Little Giant 9200 Still Air Incubator - humidity

[Rainier]

I put a bunch of the small decorative glass balls in the water well to help keep the heat steady and more evenly spread. It has been between 100 - 95 degrees during the day but down in the 50's at night here over the last week. We don't have AC and heat our home only using a wood burning stove.

It sure is tricky! I'm going to go today and get a store bought water wiggler and a couple more thermometers. To be honest though I think the ones I have work just fine! The home made water wiggler constantly read at 100 and did not vary unlike the ones in the incubator.

 

[Rainier]

I thought the same thing about the temp. But there are lots of people on the byc incubator forums that say 99.5 for circulating air and 100.5 to 101.5 for still air. It worked for me at a warmer temp, but everyone finds different tricks that work for them.

I have kept mine between 100 and 101. Accidentally went over 102 a couple of times but not for long.

I bought the still air incubator at thanksgiving. My first hatch I followed the directions that came with the incubator, I only hatched 4 out of 23 eggs. So I looked around on this site and I found someone who filled the channels with glass craft marbles, this helps keep a more consistent temperature throughout the incubator. I filled all the channels with water and refilled as my humidity dropped, I also raised the temp from 99.5 to 101. I pulled one red plug at day 7 and the other at day 19. This was better I got 14 out of 32 to hatch. The third hatch I read about dry hatching on backyard chickens. I kept the marbles in the channels but did not add water at all until lockdown. I also left both red plugs out the entire time. I kept the temp at 101. I added water soaked sponges in a few channels at lockdown and placed a straw in one of the smaller holes so I could add water without removing the lid. My hatch rate with the little giant still air using dry hatch was 27/32! And would have been even better but I had 2 malpositions that didn't make it.
Everyone's environment is different but for me dry hatch in the LG still air is the only way I'll hatch from now on.
Good luck!

I'm doing exactly like you did on your third try!

Mine went in Friday! I am excited and a nervous wreck all at the same time

How are yours doing?

Update on my progress.

I'll be very surprised if anything is developing. These eggs sat on my count, fat end down for seven days. It was at least 80 degrees several times in my house.
I had the heat get up pretty high a couple of times (over 102). Some of these eggs are from our flock and four are from the neighbors so I have no idea when they were laid and they were in the fridge for at least three days at my house. Some of the eggs are speckled so it's harder to see.

I have no idea (even after looking at tons of pictures of eggs at 3-4 days) what I am looking for!

This one I think is what I want to see and it is developing

 

[Corgihome]

Good luck, hope you have an excellent hatch.

 

[JW12]

I candled mine yesterday and saw the veins spreading out so hopefully we are good

 

[JW12]

Once the water bottle I put in adjusted to the same temp as the bator the thee have been no more temp spikes and the humidity has held steady at 38% so I'm pretty happy so far

 

[Rainier]

*oops* wrong thread

 

[Rainier]

Once the water bottle I put in adjusted to the same temp as the bator the thee have been no more temp spikes and the humidity has held steady at 38% so I'm pretty happy so far

wish mine would get there!

My humidity is staying within 30 - 35% humidity. My temp on the other hand

The biggest problem I have is we do not have AC and we heat our home with a wood burning stove only. During the day this week it's been between 100 - 80 and at night between 60 - 40!

 

[JW12]

Day 5 and I candled again (because I can't help myself). Everything looks good so far! I hope we can get everything to work correctly with this hatch and the next. I would like to hatch a bunch of khaki campbells in the spring to sell so I can buy fertile turkey eggs to hatch. I want them for the meat during the holidays and all year really.

 

[Frizzlett]

I have 4 Silver Sebright eggs and today is day 7! This is my second attempt at hatching any. I candled them at day 5 because I couldn't wait until day 7. So I had one that wasn't fertilized and 1 I thought was a quitter. The quitter could have been alive. I think I might have actually killed it but I don't take many chances at cracking them in case they are, in fact, alive. But I did and now I think I have another quitter but we're giving it 2 more days to be sure. I have 4 that were developing fine at day 5 but I can't wait until day 17 until I candle them again before lockdown. My temp was fluxing a lot today but I think we got it under control. I've been keeping my temp between 99.5 and 101 and so far so good. I'm probably going to give in a candle them at day 10 lol. My humidity has been at 60% for a few days. My first time of incubating I had 14 and none hatched. I had one develop but I thought it was a quitter and cracked it. Oops! Hope these will make it! Good luck with all of yours!!!

 

[Rainier]

Day 5 and I candled again (because I can't help myself). Everything looks good so far!

ha I did too! Everything looks to be progressing, including our double yolkers (we have two). One has veins on both sides and the other one only on one side. I have one egg that was added a day later and it is just starting to show veins.
From our flock
Egg 1


Egg 2


Egg 3


Egg 4


Egg 5
Couldn't get this one to show up.

From neighbors flock
Egg 6


Egg 7



Egg 8