Little Giant Incubator Tricks

[joliver77]

Has any one tried to paint the inside of their incubator I have noticed I always have water underneath my incubator so I've decided to paint with acrylic paint to help hold humidity and keep the incubator from dripping or leaking any comments are appreciated

 

[rosemi78]

Has any one tried to paint the inside of their incubator I have noticed I always have water underneath my incubator so I've decided to paint with acrylic paint to help hold humidity and keep the incubator from dripping or leaking any comments are appreciated

Is it an LG? Could be getting water leaking through the bottom ventilation holes, if it is.

 

[rosemi78]

I currently have 11 eggs in lockdown in my LG. Today is day 20 and 3 have hatched so far. 3 more have pipping. I have struggled with getting humidity temps up high enough for lockdown, but I'm doing everything I can and so far it has worked for 3 of the chicks... Hopefully it will work for more.

I have noticed temp swings, and the room environment plays a HUGE role in the stability of the incubator. When I woke up the morning after I initially set my eggs, the temp had spiked to 108. I was SO angry. I just knew it had killed off my babies... But I got lucky - not a single fertile egg was damaged because of it. I haven't had any serious swings since that first night (I set up the incubator 2 days in advance and it had stayed stable). Now if only I could get the humidity to cooperate with me.

 

[joliver77]

...

Is it an LG?  Could be getting water leaking through the bottom ventilation holes, if it is.
Yes lg. And think thst may be part of it . I use sponges to help with humidity. So my idea is to tack some nuts with paint to creat a barrier around vent holes an paint the bottom of bator. Maybe help hold water and humidity an maybe help with clean up.

 

[Arielle]

Has any one tried to paint the inside of their incubator I have noticed I always have water underneath my incubator so I've decided to paint with acrylic paint to help hold humidity and keep the incubator from dripping or leaking any comments are appreciated

Hmmmm . . . I have not had this happen, or at least not that I noticed even with 80% humidity.

I would not paint for a couple of reasons, the curing paints put off toxic fumes. THe incubator is for growing babies and babies are more traumatized by toxins than adults.

Can you put a p an under it? Sheet pan or layer of plastic. Needs to be flat so it doesn't interfere with air circulation and air flow into the holes on the bottom. ( I raise mine up on feet made of styrofoam).Could there be a fine crack in the styrofoam ?

If water is getting into the center area perhaps when water is being added, the water will drain out of the center vent hole. ( I've done that myself--lol),

Moisture usually condenses on the windows, and droplets can fall down . . . . nature of the design . .... now I will be checking very closely the next time I hatch turkeys.

 

[Arielle]

There is a tray that fits in the bottom. I have not used it myself or seen what it looks like. Maybe they made it for LG's that develop issues over time . . . IDK .v.v floating an idea.

 

[Peep_Show]

I personally wouldn't put anything (a plastic liner) inside the LG that would cover the bottom of the box's holes as those are for updraft ventilation. The water under the box sounds like condensation. Rather than have your LG sitting flat on a flat surface, try elevating it a bit at the four corners or (as I did) have it spanning and sitting on the edge/ledge of a large carry tote top. (I place my LG on a large plastic carry tote lug tub box thingy that's normally for storage, but we were at a shortage of table space. Any condensation that appears underneath is harmless that way as it's just sitting on plastic.)

 

[frankensusan]

If I put water in the wrong place in my LG it goes right through the bottom. Or when I tipped the whole contraption once (before eggs set!), and the water from the channels got to the part where the bottom ventilation holes were. I am thinking of marking the water channels somehow so that I can see them better for adding water. Or probably setting up the syringe and tubing method. I actually like the LG, have another on the way, I think the first one was a gift from like sooo many years ago I can't remember! Still works. Just can't find an accurate thermo/hygro setup.

Anyway, I would think that the safest thing is to put the whole thing into a cat litter pan or on a cookie tray or something.
I would not use paint. Acrylic will not be waterproof (? maybe your acrylics are different from mine?) and anything that is waterproof will be toxic at least until fully cured and maybe beyond.
I wonder if you could make a tin foil tray... I may be doing this today for mine.

My youngest cat discovered the incubator last night .. yikes!
Time to strap it down to the table and make sure the lid cannot be opened. Since I'm going through all of that I'm moving it away from the window to help with temperature fluctuations. I thought we were done with the cold nights here but... not so much. Crossing my fingers that last night's exploration didn't end in a cat-tastrophe


Susan (spoiled So. Cal girl)

 

[bradselig]

Agree with others that I would not paint it. One concern is the paint/sealer could possible eat/burn through the styrofoam. Just an FYI, tractor supply (at least in my area) is selling LG gators for $34.99 right now. Their LG egg turners are also on sale for the same price ($34.99).

 

[OR4-hmom]

On one of the other threads food coloring is added to the water, makes it easier to fill.