Little Giant Incubator Tricks

[Danielchicken]

My two incubated eggs kinda rolled a little too much today. Will the embryos be okay? They're on day 5.

 

[cmom]

My two incubated eggs kinda rolled a little too much today. Will the embryos be okay? They're on day 5.

They should be ok. They really haven't developed much yet. You probably can't see the embryo yet if you candle them.

 

[rayray983]

Okay so i had a blonde moment i set up my lg for the first time this year and bought a auto egg turner and for the life of me couldnt get the temp to steady up where it needs to be after a week of constant tweaking pluging holes unplugging them threatening to sell off my lg i remember my thermometers batteries are almost 2 years old lol change the batteries check the calibration in ice water and then 2 hrs later have it running at a steady 99.5 just had to share oh and just a helpfull hint i line the btms and sides of my lg with parchment paper to make cleanup easier after a hatch now i just gota come up with some eggs to hatch

 

[rayray983]

Okay so i had a blonde moment i set up my lg for the first time this year and bought a auto egg turner and for the life of me couldnt get the temp to steady up where it needs to be after a week of constant tweaking pluging holes unplugging them threatening to sell off my lg i remember my thermometers batteries are almost 2 years old lol change the batteries check the calibration in ice water and then 2 hrs later have it running at a steady 99.5 just had to share oh and just a helpfull hint i line the btms and sides of my lg with parchment paper to make cleanup easier after a hatch now i just gota come up with some eggs to hatch

I dry hatch and keep my incubator above my 100 gallon fish aquarium the aquarium provides all the humidity i need and the waters temp stay at 76 degrees which i believe helps steady the lgs temp fluctuations

 

[carcar80]

Hi everyone. I'm having trouble with my new LG still air, in the form of leaking. :/ I now have it sitting up on a baking/cooling rack with a trash bag underneath to keep track of it. I cannot see any holes but it seems all the trays are leaking at the ends.

I guess the cleaning I've done between hatches has broken down the styrofoam. Is there any good way to seal it or do I just buy another? This one has been so awesome but apparently I'm too harsh a disinfection freak.

 

[cmom]

Hi everyone. I'm having trouble with my new LG still air, in the form of leaking.

I now have it sitting up on a baking/cooling rack with a trash bag underneath to keep track of it. I cannot see any holes but it seems all the trays are leaking at the ends.

I guess the cleaning I've done between hatches has broken down the styrofoam.

Is there any good way to seal it or do I just buy another? This one has been so awesome but apparently I'm too harsh a disinfection freak.

There are small air holes in the bottom and in the lid. I think a lot of people go overboard in cleaning (disinfecting) their styrofoam incubators. I just use good soapy water to clean mine with a good rinse. I put a piece of paper towel in mine under the wire. I have seen the plastic trays for Lg incubators. Here is one place that has them. I know I have seen them also through other places.
http://www.eggcartons.com/Plastic-Incubator-Liner-for-Little-Giant-Incubator-p/lgl.htm

 

[carcar80]

There are small air holes in the bottom and in the lid. I think a lot of people go overboard in cleaning (disinfecting) their styrofoam incubators. I just use good soapy water to clean mine with a good rinse. I put a piece of paper towel in mine under the wire. I have seen the plastic trays for Lg incubators. Here is one place that has them. I know I have seen them also through other places.
http://www.eggcartons.com/Plastic-Incubator-Liner-for-Little-Giant-Incubator-p/lgl.htm

Thanks for the reply! Maybe I can find those for the new model, as that's the one giving me trouble. I have the old model as well but the new I use for hatching. Thanks again.

 

[OnlyOrps]

Thanks for all the info guys!

 

[tatinatimom]

Hi all. I am new to this thread and new to hatching. I have my first batch in. Today is day 5. I am having a very hard time controlling the humidity. It ranges between 43%-70%. There is little to no water in it. It seems more prone to stay on the high side. It is the LG deluxe with fan, turner, and digital readout.
I have 20 eggs set and they are pretty much centered in there. Do I need to be worried? What should I do?

 

[cmom]

Hi all. I am new to this thread and new to hatching. I have my first batch in. Today is day 5. I am having a very hard time controlling the humidity. It ranges between 43%-70%. There is little to no water in it. It seems more prone to stay on the high side. It is the LG deluxe with fan, turner, and digital readout.
I have 20 eggs set and they are pretty much centered in there. Do I need to be worried? What should I do?

Where is the incubator located? All sorts of factors can affect the temperature and humidity. If the humidity is too high the chicks may still develop but when they pip the air sack inside the shell, the condensation that may build up in it, because of the humidity being high during incubation, the chicks can drown. I would try to get the humidity down to 40% or lower during incubation. On day 18 then raise the humidity to around 70% after you take the eggs out of the turner and set them on the wire for hatching. You may need to put the incubator in a closet where you can control things a little better. Styrofoam incubators are very sensitive to all sorts of conditions inside and outside which can be big influences on how the incubation will go. Personally I like to keep my humidity on the low side. I have had much better hatches when my humidity during incubation is under 40%. My styrofoam incubators are all old timers like me. The later you can candle, preferably not sooner than day 10, you can see the development and the embryos moving in the shells. Now the only time I candle my eggs is when I set them in the hatchers for hatching. Then I toss any that have not developed. Once in awhile I get an egg that is questionable. These eggs I mark and sometimes they hatch and sometimes they don't. Good luck and have fun.