Incubator humidity and temp help

[Finge]

OK, if you do not have a thermostat and you want a good hatch----you need to watch the temp every few minutes 24/7 for the entire incubation period----turning on and off the heat as needed. If you fall asleep----it might get to hot or to cold. Well I am kinda picking but I am serious-----without a thermostat----its going to be hard to control.

The thermometer that I have tells me the range it goes from from the last 24 hours, so I can check easily if the temp and humidity dropped in the night or rose up in the night as well.

 

[PD-Riverman]

I have a lightbulb, and I can turn it on and off needed.

OK, do you have to turn the bulb on and off now? Do you slightly open the incubator now to help cool it off?.

 

[PD-Riverman]

The thermometer that I have tells me the range it goes from from the last 24 hours, so I can check easily if the temp and humidity dropped in the night or rose up in the night as well.

That's good but if the temp raises to 103, 104, 105 your eggs die----if it stays there a long time.

 

[Leighe]

I have a lightbulb, and I can turn it on and off needed.

Did you build your homemade incubator from someone on YouTube? They should have said a thermostat. Based on what you're saying right now, there is not much hope of your eggs hatching. You can't turn the light bulb on and off 24/7....you need someway to keep the temp at a steady and the humidity within reason and you need to be able to look in the incubator and see what the temp is in there without you having to open it.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Do you have this incubator made with some open vent holes to exchange some of the air inside it?

 

[Finge]

Ok, so keep it below 103, but above 99?

And no, after leaving the lid open, it dropped a bit to 95, but its going up again, added a big bowl of water and the humidity shot up to 70, so I took some water out.

 

[Finge]

PD, yes I have multiple vent holes.

Leighe, yes, they didn't have or mention a thermostat, the had a light bulb, a bowl with a wet sponge, and observation glass.

 

[WVduckchick]

You need to test it now for lower and higher humidities. Find out what it will take now to keep it high for the final 3 days. Don't wait and find out that you can't keep it high.

Also, I would advise against bowls of water unless you put a sponge or some rocks in the water, unless it is totally separate from where the chicks will be when they hatch. You don't want any drowning possibilities.

 

[Finge]

Ok, I have some leftover chicken wire I can. Put over the bowl to keep the chicks safe, and will be experimenting with humidity and temp.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Ok, so keep it below 103, but above 99?

And no, after leaving the lid open, it dropped a bit to 95, but its going up again, added a big bowl of water and the humidity shot up to 70, so I took some water out.

Keep in mind the humidity is controlled by the water surface-----not the depth of the water. So if it was to high----you need to put in a smaller (length/width) container.