LOCKDOWN- Heating problems

[lzufelt]

Hi all! Im hoping someone in the world of backyard chickens is able to help me!

I am currently in lockdown but I can't get me heat to stay steady. I have had a very difficult go at this hatch, so I am not quite sure why this is so surprising to me.

Throughout the first 18 days I had to add a hot water bottle into the hova-bator every three hours or the temp would drop. But now that I am in lockdown I removed the bottle as I won't be able to replace it.

I have surrounded my bator with blankets, towels, it sits in a card board box, there are pillows around the edges and I have a heat lamp over head and still my temp just won't sit still.

If I put the heart light to close it gets to hot if I put it to far it gets to cold (currently sitting at: 97.5 :| )

What else can I do????

 

[lzufelt]

The heat lamp has been moved closer the the incubator and has been held around 99 degrees.

While adding water through a straw at the top of the bator I dripped a bit of water on the paper towel underneath the eggs. Does anyone see this as being a major concern? Should I switch out the paper towel for dry towel?

 

[ChickenLegs13]

So what happens when you turn the thermostat up? If it stays on all the time but doesn't reach operating temperature that indicates the room is too cold, or a defective heating element.

 

[lzufelt]

ChickenLegs13- The answer to your statement is both! We live in a very old farm house that has saw-dust for insulation. We have been slowing re-doing the insulation and renovating the walls but Slow and Steady is our motto.

I can't do anything about our drafty house but I have moved the incubator to an inside hall way (earlier on in the incubation process), I put it in a cardboard box, I add water bottles regularly, I make sure our fire is always stoked, Our heat is cranked to 70 degrees and I have done everything in my power to see these eggs succeed into healthy and thriving little chicks.

I am just looking for validation that my eggs will make it OR another option for which I have yet to try!

Thank you for your advice! I appreciate any input

 

[ChickenLegs13]

One of my bators is a hovabator, with the wafer thermostat, and the darn thing drives me nuts. If the room temp is below 70 it gets flakey.
If the weather changes due to a high or low pressure front coming in, it gets flakey.
I have to baby sit it constantly.
Each time you adjust the thermostat you have to give it several hours to stabalize
It doesn't maintain a rock steady temp anyway; when it shuts off the temp keeps going up slightly, and when it turns back on the temp keeps dropping slightly. That's normal operation; it's the *average* temp that counts. If it goes up to 101 then down to 99 during it's cycles then the average temp is around 100.
My other bator has an electronic thermostat and it makes life so much easier.
Your eggs are probably ok, too low is better than too high.