I'm on my second incubation with my LG. The first time around I only got 1 chick out of 14 eggs, and 1 duckling out of 12.
I had 4 thermometers going, that were more or less in agreement the first time around, but when setting it up again, I got a digital theremometer for your mouth from a drug store. I poked it in the side of my LG, and the temperature from it is 1 degree higher than all the other thermometers read. Since medical theremometers are supposed to be accurate to within 0.1 degree, I believe that my temps were high last time around, and that's why the birds I got were early.
I also calibrated my hygrometer with salt water and discovered my hygrometer reading is 5% low. So now I know when it says 40%, my humidity is actually 45%. The best thing you can do for yourself is connect a piece of air tubing like for an aquarium air pump, or its sold for drip tubing also. Put one end in the water reservoir, and route the other end out the side of the incubator. Use a plastic syringe to put water in through this tube, and you will only need a small amount of water every couple days, without opening your incubator. I was convinced the water channels in the bottom weren't keeping enough water in, but I'm not sure if it was because I filled them all the way at first or what, but using this method, I am able to keep humidity just fine.
The temperature adjustments are crazy with LG, so get it accurate for a few days before you add eggs. You will notice the temperature drift up and down a bit, but so long as it doesn't get below 99 (for forced air) just leave it alone. The same with drifting up--mine has been up to 99.8 or so this last run with the accurate thermometer, but then drifts back down on its own.
Let the humidity go up to like 47 or 48 when you add water, and down no less than 25 before you add water. Depending on conditions where you live, it is even more ideal to keep the humidity right in the room so that you don't have to add water to the incubator at all, but that isn't an option for me here in the desert.
I think the biggest mistake I made as a first time newbie was to keep adjusting things to keep it perfect, only to find I was chasing my tail and not helping a thing.
I have eggs due in about 10 days, so I will have a pretty good idea that the lessons I learned are correct.
Oh yeah, everyone says it on here, and everyone seems to have to learn it the hard way, but no matter what, do not open the incubator until all the eggs have hatched! I believe I read that 36 hours from first hatch is about the time to take out the hatchlings and candle the remaining eggs. That may have contributed to my failure also.
