HELP

[Frenchkissed]

Great thanks.

 

[Ryguy3684]

Great thanks.

Lol. I just realized I didnt even come close to answering your original question. Oh well, the others gave you the right answer.

 

[Frenchkissed]

Supposedly, putting the eggs in the centre is best for temp as if your incubator does have cold spots, they tend to be on the outer edges, and changing up the order from time to time when you're getting them out for weigh-ins, candles etc...

I haven't done any incubator hatching just yet, but have been doing a bit of a deep dive lately as I want my first machine hatch to go smoothly. (Hopefully getting everything up and running next week!) We've hatched with our broody a few times, so pretty familiar with the natural process, at least.

I decided to calibrate one of my spare probe temp/humidity sensors from my reptile setup so I can be sure the readings are 99.9% accurate.
I plan on putting 3 additional sensors in there and getting a good feel of the whole setup.

To calibrate temp, fill a glass with ice and let it melt half down before inserting the probe. It 'should' read 0c or 32f. I found my old probe was only .8c high, so have made a mental note and can now verify all the others against this one.

For humidity, take a soda bottle cap and fill it with salt. Dampen the salt so it's just wet, then put it and the sensor in a sealed ziplock bag and wait 6 hours. Humidity should then read 75% because science! I'll be setting this up later today to check for accuracy for my own.

One of my sensors is a 'smart' sensor. Xiaomi makes a pretty cheap one that will graph temp and humidity changes throughout the day. I already use one in my reptile Viv to monitor for long-term trends, so if anything has been off I'll know when and for how long.

Supposedly, reptile and aquarium thermometers tend to be the most accurate out if the box. My thermostat probe for my beardie's basking lamp reads .6 degrees high, so that's pretty close. My old cheap thermostat that I use for the bug farm was reading 5 degrees high, so they can really be way off.

If you have a tested probe, you can move it around the brooder to get a good idea of hot and cold spots.

Also, a zip-lock bag of water folded over one of the probes is supposed to give you a pretty good estimate of the the inside temp of an egg.

I did not buy a fancy incubator, so I'm taking all the extra precautions to ensure it doesn't cook my babies any more than I want it to.

Another lifehack I've heard is to keep the foam packaging in case your incubator just can't get up to temp as makeshift insulation.

Good luck! If this is your first time hatching and rearing, it's a really fun experience. Make sure you're candling every 4 days or so. It's so interesting to see those little embryos moving around and chicks are such a handful, but in a good way.

Thanks

 

[Frenchkissed]

Well Today Is The Day !!! I’m Excited And Terrified At The Sane Time . Here Is How I Placed The Eggs Because I Don’t Know If They Need To Be Close Together Or Spaced Out?

Thanks Everyone For The Help

 

[Frenchkissed]

Forgot To Post The Pictures. Any Additional Help Would Be Appreciated.

Thanks Again

 

[FiestyFeathersFarm]

I would get a second thermometer and hydrometer. Most of the time the temperature and humidity aren’t correct if you go by what the incubator says. I have a Govee that I can monitor from my phone it was only $10 from Amazon. Also not sure where you’re getting your hatching eggs but if their shipped there a a few other things you need to know.

 

[Frenchkissed]

I would get a second thermometer and hydrometer. Most of the time the temperature and humidity aren’t correct if you go by what the incubator says. I have a Govee that I can monitor from my phone it was only $10 from Amazon. Also not sure where you’re getting your hatching eggs but if their shipped there a a few other things you need to know.

Thanks. What should I know? Got me curious now

 

[FiestyFeathersFarm]

Thanks. What should I know? Got me curious now

If their shipped let them rest to room temp and settle in a dark area for 12-24 hours before putting them in the incubator. A lot of shipped eggs get loose air cells from traveling. I candle and check for loose air cells, also cracks and keep them upright with no turning for the first 3 days so they can reattach. Happy hatching!

 

[Frenchkissed]

If their shipped let them rest to room temp and settle in a dark area for 12-24 hours before putting them in the incubator. A lot of shipped eggs get loose air cells from traveling. I candle and check for loose air cells, also cracks and keep them upright with no turning for the first 3 days so they can reattach. Happy hatching!

 

[Frenchkissed]

Great that’s what I did and put in automatic egg turner inside incubator but haven’t started it because I did read to wait 2-3 days before turning it on. My only issue is trying to keep my humidity level right. I’m starting to get frustrated about it

Thanks fir your help