Little Giant Incubation Experiment - Day 21 - Hatch Day!

[Silkie-Feet]

I decided on the second candling that, the dark egg was the source of the smell coming from the incubator

(I smelled it up close and personal) Holy cow!

I'm glad you got it out, that thing could have exploded. Now what to do with it? I've never had an egg go rotten during incubation.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I decided on the second candling that, the dark egg was the source of the smell coming from the incubator

(I smelled it up close and personal) Holy cow!

LOL They can be pretty bad.

 

[mswendeu]

I'm glad you got it out, that thing could have exploded. Now what to do with it? I've never had an egg go rotten during incubation.

Oh I got that covered cause it just so happens they do garbage pick up tomorrow and that thing is in a bag out front waiting to go to the big dumpster in the sky... (Insert the sound of a trumpet playing taps).

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'm glad you got it out, that thing could have exploded. Now what to do with it? I've never had an egg go rotten during incubation.

I had one, I took it out to the tree line and cracked it open...curiousity....lol and whew..... it was pretty black inside.

 

[mswendeu]

It's a good thing tomorrow's trash day too. Don't want anything bringing that raccoon to my back door.... Ugh

 

[cooper7100]

Well our hatch is being delayed. Did one last test run with five temp/hum gauges yesterday. Humidity was consistent around 40 but temp is 102.3 on upper left side and 97.8 lower right side. Must be a bad heating element right? Any recommendations other than finding another one?

 

[fiset94]

Well our hatch is being delayed. Did one last test run with five temp/hum gauges yesterday. Humidity was consistent around 40 but temp is 102.3 on upper left side and 97.8 lower right side. Must be a bad heating element right? Any recommendations other than finding another one?

I have the SAME problem with this incubator.. it seems like many do... I placed Rocks on the bottom of the bator on the side that was cooler.. in hopes that it helps with heat. - but it didn't seem to work.

 

[WVduckchick]

Ok, this may be an unpopular opinion, but I'm throwing it out there anyway. I think it is possible to over-think what is going on. With any unit, I do believe there can be some areas that could vary slightly from other areas, but I personally don't think its that big a deal. With forced air, the temps should vary less throughout the unit, obviously. I guess I just don't trust the thermometers at all any more. I don't think any of them are accurate enough to spot check that precisely. Just watch the air cells and adjust temp and humidity accordingly! Don't get me wrong, I know a certain range is desirable, but I think we tend to go overboard sometimes, trying to make it "too perfect". I will add that I guess its possible if your heating element is failing, you could have big temp swings, so I guess that is something to consider.

(and the reasoning behind my theory... I had a 48 hour power outage due to a snow storm. I didn't get a generator hooked up for 18 hours! Outside temps got down below 0 F. I have a wood stove, but my incubator still got down to 65 degrees before I got it plugged back. And I only lost one duck. Well, I lost another 3 during the final hatch because they couldn't get positioned properly. This could have been a result of 18 hours without heat, but it can happen any time. Point is, the little boogers are more resilient than we give them credit for! So I'm not fretting over one or two degrees any more!) JMHO

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Well our hatch is being delayed. Did one last test run with five temp/hum gauges yesterday. Humidity was consistent around 40 but temp is 102.3 on upper left side and 97.8 lower right side. Must be a bad heating element right? Any recommendations other than finding another one?

I have the SAME problem with this incubator.. it seems like many do... I placed Rocks on the bottom of the bator on the side that was cooler.. in hopes that it helps with heat. - but it didn't seem to work.

I added two dry sponges to my side that was running hotter and it evened out. I am not sure if the sponge had anything to do with it, but I am not going to question it...lol

Ok, this may be an unpopular opinion, but I'm throwing it out there anyway. I think it is possible to over-think what is going on. With any unit, I do believe there can be some areas that could vary slightly from other areas, but I personally don't think its that big a deal. With forced air, the temps should vary less throughout the unit, obviously. I guess I just don't trust the thermometers at all any more. I don't think any of them are accurate enough to spot check that precisely. Just watch the air cells and adjust temp and humidity accordingly! Don't get me wrong, I know a certain range is desirable, but I think we tend to go overboard sometimes, trying to make it "too perfect". I will add that I guess its possible if your heating element is failing, you could have big temp swings, so I guess that is something to consider.

(and the reasoning behind my theory... I had a 48 hour power outage due to a snow storm. I didn't get a generator hooked up for 18 hours! Outside temps got down below 0 F. I have a wood stove, but my incubator still got down to 65 degrees before I got it plugged back. And I only lost one duck. Well, I lost another 3 during the final hatch because they couldn't get positioned properly. This could have been a result of 18 hours without heat, but it can happen any time. Point is, the little boogers are more resilient than we give them credit for! So I'm not fretting over one or two degrees any more!) JMHO

I agree to a point. we do freak out and worry too much, however, having just delt with this issue, I think it's important to even the differences as much as you can. Maybe not to the degree, but at least w/in a degree. I still have about 3 eggs that look behind and I can only contribute that to them sitting in one of the cooler areas. I am not sure if those three will be able to catah up in time for a successful hatch as we go into day 17 today. 102 and 97 are big differences. and could cost them the hatch. You can't increase to get the 97 up or you risk the eggs under he 102 and you can't lower the 102 because the 97 is already way too low.

My first question would be, how far off are your thermomters to each other. If you put them side by side in the same area, will they read the same? It is possible that the variance isn't that big. If they read the same or pretty close and then read that far off when you put them in different areas I would trust that there is that big of a degree difference. I have two identical thermomters, when placed together they read the same w/in tenths of each other, when I move them to the known hot spots they read 1-2 degrees hotter average. If I can have one reading 99.? and the other reading 100.? I am happy.

 

[WVduckchick]

Yes, I'm not talking huge swings, and I think 5 degrees is enough to worry over! I'm wondering if rotating the eggs around different areas would help? For example, if they sit in a 98 area for a few days, then 101 area for a few days? 98 isn't low enough and 101 isn't high enough to kill them, so I wonder if they would average out? I have nothing to base that on, just wondering.

You also have to consider shell condition. Some shells are tougher/thicker and hold the heat better, even with fluctuating temps around it. Some porous shells may not like it as well. ??? I weighed all mine before setting, and by day 21 (remember ducks, not chicks) one had only lost 8.7% and one had already lost 13% and both of those hatched a day apart. It could have been temp differences in the bator or it could have been shell thickness, or I'm sure there are other possibilities why... I don't know.