is my incubator a good temp??

[xyresicchick]

i set up an incubator using an aquarium and a 60 watt ceramic heat emitter (from reptile section at petco)... during the night the hottest spot drops down to 95, and in the day it goes up to 104... this is in the least sunny room that my cats are not allowed to go in. the sides of the aquarium are usually 4 degrees cooler than the middle hot spot... if i keep the eggs in the middle at night and roll them to the sides in the daytime should the eggs be all set? right now the sides are about 97, and the middle is 100.

also, what is the hottest a baby chick can tolerate? i dont want to fry my babies! i just want to double check and see what other people's opinions are..

i have a small computer fan in there right now to keep the air circulating. also, what is the ideal humidity for the first 18 days? and is 70 for the last few mandatory?

 

[Quail27]

I'm not an expert, but I would wonder if hours of 95 or below temperatures would harm the chickie, and temperatures of 104 are too high.
If I were you, I would get one of these:
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...-timers/-/zoo-med-500r-thermostat-with-probe/

and then insulate and close up the aquarium as much as possible to keep the heat in (to help prevent such a wide range of temperaturs). Keep the fan too. The thermostat probe will sense the temperature in the tank, and turn the bulb on when it is too cold, and off when it is too warm, keeping the temperature where you need it.

And don't forget you need some way to regulate, measure, and supply humidity! I've never hatched chickens, so I can't give specifics on their humidity requirements, sorry.

 

[buc]

Remember what you are attempting to do.

You are trying to replicate the egg's world under a real hen.

She does not have a wide range of temps.


IMHO - your range of heat is too wide.

 

[dianneS]

Much to wide of a temp range. While the hen does leave the nest from time to time, its never long enough for eggs to cool down that much, and she's never as warm as 104.

 

[JordanFamily]

embryos start to die after 102 ....

 

[xyresicchick]

thanks for the tip on the probe. i just ordered one on amazon.com

as for humidity goes, i have a bowl underneath hardware cloth for water. i figured out if i pour 1/4 bottle of a certain water bottle into it, it brings the humidity up to 45-50%, and if i add an entire bottle of the same bottle it is about 70%, which i think is right unless i am mistaken...

here is a photo of my current setup... which is in a 10gallon aquarium.

(yes i know the humidity is low at the moment, i just have been lazy with keeping the humidity up, since there aren't actually eggs in there right now.)

i was really careful bending the hardware cloth just right to make sure the chicks couldn't ever EVER get cut on it... that stuff is so sharp! i have a few scratches on my arm from making a fence with it to keep my dog and other small garden critters out of my garden this weekend. last thing i want to do is hurt any baby chickens!

i will let you know how the probe works out! usually zoo med is really good, i've had good results using their products before.

 

[xyresicchick]

okay... update on my incubator.

i put in the "probe", but the sides were still low... like 95.... even though the middle was a consistent 100.

so i added an extra lamp, and now the whole shebang is a consistent 99-100 degrees! i'm psyched.

 

[xyresicchick]

getting eggs tomorrow! hopefully!

 

[cluckcluck42]

I like what you did, it looks good! I will be following this thread to see how your hatch goes.

Good luck

 

[xyresicchick]

okay, i have two sets of eggs on the way in the mail

6+ Silver laced Wyandottes

8+ Frizzle Cochins

crazy times are coming!