Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 Incubator is AMAZING!

[junior67]

Did it come with instructions for calibration?

No it didn't. I found some here on how to do it and followed that.

 

[junior67]

That fluctuation is fine. All definitely with a safe zone.

It showed overnight it dipped down to around 97.8 here and there. The highest it has gone is 99.6 so I just bumped it up. Hopefully it is right. The other ones that are in there show between 99-100 (but I had to compare those to another thermometer to check the readings which was hard to figure out, so not sure how accurate they are still). I only bumped it .5 so still should be ok.

 

[Iluveggers]

Thank you. What is the safe zone? I tried searching and couldn't find much and google had way too many answers. I just want to be sure it doesn't drop under or over what it should. I was ok with the 99's but once it hit 98. something is when I got worried. LOL

Also curious to the “safe zone”.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

It showed overnight it dipped down to around 97.8 here and there. The highest it has gone is 99.6 so I just bumped it up. Hopefully it is right. The other ones that are in there show between 99-100 (but I had to compare those to another thermometer to check the readings which was hard to figure out, so not sure how accurate they are still). I only bumped it .5 so still should be ok.

Also curious to the “safe zone”.

I have had spots drop to as low as 96.7, I didn't like that, but I'm pretty sure that's the lowest I've ever seen and it was definitely while my incubator was contending with lower temps in my house at night. That's also an example of how stable ambient temps also make a big difference. Having your incubator too hot or too cold is not desirable but you want a complete picture of what the temps look like in different spots in the incubator.

I think for me personally seeing temps between 97.5-100.5 AS LONG AS IT'S FLUCTUATING has all been fine for me. If you don't have multiple thermometers or move them around you're not getting a complete picture of hot and cold spots so make sure to move it around the incubator and be sure to check that it's not especially hot on top of the eggs. As we've discovered more recently the temperatures and definitely lower at the bottom of the incubator than on top of the eggs, this would also be the case under a broody hen and it's the turning that makes up for this. It will warm all parts of the egg and also keeps the eggs exposed to various temps throughout the incubator.

And since I'm sure the question will eventually pop into your head. I've never had any issues once they're locked down based on the hot and cold spots even though they're no longer moving around.

So with all of that said, @junior67 your small adjustment should be fine, just be sure to check different spots, and then there's really no better example of how well with did adjusting temp and humidity than how the hatch goes. So take note of anything like early or late hatches, ease of the hatch in general, etc. In my opinion, every time I've gotten a new incubator that very first hatch is the most nerve wracking for me because I know that as much as I fiddle with everything I won't know how well it works until they hatch. That's why I always try to offer advice based on the incubator I'm using because the sweet spot has been slightly different with every brand of incubator even though they're all kept in the same room with the same ambient temp and humidity.

Sorry for talking your heads off, I had coffee this morning.

 

[junior67]

I have had spots drop to as low as 96.7, I didn't like that, but I'm pretty sure that's the lowest I've ever seen and it was definitely while my incubator was contending with lower temps in my house at night. That's also an example of how stable ambient temps also make a big difference. Having your incubator too hot or too cold is not desirable but you want a complete picture of what the temps look like in different spots in the incubator.

I think for me personally seeing temps between 97.5-100.5 AS LONG AS IT'S FLUCTUATING has all been fine for me. If you don't have multiple thermometers or move them around you're not getting a complete picture of hot and cold spots so make sure to move it around the incubator and be sure to check that it's not especially hot on top of the eggs. As we've discovered more recently the temperatures and definitely lower at the bottom of the incubator than on top of the eggs, this would also be the case under a broody hen and it's the turning that makes up for this. It will warm all parts of the egg and also keeps the eggs exposed to various temps throughout the incubator.

And since I'm sure the question will eventually pop into your head. I've never had any issues once they're locked down based on the hot and cold spots even though they're no longer moving around.

So with all of that said, @junior67 your small adjustment should be fine, just be sure to check different spots, and then there's really no better example of how well with did adjusting temp and humidity than how the hatch goes. So take note of anything like early or late hatches, ease of the hatch in general, etc. In my opinion, every time I've gotten a new incubator that very first hatch is the most nerve wracking for me because I know that as much as I fiddle with everything I won't know how well it works until they hatch. That's why I always try to offer advice based on the incubator I'm using because the sweet spot has been slightly different with every brand of incubator even though they're all kept in the same room with the same ambient temp and humidity.

Sorry for talking your heads off, I had coffee this morning.

Thank you for all the info. My house has been at a steady temp of 66 unless it was a bit warmer out that day then it may bounce up to 68.

I have 3 thermometers in there in egg spaces so they move around with the eggs all the time.

Hoping my bumping up the temp helped but my app won't update right now and I am at work so not sure what it says it is. Ugh

 

[yotetrapper]

Did you reset the number of days to hatch? The turner will automatically shut off 3 days prior to hatch, for lockdown. So unless you reset the number of days to hatch, it won't turn.

I did. I don't know if I was just not seeing it at first or what, but it's definitely turning now so all is well.

 

[junior67]

ok got home and it showed it was around 101 and went up to 101.4..... it hit 101 around 1:45 then fluctuated from 100.5 to 101.4 (that was only a short time) until I got home at 4:30ish.... I have the incubator set at 101 when getting those.

but set at 100.5 was when it dropped down in the 97's at night and only got up to 99........

Maybe I should try to have it at 100.5 during the day and put it at 101 at night????

I know it is more overall but I don't want to slow them way down having it too low at night but don't want to fry them having it to high during the day......

any ideas? Leave it set to 100.5 all the time? keep it at 101 (that 101.4 seems quite high) or try changing it at night and in the am?

 

[CluckNDoodle]

ok got home and it showed it was around 101 and went up to 101.4..... it hit 101 around 1:45 then fluctuated from 100.5 to 101.4 (that was only a short time) until I got home at 4:30ish.... I have the incubator set at 101 when getting those.

but set at 100.5 was when it dropped down in the 97's at night and only got up to 99........

Maybe I should try to have it at 100.5 during the day and put it at 101 at night????

I know it is more overall but I don't want to slow them way down having it too low at night but don't want to fry them having it to high during the day......

any ideas? Leave it set to 100.5 all the time? keep it at 101 (that 101.4 seems quite high) or try changing it at night and in the am?

This is just my opinion but I would set it lower... Does your new thermometer also say how long it was at a lower temperature? I'm concerned that those fancy thermometers might be causing you to set the temps too high.

 

[junior67]

This is just my opinion but I would set it lower... Does your new thermometer also say how long it was at a lower temperature? I'm concerned that those fancy thermometers might be causing you to set the temps too high.

yes it comes to my phone so I have a graph of what it is and can click on it and see the time it was at that temp etc. at 7:55am it was 97.9 stayed there till about 8:35 then dropped to 97.8 for about 10 min went back to 97.9 from 8:47-9:33
last night it was down to 96.9 for about 30 min I will post a pic of the graph from about 6:55pm last night till about 6pm tonight. It shows the average (dotted line in the middle) is 99.3 then you can see the dips under that and the spikes over it. But I now have it turned down. JIC it is off I don't want to cook them so would rather a slower hatch than cooked babies!

 

[junior67]

This is just my opinion but I would set it lower... Does your new thermometer also say how long it was at a lower temperature? I'm concerned that those fancy thermometers might be causing you to set the temps too high.

Here is the graph. It is the top one for temp. I have it at 100.5 which is where it has been for most of the time so will just leave it there. I am going to try to candle some tonight but not expecting much since it is only day 4. Then will try again on Tue (day 6) and guess see where I am then.