I'm so SICK of my incubator right now.

[Griffin Nest]

I've been incubating eggs in there for 16 days now. For the past 5 days, my incubator keeps having spikes!!!!! I'd monitor it for HOURS and it'd stay at 99.5. then i'd leave for 20 minutes, come back and its 104!!!!!!! I'm so irritated.

I've used that incubator for 2 years and hatched ducks and quail in it and it didnt have this problem. i have 6 live eggs in there right now. i was wondering... i candled the eggs, and i still saw veins after there was a temp spike. is it possible that they will stay alive after the spike but die maybe an hour later??!?!?!

I'm so scared and worried... I'm even missing dinner with my family just to monitor this dang thing!!!

it's homemade and its forced-air, and the thermostat cost me $45 so it should be good.

 

[Memphisjourney2seramas]

That is so stressful. Have 2 incubators running right now and I seem to check them 4 times an hour....Now I know why letting the hen do it is so much easier. I had an incubator do that one time. I still had some chicks hatch, not alot, but if i can remember alot of the eggs where not fertile. Are you sure your thermoter is accurate.

 

[Griffin Nest]

Quote:
my thermometer is pretty good. i've hatched 15 out of 21 fertile shipped eggs with it. and i have 4 thermometers, 3 digitals (one expensive one, one regular one, and one cheap one) and 1 little giant bulb thermometer.
the expensive digital one read 104 for the heat spike, the regular one read 103, the cheap one read 102, and the bulb read 104. i dont have a hen, i had these eggs shipped.

one egg died this morning

 

[Ferdinand]

I check my eggs once a week and leave the lid closed. Temperature fluctuations are more likely to happen if you keep taking a peek at the eggs to check development, having an undeveloped egg in the incubator is far less likely to harm developed eggs that opening the incubator all the time.

 

[Griffin Nest]

Quote:
im a beginner and its nearly impossible for me t open it lol but now that it's day 17 i wont open it anymore because lockdown is coming!