First time hatcher

[slvrphoenix]

Well i just finished making my incubator

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Dialing in the controls again

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And now I am impatiently waiting to set some eggs

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I plan to set the eggs tomorrow so with any luck in 21 days or so me and the kiddo can watch little chicks be born.
So if my readings are right I need to keep the temp at 99-100 and the humidity in the 20%-50% for the first 18 days and then 65% to 75%for the last three days of lockdown. I have one ? about the humidity if it stays below 50% is it alright if they fluctuate in that 30 % difference?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Humidity questions are hard to answer. It can be different for each of us. During the incubation part, humidity is about fluid loss. The eggs need to lose a certain amount of moisture during that incubation process. If they lose too much or too little, you can have problems. The actual range you need is not real tight, it can vary some. And it is total moisture lost over the time. Spikes of low or high are not catastrophic. Think average.

Some people weight the eggs to monitor percent of moisture lost and adjust based on that. Some people candle and look at the size of the air sac. Some don't do either. A lot of that depends on our individual personality. But if you have kids, you might use this as a learning tool.

During lockdown the situation changes. They should have already lost practically all the moisture they need to. You raise the humidity at this time to prevent the membrane inside the egg from drying out and shrinking around the chick where it cannot hatch. The critical time is after it pips. Again, different ones of us have success with different humidities, even at this stage.

It looks like you have a fan in there, so your target temperature is 99.5* F. If it is a still air, the target temperature is 101.5* F measured at the top of the eggs. In a forced air, it should be the same temperatre throughout, but in a still air, hot air rises. And temperature is also about average temperature. Some spikes or drops are not too bad as long as they don't last too long. The core temperature of the egg does not change as rapidly as air temperature.

Your targets seem reasonable to me. Good luck!!!

 

[thatduckguyy]

Looks awesome.. Good Luck!

 

[bairo]

well thought out and nicely built cooler bator. Some thermal mass will help stabilize the temps as well. Many people like to use capped jars of water, I have my own secret..... I line the bottom of my bators with thin fire brick. The best secret out there for thermal mass in a bator (just dont tell anyone) lol

 

[slvrphoenix]

Quote:
You cant see it but right under the thermometer is hiding a sealed mason jar that is filled with water. Shh dont tell.

 

[bairo]

I just looked closer. What are your temp swings between the moment the light goes out and comes back on? Two things can help this. The back of the water heater thermostat is where the "thermostat" is. You can flip it side ways with the back towards the bulb. Also your distance between the bulb and thermostat looks a bit large. It takes some experimentation with a digital thermostat, but many times you will find you can cut down the swing temp by moving the bulb and thermostat closer together. I wont get into why (too long of a post) I may put it on my byc page at a later date though.
You have a really nice start though for a cooler bator. One of the better ones I have seen.

 

[slvrphoenix]

Quote:
My swings are only 2 degrees. Being a plumber and reading on here i new about where the thermostat take there readings . So I thought I would try something I
haven't seen on here yet and mount it to metal . Thank you for the compliment and input.

 

[bairo]

Quote:
My swings are only 2 degrees. Being a plumber and reading on here i new about where the thermostat take there readings . So I thought I would try something I
haven't seen on here yet and mount it to metal . Thank you for the compliment and input.

very nice...ive done this quite a bit and still range 2-3 on mine...good job.

 

[slvrphoenix]

Ok it seems to be ready. So far it isn't holding as steady as last time but still acceptable range only 3 or for 4 degree differance on air temp and the wiggler is holding steady at 99. Plan on setting the eggs in the morning. Starting to get excited.