LG still air incubator temp?

[FrontPorchIndiana]

What are your thoughts on what the target temp should be for the LG still air incubator? Storey's Guide says 102 but then goes on to say 103 is lethal. The thermometer that came with the machine says it can range + or - two degrees. So if I set the machine for 102 and the thermometer is wrong I could really be cooking them at 104. If the temp is too low is says they will end up with crooked toes, thin legs, never learn to eat and die. I do have another thermometer to use, but what if they're both wrong? Arrgh! How on earth do these hens do all this on their own?

Oh and in case you couldn't tell, this is our first time hatching and we have a case of the worries.

Christine

 

[FrontPorchIndiana]

Okay, I now have three thermometers in there. Of course none of them are reading the same temp. So if I don't use a turner and don't have a circulating fan what temp should I average these three out to? Luckily I have a few days yet before the eggs will arrive.

 

[Wooden_Pony]

I run my LG still air at 101, that way if it goes up to 102 I am still ok.

Did you let the thermometers sit out in a room that holds a steady temp for a few hours to calibrate?

Or did you just put them into the incubator right after getting them?

That could be your problem with all three reading off from eachother.

 

[FrontPorchIndiana]

All three were out in the room. They didn't read the same outside the incubator either. One is a mercury that came with the bator. The other two are digital.

 

[twigg]

Storey's Guide says 102 but then goes on to say 103 is lethal.

It's probably poorly written. I suspect they are talking about two different things.

The 102F you read refers to the target temperature at the top of the eggs. This allows the eggs to reach an internal temp. of 99.5F.

The 103F lethal temperature sounds like the temperature the inside of the eggs that would kill the embryo.​

 

[ChickNLittle]

I have a hova bator and I keep my temp at 100 degrees and have gotten great results. Mine is the one with the plastic liner. Make sure you have the right little area filled with water. You don't fill the second area until two days before hatch. If you have the plastic liner and hova bator.

Good Luck! Don't worry so much. My hens don't. Tehe! You'll do great if you keep the temp at 100 degrees, but watch it the last two hatch days to make sure it dont go too much above that due to the heat from the chicks trying to get out.

 

[speckledhen]

Still air machines can be a challenge to regulate, so be sure it's in a draft-free, room with stable temps, make tiny adjustments of the thermostat then wait for it to regulate for a couple of hours at least before doing anymore tweaking. Christine, the LG still air temp is supposed to be 101.5-102 at the top of the eggs. The little thermo that came with it? Toss it out, IMO. Good instruments are hard to find, but I do use two different ones, an AcuRite one that has indoor/outdoor temps with a probe (outdoor temp) and humidity and a Flukers digital, made for reptile housing, with temp and humidity. I also own a Taylor digital with a probe for putting inside the bator that seems to be very accurate-ACE hardware sells Taylor and on occasion, so does WalMart.
If I was going to buy another one, I'd get the one that Cutler supply or Double R supply or GQF sells that is made specifically for incubating and has a tight accuracy rating, something others do not have.

***the reason for the still air being at 102 at the top of the eggs is because the hotter air is higher in the bator-hot air rises. The lower parts of the egg get progressively cooler till the pointy end, which is the coolest, averaging out the temp throughout the egg. If you have a circulated air bator, with fan, you can just set it for 99.5-100 anywhere in the bator because of the warm air being pushed around the bator.

 

[LinckHillPoultry]

mine is always 99.5-100.

 

[FrontPorchIndiana]

I have so many thermometers in there now there's no room for the eggs!

But after tinkering with it all day I think I now have the temp right. Boy is that switch ever sensitive. I've threatened the entire family with their lives if they touch it.

The humidity is only 35% after sitting unopened all afternoon though. I assume I just continue to add water until it gets to 50%?

Christine

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, but anywhere between 40-50% is great for the first 18 days, so don't sweat it. I even let mine drop to 35% on occasion. Then I raise it to 65-70% for the last three days. Humidity can vary much more than temps can and be just fine. Temp is the critical thing.