment 2102513View attachment 2102514View attachment 2102515

Would love some feedback/advice from anyone with experience hatching shipped eggs going into lock down with detached air cells!

 

[Mablethechicken]

Would love some feedback/advice from anyone with experience hatching shipped eggs going into lock down with detached air cells!

anything y’all?

 

[Ghosty]

anything y’all?

There are lots of threads on this. Some say stand up and don't turn the first day. Others say laying them down is fine. Here are some search results.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threadloom/search?keywords=Shipped+eggs&tab=0
Here is a good recent hatch thread with assisting chicks with bad air cells.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...g-thread-with-pictures-and-questions.1356048/

 

[Kafen]

anything y’all?

I’m afraid I won’t be of any help personally, this is my first hatch and it’s with local eggs. I’m only on day 9 too! Hope you find the info you need and your hatch goes well!!