Help with a homemade incubator

[wolfie]

The temps on my incubator keep going up and down it from 95 to 103 in minutes and then from there it keeps going up I am using a 60 watt light bulb and it is day 6 it was perfect at first kept a steady 101 and now it is all screwed up GRRRRR... Plz any suggestions would help I am a first timer and it was exicting at first and now I am afraid to go to sleep because I don't want to cook my chicks.

 

[gabrielle1976]

Do you have a thermastat hooked up to youre heat source?
You might want to try a 40 watt bulb.
If you do have a thermastat you might try moveing it closer to the heat source.
I have mine about 3 inches from mine , I also have it so the thermastat isnt completly aginst the back of the bator so that heat/air can register on both the front sides and back incase thats important.
GOod luck someone else will know more I am shure

 

[wolfie]

I've tried the 40 watt and it didn't go up higher than 94.3 and I don't want to stay up all night

looks like I have to

still any suggestions will help Plzzzz!

Thank for your help everybody

I guess it will be worth when the chicks hatch.

 

[gabrielle1976]

Do you have a thermastat?

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Where is your incubator? Meaning in what room in the house.

I keep my incubator and hatcher in a walk in closet in our basement. It gets no sunlight and amazingly the temperate and humidity stays very constant.

My home made bator has a 60 watt bulb and a Hot Water Heater thermostat. I have not adjusted it since it started in December.

I really do attribute it to the constant environment that it is in.

Did you say, do you have a thermostat?

I agree with gabrielle1976 that you should check your thermostat. I keep mine away from the wall also so it regulates better. Mine swings between 98 and 101, but I have had several successful hatches.

Don't give up!!! It is worth it.

 

[sugarbush]

Tell us about the bator, what do you have for a thermostat, what is the bator made out of? any fans, vents etc.

 

[wolfie]

yes... I checked the incubator and it was 107.5 I unscrewed the light bulb for now... it hurt...ouch...didn't wear a glove need to think quickly what are the chances they are still alive?

 

[gabrielle1976]

For emergancy use I would put the 40 watt back in till you figure out what yo uneed to do . 94 is better then 107 and the eggs can survive cooler better then hotter for a short time

 

[wolfie]

whats the lowest tempature a chick can be in because for some strange reason the power went out in the whole house and mysteriously came back with in five min. and the bator was at 83.6 the bator ismade out of styrofoam has a fan soemtimes it work and other times it doesn't and I've replaced it several times when I was building it. It is in a closet that no one uses it gets no light but I didn't think it had to be away from the wall. Thanks for all your help everyone you guys are great. Big thumbs up to all of you

keep up the advice.

 

[cici_p]

Hey wolfie,
I just went through this with my homemade incubator--search my posts and you will find the thread. It would really help if you could post a picture of your set up or describe it a little better.