First time Incubating..regulating temperature

[Kristy in WA]

Ok, now the temp is 102 and humidity 54%. That would be all right for eggs, right? I know the humidity needs to come down a bit. I think I put too much water in the bottom. It seems it would be easier to have water in a bowl, that way I could empty it out, or change to a smaller bowl. If I put glass marbles in the bowl, wouldn't it be safe for the chicks even after they've hatched? Kristy

 

[Kristy in WA]

Ok, my temp is now 100 and the humidity is 37%. I think this is finally a safe environment for my eggs. We'll see what it is in the morning. I have a sponge with just a tsp. of water on it because the humidity was down to 16%. I'm not getting any sleep though because I"m checking it all the time. Several times I've come back to it to find the temp 104. That makes me so nervous because my eggs would die. This is all so tricky! Kristy

 

[enola]

Somewhere on this site, a member tells about gluing a button to the heat regulator. This makes it much easier to adjust the thermostat.

Kristy in WA, the holes need to be unplugged, they are for air circulation.

You can buy parts for the LG at eggcarton.com. They have a very informative catalog you can request.

 

[KattyKillFish]

where do you have the incubator right now?

 

[Kristy in WA]

It's on a throw rug, on the floor, at the bottom of our steps. It seems to be the least affected spot in the house regarding the temp. We have wood heat, so upstairs fluctuates a LOT. Downstairs, fluctuates too. This is a bit of a corner area, not too much going on except that we walk past it a lot, but the outside air there is around 72 degrees and it seems to stay pretty consistent. I've upped the humidity to the 40's now by putting 2 T of water on a sponge. The holes are both opened. My eggs didn't come today, so they will arrive on Monday, and I will finally start them on Tuesday. My bator has been plugged in since Tuesday night, so it will have been going for a whole week before the eggs come. I'm thinking about getting an egg turner. My husband rolled his eyes though, and thinks I should just turn them myself. I am terrible about schedules though, so I think a turner would be better, although I really don't even know how they work. Are they automatic, or do you still have to manually turn them, it's just that they'll all turn at the same time, making the process much faster and simpler? Kristy

 

[Kristy in WA]

I've got 2 digital thermometer/hygrometers in there. One says 36% humidity and 102 degrees, and the other says 45% humidity and 99 degrees. I guess those are both acceptable temps. and humidity readings, so I won't stress. I can't believe how hard it is to regulate the temp and humidity. I feel like it's all right though, and I'm not stressing too much even though this is my first try! Kristy

 

[KattyKillFish]

probably different temps in different parts of the incubator. i have the same "problem" but since those are acceptable temps it should be good

also, (this is what i do) if you hand turn the eggs, try moving them around inside the incubator. you know, like rotating where each egg is? maybe switch the ones closer to the inside with the ones close to the outside each time you turn. hope you have a successful hatch!

also, i hear putting stones underneath the wire mesh helps the temp stay more stable. haven't tried it but i am going to when my eggs hatch and i put in the next batch.

 

[chiknaddiction]

Good tips, I'm trying to regulate for the first time right now. My temps are varying between 98 and 101 and I'm having a hard time getting it to 99.5 exactly. Hoping to set eggs tonight or tomorrow but I want to play around with the temp and humidity first.