Okay...I just got mine on Monday...I can tell you this...it is easy to set up...Put the themometer that comes with it right on top of the eggs...it is preset to 100 degrees.
to calibrate your hygrometer (I am doing it right now with mine) take 2 tbls of salt in a small bowl and mix 1 tsp of water in it and make it like wet sand. Put the entire bowl in a xiploc bag with the hygrometer, seal it and let it sit for 8 - 12 hours. It should read 75% humidty. If it does not, then you know how much it is off by and adjust your humidty accordingly. Do not put the hygrometer in the salt or get it wet...just put it in the ziploc baggie by the bowl.
You may want to get a shelf liner (that soft spongy type stuff) and cut a piece to put on the wire floor...leave a little edge shorter so yo can see your water trough, but it will make it much softer for the chicks...Before you put it in, spray it with a bleach water solution, let it sit a few minutes then rinse it really well...this will disinfect it before it goes in the bator. You can let it air dry and if it is a little damp that is no biggie. Put it ontop of the wire floor and under the turner...it can stay there through the entire incubation process.
this is what your genesis 1588 will look like
I do not know if you can really see the shelf liner in it but it is a dark beige color. You can see it cut shorter by a bit on the left side of the pic...that is where the water trough is so I can just barely raise it and use a baster or watering can to put water right in the trough....I did not lose hardly any heat...less than 1/2 a degree.
Good luck with your new bator.
All Knowing....hardly, I am just relaying to you what I have learned this week. hahahahaha This is my first incubator too.
.
