I'm an amateur idiot! Someone please help meeeee with my thermostat!

[debs_flock]

I intend to put my eggs in tomorrow(was gonna today, for the Groundhogs day hatch, but I'm a bit too late...) so I really wanna fix It. I have two pictures in my album(chickens and incubators is the title) so if anyone has any suggentions on perhaps how I can fix it, I thank you in advance.
Or if there are any cheap thermostats less than 20 bucks that work? That's good too.

I wouldn't set your eggs until you have the incubator temperature holding steady and correctly for a couple of days.

Deb

 

[Arielle]

I use the WHT in my homemade incubator. I never had the courage to alter it as suggested. BUt mine works very well any way.

Place the WHT very close to the heat source, I use a light bulb. A higher wattage bulb worked better for me than a lower wattage. It's hotter quicker. YOu will need to adjust the WHT setting and the distance from the bulb. Place about 1-2 inches from light bulb. If you are using a fan, that is a third thing to coordinate: The air flow should be toward the bulb and WHT.

Takes a day or two to get it nailed. SO keep those eggs in a safe place. THe low temps just slow the egg dev, the high temp could cook them.

Suggstion: use a heat sink , like a jar of water if you can. Add it AFTER you nail the temp settings. Will moderate any spikes in temp.

 

[kellyn]

I use the WHT in my homemade incubator. I never had the courage to alter it as suggested. BUt mine works very well any way.

Place the WHT very close to the heat source, I use a light bulb. A higher wattage bulb worked better for me than a lower wattage. It's hotter quicker. YOu will need to adjust the WHT setting and the distance from the bulb. Place about 1-2 inches from light bulb. If you are using a fan, that is a third thing to coordinate: The air flow should be toward the bulb and WHT.

Takes a day or two to get it nailed. SO keep those eggs in a safe place. THe low temps just slow the egg dev, the high temp could cook them.

Suggstion: use a heat sink , like a jar of water if you can. Add it AFTER you nail the temp settings. Will moderate any spikes in temp.

Wht do you mean by that? The jar? I put in 32 eggs yesterday and the temp goes from 97-100 only once was it 102. I maaaay just take you advice. I actually read what quintip wrote on how they made their incubator. It was quite informational and I drilled 3 holes into my thermostat. If you hae any more ideas, i'd love to hear 'em. Thank you everyone else for the tips they're a big help. I'll find a good thermostat one of these days, bu not now. This is a test hatch. If I have six hatch and less than 5 fluctuations over 102 degrees, I'll buy ggs from a breeder in a month or so. I really want a coachin rooster. In the incubator are 7 EE/Americaunas; 2 Leghorn/Americaunas 1 Wellsummer/RIR and 22 RIR/ Barred rocks, Pure RIR and mutt eggs. My majourity is definately RiR.

 

[Arielle]

Jar of water. Used to prevent sharp increases and decreases in the temperature. It is a heat sink. I use several in my LG and it has saved my eggs from odd temp spikes.

I use a WHT because that was all I could get at HOme Depot. I got very good hatch rate the last time I used my homemade incubator. The shipped eggs didn't hatch very well; but the eggs from my girls did hatch well. In my homemade incubator I use 10 quart sized mason jars filled with water. Really helps when the bulb blows.

As I said before I was too chicken to alter the WHT; I didn't want to ruin the only one I had.

Glad to see yours is holding temp fairly well. GOod job. The heat sinks will moderate the spikes and reduce the damage if you can catch the spike in time. GL