do not never ever buy the stupid incubators from Tractor sup!

[cgjsmith]

I don't remember what kind they are but it sucks big time. it cooked 2 dozen eggs and 2 dozen guinies. so I put it up and was going to use it as a hatcher. Put in 6 golden seabrights and 3 cookoo marans.
i got up this morning and it was 113 oh for this to happen on day 19

I'm so bumed. It keeps hopping around from 94 to 104 with barely a touch of the dial.
I left the eggs in there but have no hope for a hatch now. I have two other sets in the good bator one due alsmost a week after the other and i don't know what to do. Should I chance it and put it in the hatcher or do I pull the turner out of the good bator and use it as a hatcher. I'd have to do the turning by hand so it would requre the bator to be opened frequently. Grr.
Crystal

 

[SunChick]

Are you using the same thermometer that came with the bator? If so get rid of it! They are no good! Maybe your wafer needs changing. It could also do where your bator is located. Does the room temp change much, has direct sun, what is the general temp? Try a water weasel to set your temp, and if you change settings, give at least 8 hours before you fiddle with the knob! TS usually has either LGs or hovas? can't remember. I have a hova and it does allright. I keep extra wafers and accurate thermometers nearby. Hope this helps!

 

[cgjsmith]

I think it was a LG. i have a hova and it does great. no I got a thermometer from walmart that has both humidity and temp. where do i find a thermomater I can put in the weasel.? Might need a new wafer I was thinking about that last night. Its not in sun or in drafty area. I try not to fiddle with the knob at all but it keeps dropping for no reason. Crystal

 

[farmfresh]

Another thing that I have found that will help is to use an indoor outdoor digital thermometer. Stick the outside probe in the center of the bator and then it is easy to keep track of temperatures. Some of them have a feature that will record highest and lowest temperatures. Very Helpful.

Was your incubator made by Little Giant? I believe that is the kind that Tractor Supply in my area sells. These are made of foam. Keep in mind that these ARE economy incubators and so the quality is not fantastic but they will still do the job well. I for one do NOT have a couple hundred dollars sitting around to buy a high quality system. I have one of the TSC ones and have had wonderful luck hatching eggs in it. It does require a little practice getting the temp right before setting the eggs. They seem to have very sensitive thermostats and since you are dealing with variance of only a few degrees it may take a while.

I also recommend the water weasel idea. For more info on how to use this please see
The Easy Chicken website. (http://www.shilala.homestead.com)

I also recommend the auto-egg turner that is sold by Little Giant. It really helps get a good hatch since you do not have to open the incubator constantly.

I also purchased a humidity gauge that was made for a reptile tank at a pet store and placed it inside where I could see it through the observation window. This may not be greatly accurate but it sure helps keep the humidity levels right.

I have hatched chickens, guinea fowl and quail using this incubator. Since it is foam I bought a liner to help keep soiling down and sink it (with weights) into a bleach water solution in the bathtub after each hatch to keep bacteria levels down.

I also want to share an equipment source that I have had great luck with www.poultrysupplies.com Smith Poultry and Game Bird Supply. This is a family run company in Kansas. I love to deal with them they are VERY helpful.

Hope this helps!

 

[jimnjay]

Crystal, I am sorry you are having these problems. Many people have had similar issues with the little giant. They should work ok as a hatcher. I agree get one of the Accurite therm/hygrometers at Wallmart about $ 12.00. There is a probe for the outside temp. Put that in a Water Weasel and then get the temp stable for at least 24 hours before you try to put eggs in it. It will not help now but for the future. There are times when the wafer is just bad so talk to TSC if you continue to have problems. Work with it over the next 48 hours and it you can't get a stable temp, in a room that has stable temps, then take it back. Those little units do work pretty well for hatchers but if you have a bum one then you will continue to have problems.

The thing about the Hova and LG after you buy the fan and the turner, you have around $ 100.00 invested. The Top Hatch is a much more reliable incubator in my opinion. It has quirks but is durable and has an electronic thermostat, and built in turner. I bailed out on the styrofoam incubator before putting any more money into them at my husbands urging. He said not to waste my time but get something I could rely on. The price has gone up but I paid $ 102 at Cutler Supply year before last. If you are going to do a lot of hatching you may consider such an alturnative. I have never had temp fluctuations in mine other than when the room temp changed radically due to afternoon heat. I now keep it in the closet and it is fine. JMHO

By the way, I have some Silkie chicks for give away and 3 Speckled Sussex Cockerels. I will be in Lynchberg on Tuesday the 29th if you are interested Let me know.

 

[BeckyLa]

I've heard that the LG temps will fluctuate unless you have it plugged into a surge protector because it is very sensitive to variations in the electrical current. If you have it on one already, it's probably a bad wafer. I hope you get it all worked out.

 

[tiffanyh]

I have a little giant and have NO problem with it at all. It stays perfect on temp...maybe I just got lucky.

 

[MayberrySaint]

This may be a stupid question, but what is the difference between an incubator and a hatcher?

Andy

 

[jimnjay]

Not a whole lot of difference. People who like to stagger their hatches use a different incubator to hatch eggs while leaving others in the incubator that were set on different dates. The incubator usually has a turner and since eggs don't need to be turned on the last three days you can get buy with a very simple unit. Many use a stripped down LG or Hova-Bator as a hatcher.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Not really, a surge protector is not a power conditioner. Dirty power in = dirty power out. A surge protector only stops large voltage spikes, the kind you get from nearby lightning strikes. If they do function to stop the spike and save your equipment they are usually damaged in the process, hence the test buttons and alarms on the good ones that tell you whether they are still functioning properly or not.