I started incubator on thursday temperature fine, now it is not.

[edible_chicken]

I have a custom built still-air incubator and I tested the incubator from thursday until sunday night. The temperature was consistant @ 101.5 and thought it was okay to add an egg. Last night at 9pm I put one egg in it to start it off first. Temperature stayed the same when we went to bed at 11. This morning at 10am the temperature dropped to 95. So I wrapped it in newspaper and set the house ac to 74. The temperature got to 99 at 1pm. I left at 1pm and just now came back at 10pm and the temperature was down to 90.

I quickly made revisions to the incubator and so far it is hovering at 100. Do you think the egg will be okay or not? I am beginning to break down and buy an incubator.

 

[sumi]

The lower temps wouldn't harm the embryo as much as too high temps would. Remember hens get up and walk around during their broody vigil too. Their eggs are exposed to cool temperatures during that 30mins or so and I haven't seen it harm my chicks at all. Too low temps for too long may slow the development down a bit though. So you'll see the chicks hatch on day 22 instead of day 21, for example.