Lock down and temp not over 95

[3 NH reds]

I have a Hova Bator 1602 that will not go over 94-95 on day 18-19 lock down. I added the water to cell b as dirrected and the humidity is 71% but the temp never goes over 95* and the disk is backed off all the way and the heater band is hot and on 24/7 .I don't know what to do for now, It is in a stable basement that does not fluctuate, no draft. I just put a heat lamp out side of it to see if this helps. Thinking of opening it, dumping all the water {basement humidity is 67% temp is 59*) just to get the temp up. I hate this hovabator

It may be used for target practice soon. I could not sell it to anyone knowing how it is.

 

[Texasmja]

Can you move the incubator to a warmer place? How long after you opened it to add water did you wait until you decided it would not rise in temp? Has it been hours or days? What temp did you have it at for day 0-18?

I don't have the same bator as you so I can only try and guess what is wrong.

 

[cmfarm]

I know some people will put towels around their incubators to help when temps are low. you may try that.

 

[3 NH reds]

Can you move the incubator to a warmer place? How long after you opened it to add water did you wait until you decided it would not rise in temp? Has it been hours or days? What temp did you have it at for day 0-18?

I don't have the same bator as you so I can only try and guess what is wrong.

There is no warmer place unless I moved it to a bathroom and used electric heat, but that is the main bath so its not a good place.Day 1-18 was 98-100* . this low temp has been 16 hours and the eggs were out maybe 20 min to cull the bad ones. I had a heat lamp on it this am and saw 104 so I turned it off now back to 94*. I will try to move the lamp and see if this works, tomorrow is day 21 so I hope to get this stable enough to hatch some.

 

[bnewns]

Mine usually stay around 97, I can't manually get them hotter, but when it is warm outside they usually get over 100. I've hatched out chicks at 95-97 degrees during lockdown. The important factor is the humidity more than the temperature.

 

[cochins1088]

I also have the Hova Bator 1602N and personally I love it. I have had many hatches with 95% + hatch rates. I haven't really had too much of a problem with low tempatures during the last 3 days, have you tried really cranking it up? Like is it 95 degrees at it's max? My only adivce is to keep adjusting tempatures unless you are already at you max. Was the water you put in already warm, or cold. The water takes a while to heat up causing the incubator tempature to go down if you put it in while it's cold. Or maybe you incubator is possibly defective, I can't really think of any otehr reason why it would stop coming up to full heat. Sorry if I'm no help. Good Luck with your hatch.

 

[Texasmja]

There is no warmer place unless I moved it to a bathroom and used electric heat, but that is the main bath so its not a good place.Day 1-18 was 98-100* . this low temp has been 16 hours and the eggs were out maybe 20 min to cull the bad ones. I had a heat lamp on it this am and saw 104 so I turned it off now back to 94*. I will try to move the lamp and see if this works, tomorrow is day 21 so I hope to get this stable enough to hatch some.

Having your eggs out in the cold for 20 minutes is a long time. Is your incubator a still air or does it have a fan? Mine has a fan so I incubate at 99.5. If you incubate at a low temp it can delay the hatch, so they will need a longer time to develop. High temps can kill them, so try and not let it spike past 101.

 

[3 NH reds]

By some magic of playing with the disk and having a brooder lamp on it I now have 100*

I would expect the hatch to go long due to lower temps. I read in a book that low might be ok and overtemp does em in.

 

[bnewns]

I just put my eggs in lock down and realized when I got to work that I'm a couple of days early..... What can I do?

 

[cochins1088]

How many days early? It depends on the air sacs. If the air sac developed enough, then you can probably leave it. Otherwise quickly take out the eggs, dump the water, and then put the eggs back in. It won't harm ththe eggs to be out for that time at all.