Get a second thermometer (ideally, the probe kind), calibrate it, and stick it in there at the top of the eggs to use instead of the incubator's own thermometer. Don't trust incubator thermometers. Little Giant thermometers especially - the company itself recommends that you get a second thermometer to use because theirs isn't reliable. Run the incubator empty for a couple of days first, to make sure it maintains proper temperature, before you put your eggs in. But be aware that temperature can vary vertically, a lot, hence the recommendation to measure at the top of the egg. Get a fake egg (or an infertile real egg you wouldn't mind wasting) and tape the probe to the top of it.
I would also recommend measuring the temperature in different areas of the incubator, and either getting a fan for it, or not filling it up to capacity. Still air incubators are prone to hot spots and cold spots, because there's no fan to move the air and mix it up to even out the temperature. If you can't get a fan for it, map out the temperature throughout the whole incubator, figure out where your golden zone is, and put your eggs there. Leave the bad zones empty, or fill them but prepare to lose the eggs there.
I just finished a hatch in a still air Little Giant incubator and had a bunch of issues with it, but with a lot of troubleshooting and babysitting, I ended up having a successful hatch. You can take a look at my thread
here, I documented everything pretty well.
Key takeaways from my experience, which I want to share as advice:
1. Get a fan. Still air incubators suck. Without a fan, you'll be frustrated and your hatch rate will drop.
2. Get an egg turner. The LG is very finicky and sensitive and opening the lid disrupts both the temperature and the humidity. The combination of still air + no egg turner is especially problematic, and you'll have a hard time keeping your readings where they should be after opening the lid multiple times a day for long enough to turn all the eggs.
3. Get a calibrated second thermometer and a calibrated hygrometer. If possible, get multiple thermometers, the probe kind, so you can monitor different areas of the incubator.
4. Prepare to check on it frequently and troubleshoot. Covering points 1-3 above will put you in a much better position and minimize the amount of babysitting and frustration.
Miller’s Little Giant #9300, still air with no egg turner, 46 egg capacity. The manual actually recommends setting temp at 103.5F to maintain optimum temp of 99.5F at egg level when not using turning bars. Can that really be right?! I’m terrified of cooking my eggs! Please advise! Thanks!
