Incubating in Little Giant with fan and egg turner temp problems

[Bean789]

I was having so much trouble with my humidity & temps., that I called Miller Manufacturing (The people who make the Little Giant) yesterday. They basically told me not to rely on the built in temp and humidity readings. Told me to use another separate thermometer. So, now that's what I'm doing. I'm on day 19. I've had to up my temp to 102 on the bator to get my other thermometer to read 99. All 14 were developing fine when I candled at lockdown. So, straight from the horse's mouth......Don't trust the built in gauges. Good luck!!

Yep, changing the temp on the incubator to get the other thermometers up to 99.5/100.0 has been my challenge. It seems to still fluctuate on the additional thermometers though no matter how much I try and get an even temp.

Please keep me posted on your hatch.

 

[StephensonC]

Yep, changing the temp on the incubator to get the other thermometers up to 99.5/100.0 has been my challenge. It seems to still fluctuate on the additional thermometers though no matter how much I try and get an even temp.

Please keep me posted on your hatch.

I don't know if it makes much difference, but I put my bator underneath a lamp. Not a heat lamp, just a regular ole living room lamp, and I always leave it on. You could try that to add a little warmth around the bator. Is the room drafty? How close to the heater are your thermometer's? I found that if I move the thermometers around to different locations in the bator, I will get different readings. Depending how close it is to the heater. Where is the sensor in your bator? It should be laying on top of the eggs.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Well, I candled them at day 7 last night. Very interesting. Some development, at differing stage? Some are blobs of ??? Several have veining, while a couple of others show a large 'vein' almost at the center of the egg and it goes all the way around. I must go back and look at some pics of what they should look like. The air sac was difficult to find on all of them except one. 3 of the Silkie eggs actually had some movement. The Cream Brabanters, out of 12, show some development in 8. The others don't look like anything is happening. I will leave them all for now. No bad smells coming from bator. Checked them again this morning, and temp has spiked to 102! Geesh! I turned it down again and checked it an hour later and it is now at 100 again. I also removed the towel (put it there to alleviate the draft problem in the room due to door being opened and shut a few times a day) and took out one of the plugs. The humidity is ranging from 45-55 depending on which hydrometer you look at. Still hopeful on the Brabanters.

The "couple that show a large vein at center that goes all the way around" sounds like a blood ring. Is there any way you can get pics and share them here so we can see. If they are blood rings then they need to be pulled as they have been compromised by bacteria.

 

[Bean789]

The "couple that show a large vein at center that goes all the way around" sounds like a blood ring. Is there any way you can get pics and share them here so we can see. If they are blood rings then they need to be pulled as they have been compromised by bacteria.

I will try and get pics tonight and post them. I did look that up after I posted here earlier and it saddened me that they were more than likely dead.

 

[JanetMarie]

The veining that goes all the way around starting from the center may be a vein. I have made the mistake of removing eggs thinking it was a blood ring, and it was a vein. I killed some chick embryos in error. I would mark those eggs and candle longer, to check for development. Sometimes it's difficult to tell what is inside. If you're sure it's blood ring, they do need to be removed.

 

[Bean789]

The veining that goes all the way around starting from the center may be a vein. I have made the mistake of removing eggs thinking it was a blood ring, and it was a vein. I killed some chick embryos in error. I would mark those eggs and candle longer, to check for development. Sometimes it's difficult to tell what is inside. If you're sure it's blood ring, they do need to be removed.

Day 10 candling and water test on all eggs. I think my efforts at stabilizing the temperature in my incubator was for naught. One non-fertile egg. All of the rest of the eggs clearly showed the the blood ring, solid mass, and no movement at all inside them. No movement at all with the water test either.

I discarded all of them. Sad.

I will work on stabilizing the incubator temperature and try to find a totally draft free area (even though I covered the incubator with a towel to keep the temp stable). I had 3 thermometers in there and no 2 showed the same temp even today. 2 of them were below 98 degrees.....again.

I think I will get a different incubator.

 

[JanetMarie]

That's sad. Probably happens a lot that the first time incubating is a learning experience of what not to to, as it was for me. Hope it goes well next time.

 

[StephensonC]

Day 10 candling and water test on all eggs. I think my efforts at stabilizing the temperature in my incubator was for naught. One non-fertile egg. All of the rest of the eggs clearly showed the the blood ring, solid mass, and no movement at all inside them. No movement at all with the water test either.

I discarded all of them. Sad.

I will work on stabilizing the incubator temperature and try to find a totally draft free area (even though I covered the incubator with a towel to keep the temp stable). I had 3 thermometers in there and no 2 showed the same temp even today. 2 of them were below 98 degrees.....again.

I think I will get a different incubator.

Did you cover those tiny vent holes with the towel? I thought about covering my bator too, but didn't want to block the airflow in those little holes.

 

[Bean789]

Did you cover those tiny vent holes with the towel? I thought about covering my bator too, but didn't want to block the airflow in those little holes.

Oh, my. I didn't think about that. But what would cause the heater to go over 102? Covered or not, I would think that the temp would not continue to heat if it had reached a pre-set degree? Sooo much to learn.

 

[StephensonC]

Oh, my. I didn't think about that. But what would cause the heater to go over 102? Covered or not, I would think that the temp would not continue to heat if it had reached a pre-set degree? Sooo much to learn.

It all depends on where you placed that "darn" probe and clear plastic thingy. Did you put it on top or bottom of the eggs? Or did you put is to the side? If it is sitting in an area that isn't quite as warm as it should be, then the heat will run until that area is heated accordingly. All the while the "warm spots" are getting hotter and hotter. Is your still air or circulated air?