Howdy, folks! I'm just not going to be able to keep up with the social chatter stuff here - 2000 posts behind, and SOOOO much work to do, here and at work. (So tag me if you need me!) But I thought I'd update:
My NIST calibrated thermometer and hygrometer finally arrived from Thermoworks (I even got certificates!) - it takes them some time to do the calibration. The Brinsea 20 Advance is all cleaned out and coming up to temperature and humidity in preparation for setting. Temperature is fairly close to accurate, which tracks with me checking it during the last hatch with a good thermometer (though it runs about a degree low at times). However, as I suspected, the Brinsea's humidity reading is 6-10% or more higher than the actual true humidity at the level where the eggs sit. (E.g., "30%" would mean ~20-22%, and "40%" means about 31% so far).
This would explain both the rapidly growing air cells in my last hatch as well as the fact that several had trouble pipping. I'm going to keep tracking for a while - I will start at a higher humidity (about 40-45%) at first (these are blue eggs), then follow air cells to adjust, so I don't have to play catch up. I will also set the R-Com back up (gotta clean it out) as I may decide to use it to hatch. I'll set in a day or two, all Lissa's eggs (I'll probably set 8). Then no more for a long while, as I also have some chicks coming end of March (I'm actually going to try to time setting these eggs so the chicks are the same age as the ones arriving, since I will need to brood them all together.)
Meanwhile, the Cream Legbar chicks I hatched earlier are three weeks old (and really getting too big for their brooder - can't wait to get them outside). And one of the boys has started CROWING! I know CLs are precocious with that sort of thing, but THREE WEEKS??!!! Holy cannoli, I'm going to have a loud yard for a little while, I guess. Granted, while he makes all the right motions (and it's an unmistakable attempt at crowing), it pretty much sounds like someone stepped on a little squeeky toy. But I'm sure he'll get some volume soon. He pretty much crows in the mornings when he hears his Dad from outside. Sorta cute, actually...
- Ant Farm
@Sally Sunshine - my update, of sorts. I'll try to get it entered myself in the articlwhe later.
[COLOR=FF0000]ahhhhhh!!!!! makes sense!!! which thermoworks did you get?[/COLOR]
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