Little Giant! 3 Days Left to go!!!

[Poulets De Cajun]

I've got my LG 9200 holding at 99.5 degrees and 77% humidity. I took the eggs out of the turner today and increased my humidity from 55% to 77% and with some "engineering" and a little electrical tape, its holding steady. Tomorrow evening or Sunday morning I will try and increase it just a little more!

I'm so EXCITED!

 

[swtangel321]

COME ON CHICKYS !!!!!!!!!

Do you get good hatch rates with the hum being that high ???

 

[speckledhen]

Good luck! Sounds like it's under control. My broody is on Day 18 now. Love those last three days, the home stretch.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Could you explain about your engineering? I can't get the humidity in my LG above 45%, no matter what I try!

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
Well first of all my still air was converted to a forced air with a PC Cooling fan. I placed the cooling fan directly under a ventilation hole to draw in new air. (one of the big holes with the red plugs.)

I also added a digital hydrometer for a more accurate reading of humidity. And this was what I found....

When I plugged the hole over the fan, humidity SOARED! When I completely unplugged it, it DROPPED. So what I did was take some eletrical tape and cover half the hole, so that enough conditioned air was sucked in to ventilate, but not enough to drop humidity. Through some tinkering, and moving the tape to make the hole bigger and smaller, I was able to regulate my humidity. Its kind of like regulating water pressure in a garden hose, if you tighten the nozzel to much all you get is a little mist, and if you open it all the way all you get is a gushing flow, but tighten it just right and you get a steady stream. Apply the same principle with the ventilation holes. Plug them too much and humidity is going to soar and drown the chicks. Open them too much and the shells will dry out. But cover them jussssst enough, and you can get it where you want it. (I've actually got about 3/4 of the hole covered.)

Now the second ventilation hole is completely open. No plug and nothing covering it.

AND... I did add a very shallow grease tray that actually goes under the George Foreman grill. Its about 6 inches long, and about 4 inches wide. I placed it under the wire and filled it up also to increase the amount of water surface in the bator. So far I haven't had to add any extra sponges or damp paper towels.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
Do you have a picture of how the fan is mounted? I am definitely a visual learner!

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

This is the wiring from the top. I was able to pass it through one of the small vent holes on the top. I took two wire pieces and shoved them through the cover and formed little hooks on the bottom side so that the fan actually hangs away from the cover a little. Its not mounted flush with the cover.

Here is the underside showing the fan. If you look at the top corner and very bottom corner you can see how I've bent the wire to allow the fan to hang away from the cover, but not slip all the way off to the wire.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

This image shows what I've done with the open vent hole over the fan. (Drew it in paint I dont have the camera up and running) See how the vent hole is halfway covered?

 

[ninjapoodles]

Thanks for the illustration--we totally get it now!

Since my last post on this thread, I actually have a couple of pips, so I'm hoping against hope that I have some that make it all the way.

 

[jrtpro]

Let us know how the hatch turned out. I have a LG and have had it on all week to reg temp. Does your turner have a slight hummmmmmmmmm to it?