Diy styro incubator advice plz!? :D

[ourrune]

Any advice??? Thank you all in advance for any help. Want to make sure i get things right from the start.

The humidity and temp changes all day from the outside air. It was at 99.5 and 40 percent all night now its at 101.4 and 48% humidity. I cant stablize it! Argh. The fridge with door open isnt helping i dont think.

I know it looks messy right now and its a smaller cooler but the egg in there just for test it will be gone, also one of those thermometers will be coming out. So i have one accurite for temp and hygrometer and a little yellow digital zoo med brand thermometer. (For reptiles) that i trust a little more, its a little quicker to gauge. best thermometers/hygrometers i can find in town. Im going to do the salt water test for the hygrometers later. i dont have access to a brinsea spot check or id get one of those. dont have time to wait for it to ship so im going to get a vicks hygrometer thermometer that someone on here said they trust and use and ill be using all 3 of those. Now where i need help is, since i have a fridge (i only plan to do this, this one time so not wanting to make a perm incubator so not wanting to cut up the fridge) anyone have any ideas or tips that i can do to make this a more successful hatch with what i have here? Or anything i could get locally to upgrade?
I have my 8 easter egger eggs for 48 hours now waiting to be set. If i enclose my incubator in the non-working fridge completely, except for when i reach in to turn 4 times a day (is that right?) Will there be enough venilation/oxygen? There are holes all along the bottom styrofoam not fridge and some sporadicly at the top too that i plan to duct tape a sponge to on the outside at the end to raise humidity. I have a natural rock in there along with broken up cement bricks some tiny ones inside the pan of water with sponge and about 3 inch cpu power supply fan, bottles of warm water and 25watt light bulb attached to dimmer that is at about the same level as the eggs. What should i have the temp at? This would be considered forced air correct? (My fan is above the bulb facing up toward the lid so its hitting it, some of the warm air escaping from under the lid, should i reposistion?) And what humidity for incubation period? I have read 99.5 and humidity has been contradicting. Id like to hear from someone else who has successful hatches with about same type of set up or similar, if anyone would be so kind to take the time id soo very greatly appreciate it.

Also am a bit confused on the pip talk ive been reading. Oh and because of the chicken wire i worry about when they hatch, can i take them out right when they hatch or can i not what so ever open the cooler until they all have hatched? What can i do about the huge chicken wire and their little legs? I like it because i am able to lay the eggs of their side with fat end elevated a bit (something i read to do on one site) but just not sure on what to do when they start hatching.

i am a mess i have been up all night and most the night before, messing with this thing wanting to make sure i get it right for days now bought my eggs early out of being anxious thinking she might have ran out of fertile eggs and not knowing it would be this tricky. Does hatch rate go down as they sit and wait to be set? She already said she only has 70% hatch rate to begin with. Thank you so much for anyones help!! I love to get personal help from you guys on here since everything out there is so contradicting! Thank you all!!

 

[GitaBooks]

Cool looking 'bator!

You could prop the fridge lid open just a bit so ventilation sneaks in but temperatures remain more stable.

People disagree on humidity, its true. I hear that it is much more successful trying the Dry Incubation method, where humidity is from 35-45% until lockdown, when it is increased to 65-75%.

If you got shipped eggs then it would be a very different matter how to incubate them, but since they are from your own hen (so I understand) then you can put them on their side before lockdown. I have wire as well and I plan to put some paper towels over it for footing and, also, ease of cleaning.

Chicks pip at different rates. They break a hole and then rest, sometimes for hours and hours. I hear that playing the sound of a chick hatching stimulates them to hatch better, or talking to them like a mother hen. They will unzip pretty quickly if all goes well (with-in a couple hours) and you should leave them be until they are dry. Some people remove them right away, but if you open it over and over again the decrease in humidity can lower hatch rates.


Best of luck!

 

[ourrune]

Cool looking 'bator!

You could prop the fridge lid open just a bit so ventilation sneaks in but temperatures remain more stable.

People disagree on humidity, its true. I hear that it is much more successful trying the Dry Incubation method, where humidity is from 35-45% until lockdown, when it is increased to 65-75%.

If you got shipped eggs then it would be a very different matter how to incubate them, but since they are from your own hen (so I understand) then you can put them on their side before lockdown. I have wire as well and I plan to put some paper towels over it for footing and, also, ease of cleaning.

Chicks pip at different rates. They break a hole and then rest, sometimes for hours and hours. I hear that playing the sound of a chick hatching stimulates them to hatch better, or talking to them like a mother hen. They will unzip pretty quickly if all goes well (with-in a couple hours) and you should leave them be until they are dry. Some people remove them right away, but if you open it over and over again the decrease in humidity can lower hatch rates.



Best of luck!

Thank you so much for your time to reply and give advice. I am going to try propping the fridge. Also one of the people on here named Amy gave me a link and some tips about that dry incubation i am going to try that. My bator runs around 40 percent dry!! Meaning i have rocks in there and a pan for water incase i need to raise it but no water or any h20 at all in there. Should i work to lower it?


I tested my hygrometers, all 3, but not sure i did it right since all i had was a large tupper ware not a gallon ziplock bag. Do you know if that makes a difference because the area was bigger than what a zip lock bag would be? I got 2 that said they were around 4-5% low. so they were at 70/71 instead of the 75.


Im glad i found all this out before i put then in ,they would have drowned. Having a hard time keeping humidity down because im in fl and the humidity in the house is around 60.

One last question for now, lol. you say i can keep the eggs laying on their side for now does that mean i am supposed to sit them pointy end down when its lockdown time?

Thanks again for helping me out!!

 

[GitaBooks]

If it is 35-45% then it should be safe for them.

The tupperware probably worked, but I've never calibrated before, so I wouldn't know.

The eggs can stay on their sides through the whole incubation. Turn them three times a day, so you will want to mark one side with an X and the other with an O so you know when they have been turned.

Best of luck!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Thank you so much for your time to reply and give advice. I am going to try propping the fridge. Also one of the people on here named Amy gave me a link and some tips about that dry incubation i am going to try that. My bator runs around 40 percent dry!! Meaning i have rocks in there and a pan for water incase i need to raise it but no water or any h20 at all in there. Should i work to lower it?


I tested my hygrometers, all 3, but not sure i did it right since all i had was a large tupper ware not a gallon ziplock bag. Do you know if that makes a difference because the area was bigger than what a zip lock bag would be? I got 2 that said they were around 4-5% low. so they were at 70/71 instead of the 75.


Im glad i found all this out before i put then in ,they would have drowned. Having a hard time keeping humidity down because im in fl and the humidity in the house is around 60.

One last question for now, lol. you say i can keep the eggs laying on their side for now does that mean i am supposed to sit them pointy end down when its lockdown time?

Thanks again for helping me out!!

If it is 35-45% then it should be safe for them.

The tupperware probably worked, but I've never calibrated before, so I wouldn't know.

The eggs can stay on their sides through the whole incubation. Turn them three times a day, so you will want to mark one side with an X and the other with an O so you know when they have been turned.

Best of luck!

xs 2. 40% should be ok. Just keep an eye on the air cells at day 7/14/18 and that will tell you if you need to try to adjust. You can incubate and hatch them on the side. Just make sure you turn at least three times a day until at least day 14. Most people stop turning at lockdown (day 18) when they higher the humidity.

 

[ourrune]

If it is 35-45% then it should be safe for them.

The tupperware probably worked, but I've never calibrated before, so I wouldn't know.

The eggs can stay on their sides through the whole incubation. Turn them three times a day, so you will want to mark one side with an X and the other with an O so you know when they have been turned.

Best of luck!

thank you! youve always got my back on here! I appreciate it! Im going to finally set them tonight in a few minutes im sooo excited!!! Theyre easter eggers, and its been 4 to 5 days since theyve been laid, I feel like they lost some of their blue color but might just be in my head because i didnt plan to wait this long and im a worry wort! Lol thanks again

 

[ourrune]

xs 2. 40% should be ok. Just keep an eye on the air cells at day 7/14/18 and that will tell you if you need to try to adjust. You can incubate and hatch them on the side. Just make sure you turn at least  three times a day until at least day 14. Most people stop turning at lockdown (day 18) when they higher the humidity.

Thank you! Your help with me and everone has been so great and so appreciated, youre awesome!! Thank you for being kind enough to care to help out us newbies lol you have probably saved lots of chickies and i might ne bugging you in the near future possibly during this first hatch

if my humidity does get too high, how can i lower it? Rice? Im afraid to add more holes, i might bring in more humidity. I have 2 caps to salt shakers ,one on each side for venelation plus some barley there small holes poked around the bottom , about 6 of them and 2 more small ones at the top. If any of that makes sense lol does that sound like enough venelation? Just want to be sure i have never seen an actual incubator in person. Some sites i read to turn 4 times which do you do? Also i read to only candle on thoe certain days but i read you wrote that you donit every day is that right? Because i know that im going to want to do it every day and it will be nice to know it is safe to, if so. Thanks again!!!!

 

[gpop1]

ventilating only works to lower humidity if the outside air is cooler with lower humidity. Kind of surprising if you live in florida to have high indoor humidity as the a/c unit normally removes a lot of humidity. Try to turn the eggs odd times like 3 or 5 times a day that way at night they will not be on the same side as the night before.
Don't stress to much about opening the incubator. The reason people tell you not to open it especially during hatch is due to the drop in humidity. If you have a poorly insulated incubator that struggles to keep temp and humidity then you don't want to open it but a mini fridge is very well insulated and has a tight seal so it shouldn't be a problem.

before you get to the hatching stage you really need to get some cheap draw liner (its rubber plastic matting that looks like a fine mesh). Place that in the bottom of the incubator then place the eggs on that. It will avoid leg problems due to slipping or large holes in mesh.

If the incubator running with no water added is around 35-50% that's close enough for the first 9-10 days. Candle the eggs then and adjust the humidity based on the air pocket.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Thank you! Your help with me and everone has been so great and so appreciated, youre awesome!! Thank you for being kind enough to care to help out us newbies lol you have probably saved lots of chickies and i might ne bugging you in the near future possibly during this first hatch

if my humidity does get too high, how can i lower it? Rice? Im afraid to add more holes, i might bring in more humidity. I have 2 caps to salt shakers ,one on each side for venelation plus some barley there small holes poked around the bottom , about 6 of them and 2 more small ones at the top. If any of that makes sense lol does that sound like enough venelation? Just want to be sure i have never seen an actual incubator in person. Some sites i read to turn 4 times which do you do? Also i read to only candle on thoe certain days but i read you wrote that you donit every day is that right? Because i know that im going to want to do it every day and it will be nice to know it is safe to, if so.

Thanks again!!!!

Thank you and I am more than willing to help if I am around.

ventilating only works to lower humidity if the outside air is cooler with lower humidity. Kind of surprising if you live in florida to have high indoor humidity as the a/c unit normally removes a lot of humidity. Try to turn the eggs odd times like 3 or 5 times a day that way at night they will not be on the same side as the night before.
Don't stress to much about opening the incubator. The reason people tell you not to open it especially during hatch is due to the drop in humidity. If you have a poorly insulated incubator that struggles to keep temp and humidity then you don't want to open it but a mini fridge is very well insulated and has a tight seal so it shouldn't be a problem.

before you get to the hatching stage you really need to get some cheap draw liner (its rubber plastic matting that looks like a fine mesh). Place that in the bottom of the incubator then place the eggs on that. It will avoid leg problems due to slipping or large holes in mesh.

If the incubator running with no water added is around 35-50% that's close enough for the first 9-10 days. Candle the eggs then and adjust the humidity based on the air pocket.

I fairly well agree.

They do say you should always turn an odd number of days for this reason. (Not sure how I feel about the theory, but I usually turn either 3 or 5 times, depending how often I think about it.)

I totally agree with the rubber shelf liner. Most dollar stores carry it and I feel so much better having my eggs on a cushioned surface and my chicks on something besides screen when they hatch.
Personally I don't like to see humidity over 45%, especially the styrofoam bators and I believe the smaller the bator (styro/cooler specifically) that higher humidity levels have and even higher impact on them. Some people have had the rice or unpopped popcorn work for them, others claim it doesn't do anything. I've never had to lower my humidity.

As for candling. Yes I am an candling addict. I always spot check my eggs nightly by candling. I usually set a decent amount of eggs and I pull 4 or 5 (or maybe 6...lol) each night to check the development, air cells and because I just marvel at the formation of life inside those eggs. My last hatch, you may have read, I set aside 6 eggs to candle every night to show that (if done right) candling does not compromise your hatch. (Plus I wanted progressive candling pics as well.) I set 21 eggs. The others I was only candling at days 7/14/18. Around day 5 I had noticed one of the NON candled eggs had an oily look around the egg so I candled and found a small blood ring signifying it quit almost as soon as it began. The other twenty developed perfectly and all hatched healthy and happy and are now 7 weeks old. Now, of course, the more you handle an egg the bigger the chances something could go wrong. I've read more than one person has dropped an egg during candling killing the embryo/chick. That's always a possibility. Bacteria is also a possiblility. I always wash my hands (I keep wipes by the bator.) before candling and am gentle with turning the eggs. So I do acknowledge that there are higher possibilities of things happening, but I don't like seeing someone say that you "shouldn't" candle or that candling will compromise the eggs. Like everything else in hatching you take precautions and find what's comfortable for you. Don't let someone guilt you into changing your methods if they are working for you. We all do things differently and no one has the "only way" to do things. I wouldn't be candling them multiple times a day, but I feel nightly (regularly) candling done right with precautions opens a whole new world, especially for new hatchers and young ones. Seeing the progression of life is an awesome thing.

 

[ourrune]

ventilating only works to lower humidity if the outside air is cooler with lower humidity. Kind of surprising if you live in florida to have high indoor humidity as the a/c unit normally removes a lot of humidity. Try to turn the eggs odd times like 3 or 5 times a day that way at night they will not be on the same side as the night before.
Don't stress to much about opening the incubator. The reason people tell you not to open it especially during hatch is due to the drop in humidity. If you have a poorly insulated incubator that struggles to keep temp and humidity then you don't want to open it but a mini fridge is very well insulated and has a tight seal so it shouldn't be a problem.

before you get to the hatching stage you really need to get some cheap draw liner (its rubber plastic matting that looks like a fine mesh). Place that in the bottom of the incubator then place the eggs on that. It will avoid leg problems due to slipping or large holes in mesh.

If the incubator running with no water added is around 35-50% that's close enough for the first 9-10 days. Candle the eggs then and adjust the humidity based on the air pocket.

I put the eggs in at 7 this morning after i finally got everthing seeming stable and wow did the eggs bring the temp up and its just been a over the place i feel i cant get a handle on it i dont add any water since the humidity is so high in my home anyways and i had to dim the light down so much its been flickering and its really scaring me now i wish id put 2 15 watts in. At least i think that is why its flickering. I slept in today so when i put them in at 7 i went back to sleep i woke up about 8 or 9 and the temp was only 94 i thought that must have been because i had the lid off putting the eggs in and adjusting everything. Then i woke up again it was still low! So i turned it ip to get it warm then at 10 it was 102 so i took the whole lid off to let out the heat and then again it was 102 i took the lid off again. Do you think they will be okay? I read ot should be 100 and not to go over pr below .5 degrees and i have 3/4 thermometers all have different readings one low one med one high and im just not sire which to go by! I have been checking every 10 min to half an hour and i log everything. The humidity has been fine but the temp is driving me crazy 2 days ago ot was the opposite. I dont close the lid on the fridge all the way i leave it propped but because it got so hot and the light is dimmed too much i decided to leave the fridge door all the way open. Im thinking of trying to add more holes but will all this fluctuations affect them badly? I had the option to add 2 15 watts i wish i had done so now.i wpuld add at least 1 15watt but then struggling with the temp will start all over. I plan to wake up every half am hour to make sure the bulb doesnt shut off completely lol not sure how thats going to go for the next 3 weeks. Just wish id Bought the styrofoam incubator off of craigslist now at this rate it would have been cheaper lol the mesh is a good idea, that wont affect air flow? That is what i was worried about. Sorry about the long post but ive been worried i already ruined these eggs. What position would the be best at? Blowing down on the bulb blowing up on top of the bulb or blowing out over the top of the eggs above the bulb? I had it the last way and it made the front cooler than the back even tho it is so small of an area so i made it so it now blows down on top of the bulb. Maybe that is why it is so hot in there now? I thiught being in fl would be am advantage but now i am seeing its not. I think we have leaks around the house our electric is always high possibly why we have sp much humidity. Thank you for both of your time! I hope i dodnt hurt these little babies!