don't think I am going to have a hatch

[wowmanacat]

I don't think I am going to have anything hatch on the 1st for my temp is all over the place. It dropped down to 95 after I turned the eggs this morning but is now on the rise. I am watching to try and keep the temp some what steady but I don't think I am doing a good job at it. Most of the time it is around 99 to 101 but it does get higher or lower. I am sure that the thermostat that we go is no good for it will not shut off at any temp. I know that is this is just day 4 and I have a ways to go but at time I just don't think anything is going to happen. I don't even know if the eggs were fertile, but I do know that my roo has been doing his job.
Candling is a bit hard for the shells are dark and it is hard to see it to some of them. Just feel down for I have to just wait and see what happens. remember this is a home build incubator and this is my first try at this so please do not say bad thing, just needed to get this said.

 

[latebloomer]

how many eggs do you have? and are you in a rush for new chicks?

i think you should keep going.

although, you could throw up your hands at this point, get a new thermostat, calibrate it and start from scratch.

 

[ethingtonart]

If the temperature is slow to come back up after turning the eggs keep something with a lot of mass in the incubator. I am keeping a bowl of water covered with many layers of saran wrap in my incubator to help steady the temperature. I have heard of people using clean rocks and things too. Also like latebloomer said try to recalibrate your thermometer. It"s not too difficult to do, and it will give you some confidence about your temps. You may also want more than one thermometer. I have two in each of mine.


It's too early to give up!

 

[latebloomer]

Quote:
i had a ton of stone in mine to act as a heat sink. my last hatch i was over eight percent on shipped eggs.

 

[youngbiddy]

Overwhelming hopelessness and despair is normal in your first hatch. And your second.

Soldier on.

 

[wowmanacat]

I have 16 eggs in mine and there is really no room for much of anything else at this time. I have a bowl of water with a cloth in it for the humidity. I know that the temp out side my incubator changes since we don't run the A/C yet. I have a 25 watt bulb in there and the temp is at 98.8 at this time. I did move my bator to a wall what was not an outside wall hoping that would help. I have two temp gauges in there.
Yes I and kinda in a hurry to have new chicks for it will give me more eggs in time. I am not very good at waiting for things to happen.
I know that a mother hen will not set on the eggs all the time so the temp on them will go up and down just not as much as mine is I would think.

 

[HEChicken]

Can you post some pics of your incubator? Mine is also a home-built and I was pessimistic of hatching anything. I waited until day 10 to candle and couldn't see anything so was super worried nothing was going to hatch. Candled again on day 14 and all I could see was the same dark blob in the egg. Then it moved and I realized the dark blob was a fetus and it was alive. It was amazing. DD and I sat and watched for ages and then, once I knew what I was looking for, I was able to see fetuses in many of the others too, and felt confident removing three that were clear. Even though I had looked at the candling pics, mine looked different (probably not as good a flashlight) so it took me awhile to figure out.

For turning, I don't open the incubator (this is why I asked for pics of yours). Mine was made from an Omaha Steaks cooler which is such thick styrofoam that its super well insulated and the temps stay pretty stable. To turn, I tilt one end of the incubator on a large book and about every 3 hours, alternate to the other end. See pic:

You'll notice the piece of styrofoam sitting on top. That is the piece I cut out for the viewing window. I figured it would add insulation to the top so I leave it on there at all times except when I am peering in.

Because I don't open it to turn, the only time I need to take the lid off is when the water bowls are getting low and need refilled - about once every 3 days. It only takes a second to take the lid off, pour in some water, and replace it. The thermometer hardly budges.

As for calibrating your thermometer, I had five and they all read different - as much as 5 degrees difference! I didn't know which one to trust so here's what I did:
I went to Walmart and looked at their rack of non-digital thermometers. They had around 15 Springfield bulb-type thermos for $1/apiece. I took every one of them off the rack and compared the temp readings. 10 of the 15 read the exact same temp - 68. It was easy to believe Walmart had their thermostat set to 68. So I bought one of those, brought it home and set it on top of my house thermostat. After a few hours I looked at it and it read the exact same temp as my house thermostat. So I then felt confident it was reading accurately, and now that is the one I use in my incubator. I have a digital therm/hygrometer in there that reads only 95 when my cheapie is reading 99-100, so I ignore its temp and read the humidity on the digital and the temp on the bulb.

Hope this helps.

 

[snazzyboots]

My temps were also all over the place for over a week. I now have several happy healthy chicks. Don't give up yet

 

[leslieaveritt]

I have had the SAME doubts! It's been 12 "daze" for me & my eggs and yesterday my light bulb went out! Fortunately is was in morning and not during the night s I got another one put in but temp. had dropped to 85 for not too long but still I was crazy!!! I have not tried candleing mine either as they are wellsummer eggs (I purchased via internet). I built an incubatorfrom info on internet. I love this forum because I've already gotten encouraged-so I am trying to breathe everyday, and just do the BEST I can in this experiement. I do hope to get some chicks but have resigned myself to getting some other breed-there are lots of chicks in my area coming to hardware stores,etc. now and for next month. What kind of eggs are you trying to hatch and I'll keep my fingers crossed for yours as well as mine!

 

[wowmanacat]

This is my incubator and I am not all the finished with it I am going to add an egg turner later and get the fan off the floor of it. I just had to get my eggs in it for it was day 7 of them waiting to be put in. As I have said the eggs that are in here are from the chickens being on antibiotics. I am still looking how long after they stop taking them as to when I can eat the eggs, today is day 3 of them not taking them anymore.