Incubators Anonymous

[lazy gardener]

Good plan.

 

[JekkaLynn]

The empty space around the egg turner is now completely filled with bottles and jars of water. The egg turner has a home made water wiggle made with freezer bags with the thermostate probe in it on the edge of the egg turner furthest from the heat lamp bulb. There is a second freezer bag of water covering the rest of the egg turner with the probe from my new EXTREMELY sensitive thermometer tucked under it right below the bulb so I can see if they will cook there. My infrared probe is gained at a bottle of water against the back wall. There is a tinfoil covered floor matt over the plexiglass window and a towel over that....

 

[JekkaLynn]

I got it holding steady and set the cheaper eggs I had bought. It held good all day but when I dropped a towel over for the night it threw it out of whack until I tool off the towel then it went back to holding pretty steady.

 

[CashandTracy]

I have two dozen chicken eggs and two dozen quail and I am getting more on Thursday night. I have a smaller incubator that works fine and I will stack them in there if I have too in the beginning until I can get this one running properly.

Anyone know how many eggs a Styrofoam HovaBator will hold if you remove the egg turner?

I just loaded 10 water bottles into the incubator to they and help regulate the temperature. There were already 5 mason jars of water in there but this thing is massive...I took this pictures before I changed the bulb and added the water bottles and container.



(EDITED TO ADD:I made a water wiggle thing out of plastic bags and put the two probes into it...hopefully in the morning it will be reading 99.5

I've put 64 in my hovabator, in egg cartons with the bottom cut out, then I just tilt the whole incubator side to side 3 times a day to turn the eggs. I put the end of the bator on an egg carton. Problem come with hatching there isn't room in there for chicks once they hatch, they have to walk over the other eggs.

 

[lazy gardener]

C&T: How many eggs is the hovabator supposed to hold? Did you stack them?

 

[CashandTracy]

I've been running my hovabator at 100F as the instructions say (forced air) my last few hatches have been a day late. Should I increase the temp and if so how much?

 

[CashandTracy]

C&T: How many eggs is the hovabator supposed to hold? Did you stack them?

No stacking, just in cartons, fat end up, 2 -18 packs and 2 dozen cartons and 1 dozen with a "4 pack" cut out of it. I cut the bottom of the cartons out for air circulation, it works well but I prefer the auto turner. I can't remember how many it holds with eggs on their sides
The catalog says 50 eggs

 

[scflock]

I've been running my hovabator at 100F as the instructions say (forced air) my last few hatches have been a day late.  Should I increase the temp and if so how much?

My Brinsea was hatching a day late. I went up 0.5 degrees and had my best hatch ever, all but one on day 21

 

[Faraday40]

I've put 64 in my hovabator, in egg cartons with the bottom cut out, then I just tilt the whole incubator side to side 3 times a day to turn the eggs. I put the end of the bator on an egg carton. Problem come with hatching there isn't room in there for chicks once they hatch, they have to walk over the other eggs.

That's a lot of eggs! When you candle in a week, you can toss the clears. That can give you a little room.
Of course, I don't know how you'll candle that many eggs.....

 

[calichicken]

Glad I didn't wipe them off, I had a 77% hatch rate, best rate since last spring!

Thank you!

Congrats!!!!!

So happy for you! I am getting eggs for the beginning of April...YIPPIEEEEEE!!!

Could use some pics of your fluffy chicks to hold me over