First Time Incubator....Got too hot 1st day :(

[TastyChickenFeet]

So what happened?

 

[MsDrake]

So I don't have a thermometer, and my incubator is homemade out of a tank and a 250watt red heat lamp....Its a 20 gallon tank, in opinion, how far should I have the light from the eggs. Im on day 2...but the first day it got really hot, so I moved it further from lamp just in case. Im super excited, and I hope I ddint kill them. I only have 2 in there right now, bc its my first time. and id rather kill 2 then 20...BUT if they live, they will hatch right around xmas day...
What should I do, or should I have done?

 

[scotter]

I would think a 250 watt bulb is a lot more than whats needed. I used two 40 watt bulbs in mine. a picture of your set up might be helpful. I overheated mine early one and everything turned out fine. you really need a thermometer. Even a 2 dollar one from Walmart will give better odds of success than guessing at lamp placement. good luck.

 

[littlefamily]

I am a 1timer. This thread gave me hope but I am trying to figure out how to control the temp on this incubator I bought. It is heated with just a lightbulb. I just bought a cheap one off ebay because I just want to hatch like 4 chickens to keep for egg layers. This isnt something I plan on doing regularly and often because I cant have allot of chickens at my home. The temp started at 80 and so I lined the inside with foil to give a 20 degree boost and now it keeps going up to 110. I am trying to find out what is an acceptable range? I know it recommends being at 100 but since I have no way to set it at the temp I want to keep it , what is a range that is safe?
Thanks!

 

[jmcgee83]

so?!?! how did it go?

 

[jmcgee83]

I am a 1timer. This thread gave me hope but I am trying to figure out how to control the temp on this incubator I bought. It is heated with just a lightbulb. I just bought a cheap one off ebay because I just want to hatch like 4 chickens to keep for egg layers. This isnt something I plan on doing regularly and often because I cant have allot of chickens at my home. The temp started at 80 and so I lined the inside with foil to give a 20 degree boost and now it keeps going up to 110. I am trying to find out what is an acceptable range? I know it recommends being at 100 but since I have no way to set it at the temp I want to keep it , what is a range that is safe?
Thanks!

try changing the light bulbs wattage maybe? like if it's a 40 watt get a 60 watt this might help?

 

[skidoolady]

Same thing happened to me. This is my first time doing this too. I am on day 9 right now, well technically 1 hour into day 10. But that exact same thing happened to me, and not only on day 1. It happened a few more times between day 2 and 5. But when I candled on day 7 they looked PERFECT. I could see veins, and a little dark dot forming (which I think is the beak), and they were moving around.
So from my experience I would definetly move forward with the incubating.

...But who knows, that may have messed them up in some way in the long run. Guess we'll find out when they hatch.

.....Good luck!

What was your outcome???

 

[faststell]

Wow it’s interesting to here all these story’s, I got me some 13 duck eggs and they are in my homemade incubator and 2 times now (I’m an idiot) they got up to 110 degrees while I was away from home, I have to be really careful from now on and ask someone to check on them around 1:00 because it starts to get like 80 degrees outside. I candled them and I see some with little vains forming and some with just dark yolks sticking to one side, they won’t move... is that bad? I’ll let y’all know how it goes in like 25 days lol.

 

[dkkirby]

I followed you tube incubator set up..bonjour. I think it fried 3 eggs. I since have lifted the eggs off the bottom w/ a plastic strainer. They still are lightly wrapped in material. We shall see in a week w/ candling if they are viable. The only reason I decided to put them in an incubator is because something which we think is a black snake has been taking the eggs one by one from our duck clutch. The two new duck eggs that we found today were put in under a brooding hen.

 

[Momof3teens]

12 hrs in woke up to incubator at 106° to 110° will candle at day 5 or 6 I told the kids we wouldn't candle this batch but I guess we will. We lost our rooster on the 18th so only have a few days to see the outcome collecting more eggs just to make sure we can replace any that are not making it.