Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 Incubator is AMAZING!

[CluckNDoodle]

@CluckNDoodle quick question!

How did you clean around the rotation shaft for the egg turner lol? Mine is a MESS...and has a gap that could leak down.

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I use disposable handi wipe cloths.

 

[CrisAnderson27]

I use disposable handi wipe cloths.

I knew that!!

Lol...thanks!

 

[CrisAnderson27]

Ok, that makes and sense, And once again, very reassuring.
I've been getting small fluctuations too. Nothing alarming and probably something most people would not notice, but I'm like all hovery right now.
And I have read that some people think the eggs should get a short cooling because, as you say, it mimics the hens time off the nest to eat, drink, and poop.

So this fancy tracking app thingy...I'm guessing you have another probe in there somewhere to send the info to your app, right? Where is your probe located? Is it down at egg level on the turner?
If so do you think that could account for the slight dips as it turns around the circle?
I've noticed some spots in the bator are warmer than others. For 2 days I had a digital thermometer inside during the test run and could see a few degree differences depending on where it was along the circular turn. Again, much like what would happen under a hen.

However I've got a few spots reading up to 101.3 at egg level. Not everywhere and only since the eggs were put in. The eggs turn every 60 minutes...should I be concerned about these "hot" spots?
Ti get extra readings now I'm using a digital cooking metal probe thermometer stuck through both vent holes. The round hole by the cord in the back and the adjustable vent on the front.

Mine are smallish rounded square key fob looking things. I have two, one for each incubator. But when just running one incubator, I put both sensors in to cross check. They're surprisingly accurate.

I originally thought that the dips and spikes were position based. But I tracked it...noting the position at those spikes and dips. There wasn't any correlation in either incubator (I have the new rounded unit, and the old both).

Here's pictures of the two sensors:

Normally I would place them in one of the outer egg bays (yes, they spin like the eggs)...but in lockdown I just want a general idea.

Actually if you look closely you can see them both in this picture:

 

[EarlJ]

Initially, I read that ducks needed a higher humidity so I was running it at 58%. After browsing around here and reading more, it seems like the (relatively broad) consensus is that 35-55% is good for ducks, chickens, and guineas (the stuff I'm trying to hatch). So I've been aiming for 45% now, dropping to that slowly over a few days.

But it's hard to keep it that low without letting it run dry or close to dry. I'd taken the manual as gospel so I hadn't let it get to that point. On the first candling, my girlfriend didn't get the lid closed completely (very easy to do if you don't check), and it went into the 40s being slightly ajar like that without having the temp drop below 99.5.

So I thought I'd ask folks with more (eg any) experience...
Is it okay to let it run without water for a while as long as the humidity reading is within the desired range?
Is it okay to leave the lid slightly ajar like that to help regulate humidity (assuming there's no change in temperature) ?

Right now, I've got 2 incubators running on little water with fully open vents, and one's at 49%, the other 47%. If I fill the water in them and do nothing else, they typically run to 58-62%

 

[CrisAnderson27]

Initially, I read that ducks needed a higher humidity so I was running it at 58%. After browsing around here and reading more, it seems like the (relatively broad) consensus is that 35-55% is good for ducks, chickens, and guineas (the stuff I'm trying to hatch). So I've been aiming for 45% now, dropping to that slowly over a few days.

But it's hard to keep it that low without letting it run dry or close to dry. I'd taken the manual as gospel so I hadn't let it get to that point. On the first candling, my girlfriend didn't get the lid closed completely (very easy to do if you don't check), and it went into the 40s being slightly ajar like that without having the temp drop below 99.5.

So I thought I'd ask folks with more (eg any) experience...
Is it okay to let it run without water for a while as long as the humidity reading is within the desired range?
Is it okay to leave the lid slightly ajar like that to help regulate humidity (assuming there's no change in temperature) ?

Right now, I've got 2 incubators running on little water with fully open vents, and one's at 49%, the other 47%. If I fill the water in them and do nothing else, they typically run to 58-62%

I run it dry when necessary...but I wouldn't tilt the lid. Your incubator may not be seeing a difference at sensor height, but your eggs will surely have a cold spot.

Are you removing the B plug also? It makes a 5 to 10% difference.

 

[EarlJ]

Yeah, it already occurred to me to keep the B plug out for some additional venting.

Thanks!
It's my natural intention to fill the water and go about my day without worrying too much about it, so running dry seems risky.
But it's my natural inclination to check in on it every hour or so and fiddle with the vent as needed, so it's probably fine.

First time hatching... maybe once I've done it a few times I'll get to be less mother hen : p

 

[CrisAnderson27]

Yeah, it already occurred to me to keep the B plug out for some additional venting.

Thanks!
It's my natural intention to fill the water and go about my day without worrying too much about it, so running dry seems risky.
But it's my natural inclination to check in on it every hour or so and fiddle with the vent as needed, so it's probably fine.

First time hatching... maybe once I've done it a few times I'll get to be less mother hen : p

For sure lol. My second hatch has gone much more smoothly, because I know what to expect.

I also forget that my temp sensors didn't come with my incubator lol. When you guys say you worry about running it dry...I keep thinking 'why'? I just realized it's because you have no way of knowing if it suddenly drops dangerously, etc. Not without physically checking...which would drive me insane!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Initially, I read that ducks needed a higher humidity so I was running it at 58%. After browsing around here and reading more, it seems like the (relatively broad) consensus is that 35-55% is good for ducks, chickens, and guineas (the stuff I'm trying to hatch). So I've been aiming for 45% now, dropping to that slowly over a few days.

But it's hard to keep it that low without letting it run dry or close to dry. I'd taken the manual as gospel so I hadn't let it get to that point. On the first candling, my girlfriend didn't get the lid closed completely (very easy to do if you don't check), and it went into the 40s being slightly ajar like that without having the temp drop below 99.5.

So I thought I'd ask folks with more (eg any) experience...
Is it okay to let it run without water for a while as long as the humidity reading is within the desired range?
Is it okay to leave the lid slightly ajar like that to help regulate humidity (assuming there's no change in temperature) ?

Right now, I've got 2 incubators running on little water with fully open vents, and one's at 49%, the other 47%. If I fill the water in them and do nothing else, they typically run to 58-62%

I second what Chris said about leaving the incubator lid ajar. It would also cause the incubator to have to work that much harder to keep the incubator warm and would wear out your incubator faster I'm sure.

I usually add a little distilled water to my incubators in the morning and sometimes at night but I forgot to last night. It's raining this morning and it still dropped to 25% humidity inside the incubators even with eggs in there. Short term drops in humidity aren't something that I worry about. It takes extended periods of really dry incubation where I have seen difficulties in hatch from being too dry. I have had incubators that I ran with hardly any water (if any) during the first 18 days of incubation but I still find that the hatches go more smoothly when I keep the humidity a little higher in my Nurture Rights and IncuView. They aren't incubators that I dry hatch in personally because the hatches just seem to go more smoothly when I don't.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I know we were talking about how the humidity in the room can effect the incubators yesterday, so I decided to check my chicken room again since I was going off of my memory, lol. Since i forgot to add water to the incubators that are currently full of eggs it was a good example of how much drier it can be inside of the incubator vs your room because of the heating element drying it out.

It's approximately 47-48% humidity in the room and it was 25% in the incubators on a rainy day in Georgia, with the AC running. Lol

 

[CrisAnderson27]

I know we were talking about how the humidity in the room can effect the incubators yesterday, so I decided to check my chicken room again since I was going off of my memory, lol. Since i forgot to add water to the incubators that are currently full of eggs it was a good example of how much drier it can be inside of the incubator vs your room because of the heating element drying it out.

It's approximately 47-48% humidity in the room and it was 25% in the incubators on a rainy day in Georgia, with the AC running. Lol

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For sure! The only sensors that matter are the ones inside . I don't use sensors outside unless one just happens to be moving from incubator to incubator.