Little Giant Incubator Temperature Regulation Issues - Please Help

[TNFarmMomma]

Hi Everyone,

My Mother-in-Law gave me a styrofoam Little Giant incubator. She has never used it, but upon starting it for the first time, it got so hot the thermometer burst and red stuff went everywhere. She went back to the Co-Op and explained what happened. They gave her a new thermometer as well as a wafer thermostat. She brought me everything and said I could have it and use it, that I just needed to install the new thermostat and get the temperature to regulate at 99.5. Well, there is no place whatsoever for a wafer thermostat. So I put the new thermometer in according to the direction (on top of the screen, bottom left center to the window). After all day yesterday, the temp is beyond 99.5. I've bumped the temperature knob nearly as far left as it will go with no difference. Now I'm not sure, but if I turn it as far left as it will go, does that turn the incubator off? Any ideas as to what I can do before I just throw in the towel and buy another incubator? Thanks!

This picture was taken after just 30 minutes with the knob turned nearly all the way to the left.

This picture was taken after an hour, same setting as previous picture.

 

[doop]

I don't think turning knob will turn it off. As far as being too hot turn it down as far as you can and adjust it up t you hit 99.5. You could also take the red plugs out to help cool it down you could also install computer fan over the center hole in cover.

 

[TNFarmMomma]

Are the red plugs in the white box under the lid between the windows?

 

[doop]

I started with a little giant last year it worked ok hatched 18 of 24 chicken eggs. Temps were always fluctuating though. Put fan in and helped a bit but I was still stressed with fluctuations, so I built a cabinet incubator and insulated it my self. Pretty easy to make and you can use the thermostat and heat source from l.g. lots of info on here to help. Just put turkey eggs in mine yesterday temp is much more stable.

 

[TNFarmMomma]

My mother-in-law successfully hatched silkies and another breed of chicken in the same type of incubator she gave me. So we figure it's something wrong with the one she gave me. I've got a nest of Guinea Eggs behind my house that my mother-in-laws German Shepherd found and started stealing eggs, resulting in them leaving the nest.

 

[EweSheep]

First throw out that thermometer that came with the incubator...worthless! Get one of those humidity temp gauges from WalMart, or like mine Flukers from PetSmart.

LG incubators are tempermental. I hated them and switched to Hovabator Genesis. Best money I've spent. Plug and step away.

However other people had better luck with LG incubators.

 

[TNFarmMomma]

Yeah, the one that came with the incubator burst. The red liquid went on a spot of the incubator. My mother-in-law bought another LG thermometer from our Co-Op. I'll definitely look into another one. I'm interested in Doops cabinet incubator. I googled them and they are super neat.

 

[TNFarmMomma]

UPDATE
Ok, so I talked a friend earlier who has dealt with this same kind of incubator, she suggested that maybe open the lid a little. So I did, and would you believe it brought the temp way down. I'm still adjusting just how far open the lid is, but the temp has been staying at almost 99.5. So now what? I can't guarantee I'll put the lid back on the same way every time.

 

[doop]

here's a pic its pretty simple but works good even used one the windows from l.g. I made it bigger just in case I want to go crrazy hatching down the road, but for now I partioned off part of it as I only have one turner.

 

[TNFarmMomma]

That is cool. I'm definitely gonna talk to my husband about making one. Is it the light that gives the necessary heat? I've kept this LG regulated at 99.5 for an hour now, but I've got a clothespin sitting under each side of the lid holding it up. Is it really possible to hatch eggs this way?