Incubator start-up troubles

[Carolinexlt]

Need some advice: I turned my incubator on last night in preparation for putting eggs in this morning. Temperature was steady at 99.5. I loaded up the egg turner (eggs were cool to touch but had been sitting at room temperature all night) and closed the lid, checked on it about an hour later and it was at about 96. Watched it for a bit to see that it was still warming up, and left for work. Came home at noon (so 5 hours from load-up time) and the incubator read 103.5!! I opened the top and moved the air to get it back down to 99.5 and it seems to be holding, but have I killed my eggs?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You might be OK but that is close to the threshold. Always try to err on the low side.
The following link is a good read that should give you some reassurances.
http://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/PowerOff.aspx

 

[007Sean]

Agree with ChickenCanoe, at 104°F the embryos will die if the temperature is sustained for over an hour or more.
The 'spike' in temperature you experinced is why the 'foam' bators should be allowed to operate for several days to a week before setting eggs. Foam incubators are notorious for being unreliable for holding constant, stable temperatures.

 

[FluffTheDuck]

Agreed with @007Sean who agreed with @ChickenCanoe.

 

[Carolinexlt]

You might be OK but that is close to the threshold. Always try to err on the low side.
The following link is a good read that should give you some reassurances.
http://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/PowerOff.aspx

Thanks for the link! Very interesting and informative article. I'm suspicious that my temperature gauge reads a teense higher than it actually is, since my last hatch was a day late starting, so hopefully the eggs are okay. Guess I'll see when I candle in a week...

 

[aart]

Any incubator should be run for a couple days before adding eggs, IMO.
...and always test your therms and hygros before very hatch.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...incubator-thermometers-and-hygrometers.73634/

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If your eggs hatch early or late, use that information rather than what gauges read. You can set your clock by how long it takes birds to hatch. In most cases, if chicken eggs don't hatch at 21 days, the readings are wrong.
Unless they are calibrated and verified with a guaranteed accurate thermometer, you can't assume they are correct.