i cant get my temp to stay at 99.5

[BlaineWillard]

i have a hot water heater thermostat to cut the lights on and off but the temp keeps ranging from 93 to 100. it cuts off at 100 and comes back on at 93 is this fine for hatching eggs or do i need to redo something?

 

[BlaineWillard]

i am running a test run with it. i have 3 dozen eggs to incubate on sat so i just want to have everything right before i start with them.

 

[Kedreeva]

Dropping to 93 is going to be too low for the eggs. If they hatch at all, it will be late and they will probably have deformities.

 

[BlaineWillard]

how can i change this problem? i am using a hot water heat thermostat.

 

[Kedreeva]

That I cannot help you with, I have not built my own incubator. I would suggest using a different thermostat, though, since it is for heating water and not air.

 

[BrownEggFan]

Blaine, try putting a heat shield over / around the light bulb and fastening the t-stat to the metal shield resulting in metal to metal contact. This should help the t-stat react quicker to the temp changes rather than relying on it to detect the air temp. Here is a pic of my homemade bator; the t-stat is in the upper right hand corner.



Mine held a constant temp of 99.3 for 15 days (3 prior to adding eggs and the first 12 days of incubation) before jumping to 100.4. I got some feedback from others on BYC that have the same issue and we have attributed it to the chicks producing body heat after day 11 or so. Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[NaomiSarah]

I have a Brower incubator, and it's heat settings will let me do either 98.4 or 101.3. *shakes head* I hope this is ok, too - it's not fluctuating at all, but there's no setting in between. It's really frustrating.

 

[xyresicchick]

i would not be worried if the temp doesnt get hotter than 100. from what i understand, chicks can die @ 102 degrees, but can survive at low 90s temps as long as the temp regulator brings it back up to 100 frequently. the eggs will retain heat for a while, and just need some warmth to warm them back up once they start cooling. think about mama hen sitting on her eggs. she sits there all day long, yet will get up to eat, drink, poop, etc. and during that time she can be gone for a while. sometimes eggs cool down, and its okay. 99.5 is ideal, but perfection isn't typical in nature.