My eggs in AT LAST after a crazy weekend...

[Godiva]

SO you put the temp probe inside the water wiggler and then look for 99.5? Thanks for those pics! So helpful to see the set up. Do you think I should put the eggs in the turner MissPrissy? And just turn the eggs along the edge? My incubator is not up to temp yet. SHould I put them into the turner now or should I wait until it has stabilised

Sorry about all the questions. Believe it or not I have been doing quite a bit of reading about this, guess nothing can take the place of actually doing it.

 

[MissPrissy]

When you put the turner in it will raise your temps about 1 degree. Put it in. Give it an hour or two and let the temps settle. You want it about 100 - 100.5 air temps. Put the eggs in. The temp will fall again as the eggs are cooler and will need to come up to incubating temps. It may take a few hours for everything to settle in and get steady. Then check your temps again.

Sometimes 21 days seems like forever. Sometimes it seems like yesterday!

 

[Godiva]

I just ran down to the shop to check on the temp (about an hour since I was down there last and I had upped the switch by one because the temp was too low) Now it was at 101.5 F. So I went back to switch 6 and put the turner in with the eggs.... you hadn't posted then. I'll go take them out until the temp is back to 'normal' Sometimes I think knowing too much is way too stressful. It would be so much less stressful to just put the eggs in and not think twice about whether the factory setting is right, sure I wouldn't have hatched any eggs but I would also still have brown hair....

 

[MissPrissy]

Don't take them out.

Leave them in and regulate the temps. All the back and forth up and down in temps you might eventually kill the embryos.

 

[Godiva]

I left the eggs in as the temp was down at about 96 F. Now about 4 hours later the temp is still only 98.2!!! I really don't know what to do... I really don't think the incubator is going to get up to temp on that setting but when I take it up to the next toggle switch then I start getting temps over 101 etc!!! Is this something I just need to wait out or is there something wrong with the incubator?

 

[MissPrissy]

Take the temp reading from the top of the eggs. I was told 1 toggle cannot jump more than 1 degree. The toggles are less than a half degree. If it does go to 101 that is good. Leave it alone. You don't want it above 101.

 

[Godiva]

How long should I wait to see if the temp gets up higher - you know before switching the toggle up. Last time I went to the last toggle it was too hot. Should I leave the incubator overnight at the present setting to see if it will stabilise? The thermometers on top of the eggs are reading about 98 .... thanks for your very patient input MissPrissy! You have been a real blessing and a wonderful resource for someone who is just venturing out into the wonderful terrifying world of artificial incubation!

 

[Godiva]

Just checked the temp again and it is still sitting at 98.4 F. It has not moved for hours. However I am concerned that if I switch to the last toggle that it will overheat in the night - it is 11 pm here now. Last time it was on that setting I had a reading of 101.7 and climbing. But it doesn't seem to be 'working' to gain heat now as the little light only flicks on for a split second every few seconds. Seems to me that it is more maintaining the temp.... with my extremely limited experience anyway.

 

[MissPrissy]

The only thing I can think of is to toggle it back to the original 4 setting. Unplug the bator and wait for 10 min. Plug it back in. Let it go for an hour and check the temp at egg height. Toggle up if needed. I can only figure that with the constant toggling and messing with it the settings have gotten skewed. Don't be so quick to mess with it.

What thermometer are you using? Are you sure it is accurate?

 

[Godiva]

The guy sent me a sheet on how to reset or reprogramme the incubator and I actually reset it to the factory setting in case I had messed it up by doing too much adjusting. I tried it on 4 again and had to work my way up to where I am now again as it just did not heat up, the same issue as when I first started it up last Wednesday. At first the issue was a cold room with fluctuating temps but now I just don't know. Maybe I will just leave it as is for the night and carry on in the morning. It doesnt heat very well and then suddenly overheats. Maybe my problem is just being too quick to change things around. But I have left it overnight the other night at this level and there was no change.... I guess we'll see in the morning. Thank you again for your time and input...