First time incubating. Tempature question.

[spunkychickenmomma]

I plugged my incubator in and let it run for 2 days. It held a steady temp of 99.5 to 100.00 for both days. I then added the eggs. First day the temp held a steady 99.5. The second day the temp dropped to 95 so I turned the setting just slightly to increase the temp. When I went back about an hour and a half later the temp was up to 114. I pulled the lid off the incubator to cool off. The temp has been steady at 99.5 since the cool off. How concerned should I be about damage to the eggs at this early stage?

 

[Gypsy07]

If the temp was only high for ninety minutes, most likely the eggs will have suffered no damage at all. When the air temp inside the bator increases, it takes a while for the internal temp of the egg to rise. So as long as you caught it quickly, you probably don't need to worry at all. If you had a temp of 114 for 12 hours, your eggs would probably all be cooked, but just 90 minutes? I bet they'll all be fine.

What kind of bator do you have? Is it an LG by any chance?

 

[cmom]

One of my incubators went down to 93 the one day because of a power outage. When the power came back on one of the incubators went up to 115. Another time on our coldest night I lost power, I was 2 weeks into incubation. The temp in the incubator was 78 degrees when I discovered it. I put the incubator on a battery pack with an inverter and brought the temp back up. I still had good hatches. It takes time for the internal temperature in the eggs to cool down or heat up so I don't think that will really affect the hatch.

 

[spunkychickenmomma]

Quote:

Yes, Gypsy07, it's an LG. First time ever incubating and experimenting with some cross breeds so I went cheap with the bator until I kind of get the hang of things. From what I have read the LG is certainly not a favorite on here.

 

[cmom]

I bought an LG with a fan for my first incubator with an egg turner as I wasn't sure if I was going to incubate more than once. (I know there are a lot of LG haters on BYC) but I have had many successful hatches. The price was right since I wasn't sure what I was getting into and I was pretty sure I could sell it and recoup most of my expense.I also turn it on the day before I set my eggs to let the incubator stabilize. I found when adjusting the temperature you have to be very careful and barely turn the temp control just a slight whisker then walk away for awhile and let it stabilize. I think most people adjust and adjust some more, but you have to walk away. The thermostat is super sensitive.The temp will fluctuate while the eggs are adjusting to the incubator temperature. Resist temptation to adjust the temp. After a few hours if you need to adjust it then do it but BARELY increase or decrease. The slightest movement of the thermostat can make a BIG difference in the temp. You can also adjust your temp and humidity to some extent by removing one or both of the plugs. I would fill the reservoirs in the bottom of the incubator too when you turn it on to let it stabilize. It takes hours for the eggs internal temp to come up. Just my opinion.

 

[Arielle]

X2

cmom is absolutely correct; set the knob and leave it alone.

I have less fluctuations if I use the red plugs to alter the temp a degree or two. I'm considering adding a few more holes to increase my ability to alter the temp without touching the thermostat knob. I cover holes with the red plugs or duct tape; keep in mind that the eggs must have increased ventilation half way thru incubation time and again during the end thru hatching. the babies need more oxygen as they grow and they start to produce heat as well. A balancing act.

 

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
LOL! I wasn't dissing your choice of bator at all. I just thought that what you described sounded like a typical LG owner's lament. I've actually been toying with the idea of buying myself one lately, just to see what everyone's talking about with them. They're certainly not the best thought of around here but sometimes I think that's just cause they take more skill to get a successful hatch out of than most of the fancy 'set-and-forget' bators. Look on the bright side - if you manage to get the hang of an LG, you should be on track for some stupendous hatches in a better bator!

Have a look for the LG owner's support group thread on here, also ChooksChick's LG cheat sheet info page. Both full of useful advice...

 

[spunkychickenmomma]

Quote:
LOL! I wasn't dissing your choice of bator at all. I just thought that what you described sounded like a typical LG owner's lament. I've actually been toying with the idea of buying myself one lately, just to see what everyone's talking about with them. They're certainly not the best thought of around here but sometimes I think that's just cause they take more skill to get a successful hatch out of than most of the fancy 'set-and-forget' bators. Look on the bright side - if you manage to get the hang of an LG, you should be on track for some stupendous hatches in a better bator!

Have a look for the LG owner's support group thread on here, also ChooksChick's LG cheat sheet info page. Both full of useful advice...

Thanks Hun!

 

[chubbiechicken]

I can't get my incubator to 99 for the life of me! It's either 98.4 or 101.3.. Which is the better number!