K, I've got the LG set up and I have questions - PLEASE respond...

[Sharona]

The incubator is set up and the temp is staying at a consistent 99.5. I'm using the thermometer that came with the bator and an electronic cooking thermometer that I've stuck in one of the small holes - it's hanging down close to where the top of the eggs will be. So I've got a good feeling that the temp is stable. I've calibrated my hygrometer and will be adding it after I've done an 8 hour double check on it. The turner is working great.

I have a few concerns:
with the turner installed there is NO room for a water weasel - do you think I HAVE to have one? (I would feel better but I can't find a spot for it at all) I'm not even sure where I'm going to fit sponges if needed. I've been reading back through old posts and have read that some of you actually use a mister in the bator the last few days - do you spray directly onto the eggs?

when I installed the small cups for the turner trays - the instructions stated to "snap" them into place - no matter how hard I tried I could not get a "snap" - they do seem to be snuggly in place though.

I have everything set up in my kitchen - I'm worrying about temp/humidity flucuations but I haven't experienced any yet. I have an air conditioning vent about 5 feet away that I've pointed in the opposite direction.

This first hatch is button quail and I know the incubation period is 16 days - so I'm thinking I should candle at 3, 8, and 13 days - I can't find anything stating which days to candle so I'm assuming I need to spread the days similar to chicken candling. Does this sound right?

After today I feel like a scientist - all the adjusting, calibrating, etc! But I am sooo excited!!

Just a note - the way I calibrated my thermometer was to take my own temperature with both thermometers - both were right on - I couldn't find any info on calibrating a thermometer so I just "winged" it! (yep, pun intended there!)

(I washed them both with bleach afterward - germs, germs)

I'm trying not to ask questions that have been asked a million times before - I have literally spent this entire day setting up this incubator and reading this website!

Please offer your opinions and responses here - I really want to do this right!

 

[tiffanyh]

Hello-

Im not sure if you are going to be able to candle button quail egs without harming them. Mine were always so very small and fragile--you might be best just to wait the 16 days--see what someone else says.

Temps--I have a LG STILL AIR--if you have a still air, the top of the egg must be quite a bit higher. In order to get my weasel to read even 98, I have to have the temp at the top of the egg at 104ish. If you have a fan, I think you are fine, but I really dont have any experience with that type.

The calibration might be okay, my therm that came with the incubator was calibrated to my lab at work and was right one so it may be fine.

See what advice everyone else has! Good luck!

 

[jackiedon]

Will the room temp flucuate in the kitchen? Mine does tremdously when I cook.

TiffanyH thanks for mentioning the difference in the temps to get the temp in the water weasel temp at 98

Sharon do you have to have all the eggs you have? Can you remove some so you can have room for the water weasel?

Good luck,

jackie

 

[speckledhen]

Sharon, you don't absolutely have to have that weasel; I use one because the hovabator is slightly taller and has room for it, but if you're positive of your temps, don't worry about it. Usually, you don't mist eggs unless you are incubating something like waterfowl is what I understood. You can cut sponges into strips and place where you need them, if you dont have room for a whole one. You can also get a new sock and soak that and it might fit somewhere since you can snake it around things.
Don't know about incubating quail-I'd think the eggs would be too small to really candle, but maybe after the first week, you could at least tell if some weren't fertile in the first place and remove them.

 

[Sharona]

as far as the number of eggs - I am only incubating 25 so a few of the turner rows will be empty - I didn't think about removing those extra rows? can that be done without damaging the turner? has anyone done that?

I went ahead and moved the bator to our den (which is rarely used) and closed the ac vent. If I have any problems with the humidity I'm just going to use a cheap humidifier (a great idea I read on a recent post)

I forgot to mention that my bator does have a fan so I understand my temps should show 99.5 at the top of the eggs.