first time incubating....whoops

[pigpen]

This is our first time incubating. We are on day five with a homemade incubator. It is maintaining temp and around 30% humidity and everything looks good so far. So now for the whoops...I started 12 chicken eggs and 12 guinea eggs...at the same time! I knew I should have done a bit more research first but the eggs were already six days old. I know I'm not the first to do this (I found another thread on here) but does anyone have any tips? I know I have to increase the humidity for lockdown but how does it work when the guineas are due to hatch 5 days later? Do I decrease it again after the chickens hatch and then increase again for the guineas lockdown? Help!

 

[fadi 13]

What if temperature of incubator rise to 107f for 1:30 hours ?on day 10?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

What if temperature of incubator rise to 107f for 1:30 hours ?on day 10?

How do you know it was at that temp for precisely that amount of time???

Providing that the temp is accurate and that it was at that length of time then chances aren't the greatest. However, unless you have a thermometer with a high/low memory reading, you can't be sure how long the temp was at that degree. (Assuming that when spotted it would have been fixed.)

In conclusion, even with temp spikes, you fix the problem give them 24 hours and candle to see if you still have viability.

 

[Jrose]

I had a few temp spikes in my incubator on my first hatch. Everyone did alright. I opened the lid and aired em out really well. My second batch the temps kept dropping to 95- most died. This makes me think hotter is less risk, as long as you didn't cook them!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I had a few temp spikes in my incubator on my first hatch. Everyone did alright. I opened the lid and aired em out really well. My second batch the temps kept dropping to 95- most died. This makes me think hotter is less risk, as long as you didn't cook them!

Actually it's (on the average) the opposite. A temp spike if caught in time and depending on how hot is not certain death. The key is how long it was at that temp and how hot it was. But you can kill a chick faster with heat than with not enough heat. (Though both can certainly cause death.) With constant temp fluctuations (such as yours) it increases the chances of loss.

My first (failed) hatch was incubating at only 93-94F (unknown to me because of a faulty thermometer.) I still had one hatch and survive and one hatch and not make it. But the temps were steadily low.