Incubator temp;

[Conway]

Little bit of help please, I am tring to hatch a seconded lot of eggs in my Hova- Bator 1602 thermal air, the first did not work out. When you wind the wafer on to the screw and turn it down till it clicks then tighten the nut and then wind it back 4 full turns---is that correct. At the moment in a room of 70deg; my temp; go's down to 98.2 then up to 102.0 . If I bring the top temp; down it then lowers the down temp; It takes two and a half minutes to get from top temp; to bottom temp; which averages out at 100 deg; is this the way to look at it

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

So when you say thermal air does that mean it has a fan? And the temp you are looking for is 100...

My understanding is that you set your temp at the warmest part of the day and let it drift down. I personally wouldn't adjust it all the time after setting eggs. But get the temp stable before setting.

I also have the 1602, no fan. My hatches go quite well despite me not doing the best. But I found that doing something to insulate a little better did help stabilize my temps when room temp fluctuated. I did this by simply adding a blanket to the top and around the sides, making sure to leave the air holes unblocked.

Depending on where you set your thermometer the temp may be different. At least in my no fan bator.. higher up is warmer and lower is cooler. But the temperature is measured at the top of the eggs. I'm thinking you probably already know that.

Have you tried dry hatching, it is said to improve numbers.

Good luck!

 

[Conway]

Thank's for the reply--No it has no fan, and when you say drift down how far is down? Is that correct about when the wafer clicks you turn it back 4 turns . I have a 1602 N Thermal air what doe's the thermal air mean

 

[EggSighted4Life]

OK, I looked at mine and it does say thermal air flow on the box. Best I can figure is this describes the warm air that escapes the top holes (the 4 small ones, not the ones with plugs) which then draws the fresh air in through the bottom holes.

That sounds right on the wafer, but it's been a long time since I put mine together. I'm a major over thinker and seeing the separate pieces means it took me forever (months) to take the initiative and put it together. When I finally did, I couldn't believe how simple it actually was. Point being, if you've got your temp stable, try not to worry about it. Sometimes when you tighten the wing nut it will slightly change your little lever. So I get it good and stable before tightening and then make sure it doesn't budge while tightening.

I don't have tons of experience hatching, so please feel free to seek a second opinion. In still air you should be running at 102. I had mine spike to 104 and go as low as 98. I would not let it below 98 if I could help it, or above that 104. I know that depending on the stage of development the embryo can withstand higher (I think early stage) or lower temps (I think later stage). I also know that higher temps may cause early hatch and lower can cause late hatches. When hatch day comes, it can tell you which way you were on the scale and maybe adjust for your next hatch if needed.

Even though you say you get a different temp within a matter of minutes, I wouldn't count that until at least 1 hour after the adjustment So you can see what the range is for real verses just when the wafer turn off or on. Also, where in the incubator are you measuring your temps and are you using the thermometer that came with the bator? Are you using a secondary thermometer or hygrometer? The one that came with mine registers about 2 degrees warmer than reality (if I remember correctly). And I put a second one in and they never agree exactly. But they are at different places. So it is important to move the eggs to a different portion of the bator on occasion. I do this with one of my daily turns moving those from the outer edge towards the middle and vice versa as well as to opposite sides including top and bottom. This helps to ensure that 1 egg isn't constantly in a warm spot and others in a constant coolness, which could cause a staggered hatch.

One other thing that could effect your hatch is the eggs. Where are they coming from? Fertility may not be high. Also, you can improve hatch-ability by giving higher protein feed than layer, if the eggs are coming from your flock and that's what you use. 20-22% is a good protein level for breeders according to studies (and good breeders). It gives the hatching chick more nutrients and a better start. It's the amino acids in the protein that makes the difference.

Were you able to diagnose your previous failed hatch? Did you have development/fertility? Did you get any pips at all?

If you haven't checked out the hatching 101 article in the learning center, it is loaded with tons of great information!

Hope this is helpful!

 

[Conway]

This may or may not be of interest to people, my incubator was destroyed by a rat over winter. I removed the working parts from the old incubator and build a box out of 12 mm plywood and with 10 mm polystyrene in side . Made the size at the bottom to match the tray, but cut the overall height down by 50mm no good temp; all over the place from hot to cold. Made a new box this time same size as old incubator it has been running for a day now temp; 99.5 to 100.6 so I am happy with that will start my new batch of eggs of tomorrow. ( Lets hope there are all fertile )

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Rats are chicken/chick predators and will eat them alive! No joke. There are threads on here with some pretty horrific stories.

Fight them with all you've got.

Hope your hatch goes well. Did you make air holes in you homemade incubator? Fresh air is important to development.