Frustrated with first incubation (temperature question)

[mrsfarmchick1]

Okay, this is my first chicken incubation attempt - 15 BCM eggs incubating since Dec 24th in a LG incubator, fan, egg turner, had two LG thermometers with plastic backing (they are sitting on eggs), purchased two digital oral thermometers after a couple of days of incubating at 99.5 (LG thermometers were .5 degrees off each other). The LG thermometers show a full degree lower in temperature from the oral thermometers, so I raised the temperature to 99.5 per the digital thermometers that are poking through holes in the top of the incubator to easily check the temperature.
I made a gel pack from a sandwich bag with hand sanitizer gel and wrapped it to be able to get a reading (similar to the Water Wiggler I've been reading about) - well it consistently reads 98.6 degrees and it is sitting in the corner by some eggs)
I just ordered a Zilla Thermometer/Hygrometer that will be in Thursday so I can put the probes inside and the read it from outside the incubator.
MY QUESTION IS: will the eggs be negatively affected if they have been internally 98.6 degrees like the gel pack reading, or do they produce their own heat and will be okay????
Thanks in advance for any advice/comfort you can give me....

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I would trust the orals...

What thermometer is in the fake egg?

 

[mrsfarmchick1]

I put the oral thermometer in it to get a quick reading once a day.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Is there a fan in the incubator?

 

[mrsfarmchick1]

Yes, I added the fan before incubating. The digital thermometers sitting at opposite ends with the probes inside holes sometimes show almost the same temp, but sometimes .5 degrees different.

 

[mrsfarmchick1]

The LG thermometers consistently show one degree HIGHER in temp than the oral thermometers (I said wrong in my initial post)

So...the oral thermometers are set at 99.5 (and the LG thermometers on the eggs are showing 100 and 101 consistently)

Sorry for the confusion...

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

If you have a fan an two oral thermometers showing between 99 an 100 then you are good. A little vereation is normal. As for the Ziploc bag.... I wouldn't be surprised if there was still a little evaporative cooling going on both in the bag an threw the bag so that might be why it is showing cooler.

They will actually hatch between about 97.5 an 103 so you should be good.

 

[mrsfarmchick1]

Thanks so much for your input.

(by the way, using these animated smiles gets a little addictive - doesn't it?)

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Yes they can