Incubator temperature

[emzee]

We have made a homemade incubator, but bought a thermostat for it that won't stay at a specific temperature and instead keeps on warming up and then dropping back down. For example, it will go from 95-100 degrees or 98-103 degrees. Should I buy a better thermostat or pick one of those temperature ranges? If I should pick a range, which one is better?

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

What are you using for a heat source? And it is always better to go on the cool side. It might just prolong the hatch by a day or so.
On our homemade bator we used a light bulb for the heat source and put it on a dimmer switch. By adjusting the switch we can keep the temp pretty close to 100. Had great hatches out of it but we now have a regular bator with turner so we use the home-built as our brooder.

 

[walkswithdog]

If you're measuring air temps and have a fan, variations are normal. If you h aven't calibrated your thermometer - that's next.

You should make a water wiggler/fake egg and get an indoor/outdoor thermometer and probe. If you calibrate the thermometer, stick the probe in the waterwiggler, and you'll know what temps the INSIDE of the egg is and it varies a LOT less than the air temps.

If you have heat swings - heat sinks are useful, mason jars filled with bator temp. water and sealed and added to corners can help prevent swings when your overall house temperatures shift.

You want the bator in the most stable room of the house, fewer drafts, fewest highs and lows.

 

[DPhillips]

What kind of thermostat is it??? I put a hot water heater thermostat in my homemade incubator. If this is what you are using, this may help........
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=26580-thermostat-modification

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

You can move the bulb closer to the thermostat to make the thermostat cycle faster an have a smaller swing.