Hmmmm, now what?

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Well the bator that was supposed to be a Hova Bator from a craigslister turned out to be a Little Giant Still Air 9200.

My hubs went to pick it up while I stayed with the kids and he didn't know what he was looking for so he brought it home anyway, with a nice thermometer/humidity gadge that he went and bought me for it too.

I figure, hey, for $15, it's still a bator. It'll last me a couple of months until I can buy the Hova Bator I want.

So, it was really clean, but dusty. I cleaned it anyway, little bleach and water, dried it good, put it back together and set it up. It's been on since about 12:30pm today and I have all three of the wells filled in the bottom of the bator (two straight, one square shaped). My temp has been very slowly rising, but the humidity is still only 22%, I have been writing down the changes on paper through the day and the highest it has gotten so far is 25%.
How do I remedy this? I have moved the bator without opening it to the most stable and draft free room I have and it's been here for the last hour or so but the hum. still hasn't moved at all.
Where should I have the sensor for the thermometer?
DH got me a wired in temp/hum thing that is nice, but there isn't a long probe, instead there is a little black sensor about 1/2 to 3/4" long that has a sticky thing on the other side and you can either screw/nail it or stick it to the area you want. I'm not sure where is the right place to put it...

 

[shelleyd2008]

I think I know what kind of thermo you have. I just have mine 'hanging' near the top of the eggs. Both my bators have 2 thermos in them, so I don't really need to have it in there for the hygro part.

As for the humidity? About the only way you can bring it up is to either run a humidifier in the room or add some sponges/socks/paper towels. Because of the cold it is just toooooooo dry!

 

[skeeter9]

The little probe thingy goes in the water wiggler.

How is your temp?

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

The temps at 95 right now and still climbing... It's been a slow and steady climb...

 

[shelleyd2008]

I don't think there is a 'proby thing'; if it's like I'm thinking, it's just a sensor. You could possibly make a wiggler out of a baggie and tp roll, but the sensor won't fit inside the regular wigglers without breaking them.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

No it's not like the tip of a regular oral human thermometer, if it was I would have put it in a wiggly already.
It's a small black button for lack of a better word, with one flat side that has a sticky part, it's just a sensor you can stick onto somewhere.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Hmmm...wonder if mine has a sticky part? Didn't even look at it to be honest! You could stick it to the turner, that would be about midways of an egg. Or you could make a wiggler from a baggie and put it in there.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Gosh if only I had a turner LOL

 

[shelleyd2008]

hah!! Well that would pose a problem wouldn't it?

Are you using egg cartons to turn, or just turning by hand? If you are using egg cartons, then just stick it to the top on the end of the carton. If not, try cutting a cup out of an egg carton, inverting it, and sticking the sensor on the 'bottom' of the cup. This would put it more like top of egg level, so you would want to keep your temp closer to 101 there.

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

Do the baggie water wigglers work well? Right now i have a wireless meat probe/bbq thermo in a baggie with water folded in half and taped...should i put it in a toilet roll? It seems to vary quite a bit still