Locked down the eggs and temp has NOSEDIVED and won't go back up! HELP

[lexgold]

Am on my first hatch of nine eggs that were mailed to me and learning so much from you guys.
Already threw out five eggs yesterday at day 18 that showed no development. Would have thrown them out earlier but I didn't know what I was looking for! They were just yolks and whites and no smell. Left in three eggs. Two show development but are not completely full so I left them in just in case! One is extremely dark when candled and I can see veining. Looks like my best bet to actually hatch one!
Anyway, when I added water the humidity in the Hovabator shot up to 87 and has only dropped a little. However, the temp crashed to 93 and stayed there and I just can't get it back up. The mercury thermometer is on the floor and now reads 96. The digital hygrometer is on the floor and reads 93. Prior to lockdown I had the eggs in te turner and the thermometers were on tp of the eggs. The digital read 101.8 and the mercury 100. Have increased the thermostat in quarter turn increments but to no avail. Did I add too much water and should I try ad take some out? I don't want to open the 'bator! Help? Thanks....

 

[Kiwibird]

I don't have a hovabator, so I cannot advise on anything specific to that incubator.

However, first, don't give up! I had eggs abandoned by a broody hen, and I couldn't get another one for 24 hours. I did not own an incubator then. More than half the fertile eggs hatched, despite going cold. Yours are in at least as good a position to hatch, I am sure.

Could you add a small amount of quite hot water in case the water you added was a little too cold? Or put a slim bottle of warm water into the incubator, that is just at the right temperature. I have two bottles of water in my incubator to help stabilise its temperature, and that has been very successful, so I'm sure that a bottle at the right temperature would help bring the air temperature in the incubator up.

Some sources lock down on day 19, although most on day 18 as you have done. Given that variance, I suspect you would be OK opening up again to do this. However, I live in a humid region, and if you live somewhere with very dry air, you may like to be more cautious.

 

[lexgold]

Thanks Kiwibird! People are so kind on this forum!

 

[tammyd57]

Did you add a large amount of cold water? If so, I would try to quickly get it out of there and replace with a smaller amount of very warm water. I'm not very experienced, though, so this is only what I would do. I'm sure others with more experience will come to the rescue shortly. Good luck and I'm

that you have a good hatch!

Edited to say: I type slower than others LOL

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Heat rises. The reading from the top of the eggs is accurate. Take the turner out you are lowering your eggs and they will be cooler. The mercury thermometer should be put back on top of the eggs and temp should be adjusted. I have a Hovabator too and you would be amazed the temp difference one inch in that bator means. Just adjust it up a little when you get the thermometer stabilized.

 

[ChickyLaura]

Hello,

I tried several times last year to hatch eggs, but did not have very good luck. But, I'm doing it again this year. I am determined to figure this out!

Are you giving it about an hour after you change the temp to check the temp? When you change the temp, it may take a little while for it to register. You don't want to keep adjusting the temp, only to have it shoot up to 107 overnight.

Hang in there!!! Once you see a pip, it will all be worth it!

 

[lexgold]

Haha, ChickyLaura you must be able to see me telepathically adjusting that thermostat! I do EXACTLY that, adjust it, go to bed and then find it way up in the morning. The husband sits in his chair and says 'leave it alone' and I sneak in anyway. The poor chickens that could have had life if it wasn't for me fussing over them...

 

[Akane]

The top of the eggs on top of a turner will have a different temperature from on the mesh. If using a still air that could be a big difference. Using cooler water than the incubator will also take it awhile to even back out. I'm betting if you have a still air it would eventually settle somewhere around 96F with the thermometer on the mesh instead of on top of the eggs on the turner. That's about what difference I get between the top and bottom edge of a tilted carton when I turn eggs that way in my still air hovabator. That still isn't your actual temp though because the temp should be measured at the height of the top of the eggs and the thermometer should not be touching the mesh. I still lay my thermometer on the eggs even after they are laid down for hatching. They hatch under it fine. Otherwise I have a mounted digital that sits at about the height of the eggs depending if I have tiny bantam or xlarge standard eggs in there. Having the thermometer touch the mesh could have your readings a degree or 2 off. In a still air you will also have a temp gradient from center to edges as well. Mine can be 102 in the middle on top of the eggs and 96 just above the mesh on the side. It varies about 6F just from the difference the height of an egg makes and being away from the center. If you fill up your incubator chicks can hatch days apart for that reason unless you rotate the location of the eggs throughout incubation.

I would add a little hot water and wait at least 2-3hours to see what the thermometer says. Also if you just moved them out of the turner today I'd go ahead and open the incubator and move the thermometer to on top of the eggs if possible. At minimum put it in the center of the eggs on a piece of egg carton or something similar in height to the eggs. If it then reads less than 96F (after waiting several hours) I'd try to raise the temp a little bit. Otherwise I'd leave it overnight and see what it says. Eggs will continue to incubate down to 96F and you should not have any deaths leaving them at that temp for less than 24hours. If you don't have very many eggs you can speed up how well the incubator heats and keep the temp more stable by using sealed containers like empty bottled water containers filled with hot water. I can get a bator up to temp within minutes without even having it plugged in yet by sticking a few bottled water containers refilled with hot tap water in there. The incubator will also stay warm longer when the heat shuts off so the temp remains more stable.

 

[lexgold]

Thankyou so much. Am going to put the sealed water container in. My humidity is still at 86...could this be reading higher because the hygrometer is on the floor? Maybe I can move it up onto an egg carton when I put the water in!

 

[lexgold]

Oh my nerves!

Put in the water bottle and moved both thermometers to central position on egg carton. Temp shot up to 100.8 on the dig. and even higher on the mercury. this is the first time the mercury has read higher than the digital which makes me think the digital is still rising.

Boy oh boy...now think I should take out the bottle as maybe the temp has been good all along! I cannot WAIT for my second batch of eggs to I can do them justice. NOTHING you read prepares you for the ups and downs...there's something new every day!