Homemade incubator, first hatch....advice?

[sumi]

All you can do now is wait. Good luck!

 

[kitkat2498]

Hi, I caught the chicken bug, and I built an incubator. Parts list:
Styrofoam cooler 3.50
Acurite thermometer/ hygrometer 8.00
Scrap chicken wire
Dimmer switch 8.00
Lower water heater thermostat
2 glass jars filled with water
1 salvaged Xbox cooling fan wired to 12v adapter
1 bottle lamp kit

I will post step by step if someone would like but I got my instructions. Online. My why regulates with no more than .5° temp swing. I am nervous as I am afraid of unabsorbed yolks or them being alive in the shell and the can't get out. My humidity is at a steady 50%. Here are pics, any advise is appreciated

[/URL]

This looks very much like my own set up. Which instructions did you follow?

 

[jbolt]

No sounds yet, beginning day 22,19,and 18. Seeing some movement in eggs, and have vowed during this process to never again use the accurite combo digital hygrometer /thermometer. Only manually calibrated stick thermometers and wet bulb thermometer. The accurite, 3 seperate accurites to be exact. All read 2 degrees more than actual temp.

 

[jbolt]

OMG OMG OMG! I have a peeper! No external pips, but as I geared myself for a sad scared float test, I have a peeper! I feel like Dr. Frankenstein! Its alive! So can't handle the thought of going to work!

 

[jbolt]

Ok, 2 chicks so far......

 

[acemario]

Ok, 2 chicks so far......

Congrats! Pics?!?

 

[jbolt]

Ok, will post pics in a few, but EGGCEREAN HEKP PLEASE! ..... 4 MORE EGGS WERE DUE TUESDAY ....... on weds evening there were no internal pips. I did float test, and all sunk to the bottom. So next I scored 1 egg to look into air pocket. To my surprise there was movement. I immediately wrapped egg in warm damp towel, and put back in bator. 10 hours later, chick had broken thru membrane to"internally pip. I have kept membranes moist with a bit of neosporin, and humidity. Is good. I'm afraid I may have to help it the rest of the way, because it isn't trying to break shell in a circle, just tryink to escape thru the hole i made. I waited till it was 36ish hours overdue before opeening it. No blood vessels broken, no brown dried up memnbranes, my question is how long before I can be reasonably sure that his yolk is absorbed?I haven't helped him out because his blood vessels were still red and visible. I don't want to lose him if I can help it. Haven't opened any other eggs, and no others have pipped.

 

[jbolt]

Here's pics of the fist miracle, more on the way.

 

[jbolt]

Bumping need help.....
Ok, will post pics in a few, but EGGCEREAN HEKP PLEASE! ..... 4 MORE EGGS WERE DUE TUESDAY ....... on weds evening there were no internal pips. I did float test, and all sunk to the bottom. So next I scored 1 egg to look into air pocket. To my surprise there was movement. I immediately wrapped egg in warm damp towel, and put back in bator. 10 hours later, chick had broken thru membrane to"internally pip. I have kept membranes moist with a bit of neosporin, and humidity. Is good. I'm afraid I may have to help it the rest of the way, because it isn't trying to break shell in a circle, just tryink to escape thru the hole i made. I waited till it was 36ish hours overdue before opeening it. No blood vessels broken, no brown dried up memnbranes, my question is how long before I can be reasonably sure that his yolk is absorbed?I haven't helped him out because his blood vessels were still red and visible. I don't want to lose him if I can help it. Haven't opened any other eggs, and no others have pipped

 

[sumi]

As long as the blood vessels are still visible the yolk hasn't been absorbed yet. Wait until the blood in the membrane has been absorbed before assisting any further. This can take hours, so be patient. Just keep the humidity high, so the membrane doesn't dry out. Have you candled and tapped the remaining eggs? Tap basically means holding the egg against your ear and tapping it with your fingernail, then listening for a response from the chick. If there's no response you can candle the eggs to see if they pipped internally yet.