Help with temp and humidity

[newchic2020]

Hello, I have successfully hatched in my incubator barnyard mixes from my own flock, a really good success rate with no issues. I put the incubator away for a couple of years and just pulled it out to hatch silliest and seremas I purchased from the internet. It was recommended that I buy a govee for accuracy in the temp and humidity which I did. My incubator was set at 100.5 by itself and just displayed a chick hatching out of an egg when it was optimal temp. So I got the govee and put it in and my Temps are way off! Along with humidity I'm trying to get it to 50-55 humidity, if I add a sponge it gets way up to 80%. I opened up the little red port and I removed the sponge ant it just falls waaaay down. I added water and it goes way up. So it makes me wonder how I even hatched in the first place, also as I'm trying to increase/decrease the humidity I'm having to increase/decrease the temp which on the machine itself is 104.3! But the govee is reading 99.1. With humidity at 56.2 (govee) What should I believe I got eggs delivered yesterday and 6 more on the way...I been working at this for 2 days.

 

[newchic2020]

Hello, I have successfully hatched in my incubator barnyard mixes from my own flock, a really good success rate with no issues. I put the incubator away for a couple of years and just pulled it out to hatch silliest and seremas I purchased from the internet. It was recommended that I buy a govee for accuracy in the temp and humidity which I did. My incubator was set at 100.5 by itself and just displayed a chick hatching out of an egg when it was optimal temp. So I got the govee and put it in and my Temps are way off! Along with humidity I'm trying to get it to 50-55 humidity, if I add a sponge it gets way up to 80%. I opened up the little red port and I removed the sponge ant it just falls waaaay down. I added water and it goes way up. So it makes me wonder how I even hatched in the first place, also as I'm trying to increase/decrease the humidity I'm having to increase/decrease the temp which on the machine itself is 104.3! But the govee is reading 99.1. With humidity at 56.2 (govee) What should I believe I got eggs delivered yesterday and 6 more on the way...I been working at this for 2 days.

I have just the Styrofoam incubator with no egg turner so I turn the eggs 3+ times a day.

 

[Yardmom]

Humidity is about how much surface area the water has. This takes a bit to stabilize especially if a few drops of water are spread around. You don't need the humidity at 50 before lockdown. A little lower might even be better. Do you have a fan? If you don't the temperature is going to be a few degrees different from place to place. If you do have a fan it still might have warm and cool spots. I am not familiar with your thermometer. Can you check it for accuracy with boiling water? Then place it at egg height between the heater and the edge.

 

[cmobley]

I was having the same issue with my Govee. I had to recalibrate mine and I also just received the 3 set of wifi govees model 5151 I think they are. My nurture right is set at 101.5 my older Bluetooth Govee read 99.3 my new Wi-Fi one is 98. These silkie eggs were supposed to hatch Sunday into yesterday and nothing. So that tells me my temps have ran low. Check that Govee before relying on it and never rely on the installed thermostat and hygrometer on the incubator.

 

[cmobley]

Also on your humidity don’t let that rack your brain I only dry incubate my humidity stays anywhere from 18 to 40 depending on a rain or a bright cool day. I only bump my humidity up when they go into lockdown up around 50 for chicks and 70 to 80 for ducks and turkeys. I’m sure everyone does it different this works great for me.

 

[newchic2020]

OK. Thanks for replying guys. The govee is a box I can't test it to boiling water I'm not sure if it needs to be calibrated or even how the instructions didn't say anything for that so I will google. I think there is a fan in the incubator? It really just is a Styrofoam box lol my husband bought it for me a couple of years ago when the incubator I bought from Amazon died in the middle of incubating an egg with viability. The temp seems pretty stable with govee but the built in thermometer says 105.4 which I thought was to high? Govee says 99.3 stable with 56 humidity. I will take the sponge out and hope it goes down. Try the dry hatch method. I just don't want to mess them up.

 

[cmobley]

To calibrate that Govee put it in a sandwich bag fill a bowl an inch 2 inches with crushed ice. Set the Govee in it then cover it with crushed ice. Make sure you pack it around good let it sit a good 3 hours it’ll settle on 32 or right at it. To do the hygrometer part you can either use the same bag or I use a sealed Tupperware bowl set it in get a milk jug top fill with salt or a teaspoon of salt in a measuring spoon. Drop some water in the salt to dampen let it sit at least 8 hours sealed up. It should show 75% if it’s high or low that’ll tell you what you need to add or subtract from reading. Same with temp if it’s high or low off 32 you’ll know what degrees your bators off. Still air incubators also run a different temp than forced air. I dunno what that it Google can get that one pretty quick.

 

[newchic2020]

To calibrate that Govee put it in a sandwich bag fill a bowl an inch 2 inches with crushed ice. Set the Govee in it then cover it with crushed ice. Make sure you pack it around good let it sit a good 3 hours it’ll settle on 32 or right at it. To do the hygrometer part you can either use the same bag or I use a sealed Tupperware bowl set it in get a milk jug top fill with salt or a teaspoon of salt in a measuring spoon. Drop some water in the salt to dampen let it sit at least 8 hours sealed up. It should show 75% if it’s high or low that’ll tell you what you need to add or subtract from reading. Same with temp if it’s high or low off 32 you’ll know what degrees your bators off. Still air incubators also run a different temp than forced air. I dunno what that it Google can get that one pretty quick.

Thanks for this information! I'm going to get on this right away. My seremas shipped today so I believe I have time to get it correct. I already have my silkie eggs though. They are just coming to the 24 hr mark after shipping so...

 

[newchic2020]

Update, I calibrated the govee with the ice then the salt put it back in the incubator in a couple hours it climbed like a mountain instead of the up n down it was doing, all the way up to 100.3 so I added the eggs last night, temp fell to 96 and stayed there. I thought it was because I opened the incubator but I woke this morning to same 96 so I incred the temp on the incubator. Currently it's steady at 100.3 with 37% humidity. I did not add any water or a sponge so I think that went up with adding the eggs? I hope they are going to be ok...

 

[cmobley]

Yeah that’s fine. You get a good steady temp when it’s empty and adding the eggs changes everything but lets you know their not going into a over hot incubator. I let mine sit about 12 hours after adding eggs to see where it’ll settle. Also when the chicks start forming inside the eggs they’ll make heat so depending on how many eggs you have in at one time it can raise your temp a little. I always try to get my temp from the top of the egg because there will be a slight difference in top round “fat part of egg” to the tip that’s inside the cradle. I’m setting up 2 incubators right now and reading 102 at top and 100 at the cradle. So I try to run on the cooler side 100 at top of egg because high heat will kill embryos quicker. I use the styrofoam farm innovators brand and I’ve found that putting a doubled over beach towel on top helps regulate the heat better.