Little Giant failed with 3 days to go!

[roxie901]

My first hatch and I have been very diligent with monitoring. then when I raised the humidity this past 2 days, my incubator has been unreliable. temps have ranged from 104F to 94F- I am so disappointed as I had 50% eggs make it this far!!! any ideas about this incubator? I have a Hova Bator Genesis for my next hatch....

 

[bigdawg]

check your thermometer. if it cost 8 dollars or 50.00 dollars unless it is made for incubating in wich most are not they are not reliable. i have three walmart 8.00 ones and all read within 3 degress of each other. little giants are very sensitive to ajustments.

 

[Gretel12]

Oh I'm so sorry for your loss! I lost my 2nd batch today using the LG with Fan..THROW THE THERMOMETER AWAY.....It had a crazy reading today and I went out a bought another this morning to double check. 105.5.....

never again.......I ordered a GQF and another one that had combined hygro/temp....I am going to try again..Hopefully 3rd time is a charm.

..I am so heartbroken.....good luck....

 

[justmeandtheflock]

I noticed that as the humidity went up the combo thermo/hydro from walmart read a lower temp. I checked with another thermo and it was fine. Good luck

 

[roxie901]

thanks for the support and suggestions. I am keeping my fingers crossed.... I have 2 digital hygrometers and one plain thermometer.... they all read different in the LG but in the Genesis they are pretty close. I guess the higher humidity is affecting the readings so I will go by the plain thermometer for the next two days. should have hatch by Thursday...

 

[Fluffy-Butt-Farms]

i'll keep my fingers crossed for you. i used an old lg for my first hatch and it was awful. for my second hatch i am using a new hovabator...and have a thermo from walmart alongside the one from the hova. they read about the same.... sitting alongside the hova now is a new lg (thanks to dad going to get it). put the walmart thermo next to the lg thermo, and you get a 4 degree difference.

I'm towards the end of my hatch, and my temp in the hova spiked yesterday to 103.8. so i opened it up, cooled it off, and got it back down to 100.3 (still air...know that's not really great, but better then 103.8). but that was the first time it hiccup'd.

good luck with your hatch. i know what the sleepless nights are like. cant' wait til i can get a sportsman and not have to think about it all the time.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I think if you have still air the temp is supposed to be 102 So 103 wouldn't be bad at all.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

It is only with the forced air that it should be 99.5

 

[roxie901]

thanks again for the advice, eggs should start pipping on Wed/thursday so updates coming
I will just be devastated if nothing hatches ! it is so hard to see the chicks moving in there and think that just one day with a fluctuating incubator and they are gone....
one of my hens finally is broody so it will be a race between her and the Hova Bator this next hatch

 

[neferset]

I'm here with you. I was supposed to get a hatchling today, five tomorrow, then my ducks and geese around Friday. So, I moved all the ducks to the Little Giant for hatching late last night and already had the 6 chicken eggs in the other LG for hatching. What would happen? My cat opened the front door this morning and went out to play. The temps in my kitchen dropped so low that the LGs were around 95*F.

I am hoping that it wasn't long enough to affect anything in the duck incubator. If I have to lose some chicks, at this point, I'll lose some chicks, but please not my baby ducklings.