Hello from Ohio!

[Bawk2theFuture]

HI, im new to backyard chickens new to chicken keeping and new to incubation. I inherited a really old incubator...a "still air" styrofoam hova bator. Ive had it plugged in for a couple hours now trying to check temps etc...while im online deciding what eggs to order. It seems that the bator is running high, like "cook the eggs" high 115 degrees or so. im not sure how to work the temp controller. im debating whether to put this on ebay and just get a new one with an egg turner and all the bells and whistles. I DO NOT WANT TO SCREW THIS UP. I dont take disappointment well. Yes i know, im aware that in raising any kind of animals there will be letdowns and errors. im just highly addicted to the feel of success.

Anyhow! HI all from Euclid, OHIO!

 

[Sahwithchicks]

Hi there, welcome to BYC!!

Personally, I hate still air incubators. One tip I found to make them slightly more successful was to use heat sinks with them. I would fill baby food jars with water, close the lids, and place them in the incubator before putting any eggs in. I would put a lot, like 10, of jars in, spaced out around the incubator. Then several hours later, when the water was warm, the eggs would go in. The incubator would heat up the water in the jars, the lids made sure the extra water didn't increase humidity, and all that warm water would keep the temperatures a little more stable, and it seemed to help the overall process. However, even then... I quickly went to only using a forced air, digital thermostat incubator.

 

[NickyKnack]

Hello!

Welcome to BYC and the coop! There's a lot of great peeps here! Feel free to ask lots of questions. But most of all, make yourself at home. I'm so glad you decided to join the BYC family. I look forward to seeing you around BYC. Good luck with your future hatch.

 

[N F C]

Good luck with your hatch! I've never used an incubator but there are a lot of members that have, you can find a lot of them on the incubating & hatching forum.

 

[drumstick diva]

I think you would do better with a new incubator - and learn how to use it with some local eggs. Shipped eggs frequently have lower hatch rates than local ones.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC - i hope you find the answers you are looking for on the forum mentioned by by NFC.

All the best
CT

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!