Incubator temps fluctuating from 98 to 100 is this bad?

[McPhersonFarm]

This is my first batch and right now all that is in there are 8 rouen duck eggs as I'm waiting for the chicken eggs (starting them a week after the duck eggs) and my temps I'd say 70% of the time are spot on 100 the other times I see 98. It seems as if once it gets to 98 the heat kicks on. Is this ok or is it too much of a fluctuation?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

you should try to get it more accurate.... why so much flux?

 

[McPhersonFarm]

you should try to get it more accurate.... why so much flux?

Not sure honestly. This is my first run and its been running for 3 days now, maybe it hasn't been up long enough to be stable?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Is your bator full? if not and you have room, I would suggest adding more to the bator.... maybe jars filled with warm water to help it retain the heat better???? not sure whats going on.... is the room stable temps?

 

[gabrielle1976]

The more stable the better. But you should still get a hatch. If you can get it more steady by adjusting room temp and adding heat sinks such as a few tightly sealed jars of warm NOT hot water it might help. If you adjust the temp with the control make sure your around to watch to make sure you dont get a temp spike. What kind of bator ?

 

[McPhersonFarm]

I only have 8 duck eggs in there right now and I'm waiting on chicken eggs to come this week. So its pretty empty right now. It's a hovabator 2362 and I have the automatic turner in there, but not turning yet due to them being shipped eggs. So maybe put a dish of warm water on the opposite side of the eggs?

 

[RWise]

An idea I read here was to take plastic Easter eggs, add water to them and place them in the turner (not to full). Anything to hold heat (and not be to heavy for the turner). Also when you turn on the turner, watch for a temp spike, when I removed the turner from mine the temp dropped 2*!

Good luck!!

 

[cmfarm]

An open dish of water wouldn't be good, as it will mess with your humidity. You need something closed off, like a jar or something similar like others have suggested.

 

[BuckNBark Farm]

Here is a silly thing to say. I've been doing a little fluctuation on purpose. It's a still air incubator. I run it at about 100 degrees during the day (sometimes 101) . When I go to bed at night, sometimes the temp goes up a few degrees- but a few degrees will put them at 104!. So, I turn it down to about 98 or 99 when I go to bed. Is that too much of a temp flux? It's pretty good at keeping temp steady- I just don't want to take a chance of 104. Thanks!

 

[BuckNBark Farm]

Here is a silly thing to say. I've been doing a little fluctuation on purpose. It's a still air incubator. I run it at about 100 degrees during the day (sometimes 101) . When I go to bed at night, sometimes the temp goes up a few degrees- but a few degrees will put them at 104!. So, I turn it down to about 98 or 99 when I go to bed. Is that too much of a temp flux? It's pretty good at keeping temp steady- I just don't want to take a chance of 104. Thanks!

I mean sometime the temp goes UP at night. At least one time it did- to 103