my little giantt incubators,and choices

[kyzerc]

I have bragged on my little giants since sept when I purchased them .The hatch rate has been super..I had two controllers coming ups,cause both controllers had gone crazy.One the temp went down when pushing the up button,the other just went to sleep one night.Ups showed up Friday and couldn't find my parts.I had a secret part hidden away.I laid the power cord on sofa,and came back in a few minutes to find the cord in many pieces.With my quail eggs the temp was the same anywhere in incubator.With these chicken eggs,all different sizes they aren't equal temps.I have 4 theromenters, all spaced out on 4 corners.The only one that's nuts is the front right which reads 104,the other 3 all read 99.6.Should I waste money on a fan since I can buy another incubator with fan for only $69.00.Ihave the money for the gennis 1588 hovator,but might not use it till summer.The one I'm getting is the one with temp pre set and 1610 quail racks and fan.I will fix my little giants,using one and the other for a spare.I guess for 45.00 each I have got some good use from them.Service is good and warrenty is one year.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

If you have a working incubator why get another is my thought. People that use multiple incubators typically do staggered hatches. This way as the individual eggs hit the pre hatching time (18 days for chickens) they are moved to the other incubator with higher humidity that is deemed the hatcher. No fan Little Giants are used a lot as hatchers.

Here is a fan for the LG 9300 for $16 if you want to make it a forced air:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Forced-Air-...718196?hash=item1e9ec4d374:g:WCkAAOSwKrhVbjSL

For your current incubation I'd seriously get all but one thermometer out of the incubator. Your just driving yourself crazy when using more than one. Clearly one is off. Unless your lid is not secure there is no way one corner will be 4 degrees higher than the rest of he incubator. The air spreads evenly in layers in a still air. Incubation temp is measured top level of eggs for 101.5F. With layering of heat that would provide the interior temp of egg 99.5F- the inside of egg will be more constant temp then the outside air.

 

[JanetMarie]

I agree with egghead, just use one thermometer per incubator. I put mine on the egg tray in line with the eggs. I have two Little Giant still air incubators, with the heating coil that goes around the perimeter. I noticed after hatching this past spring that my digital thermometers/hygrometers are 2 full degrees different, and I don't know which or if both are off, but both hatches were successful.

Also, my first incubator was a different brand with a fan, and it was very difficult to keep the humidity level high enough. I threw that one away.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I use a combo temp/humidity guage. The temps off but I set the incubator with an oral thermometer and just use the combo guage as an indicator if temp is getting low or spiking. Always calibrate your equipment, it relieves headache. I use the medical thermometer and do a salt test on hygrometer prior to each hatching. I also average the high and low readings of temp swing in the incubator. Medical thermometers read quick so you'll have a variance of temp as the incubator turns on and off, the high is usually a minute after the heating element turns off and same with low being 30 seconds or so after the element turns on. Anyway, I average those readings for true temp of internal of egg.

How I do a salt test:

Fill milk cap with salt and add drops of water until saturated. Poor off any standing water.

Put hygrometer and cap in zip seal bag. I like quart size and allow a small pillow of air.

Take the reading after four hours and subtract that from 75 for calibration number.

Write the number on tape and stick to incubator for reminder to add or subtract that amount for true RH.

ex. your reading is 82. 75-82= -7. You'd always subtract 7 from reading for true RH.

 

[kyzerc]

I have never used but one theromenter but this one time,i just did it to see about cold and hot spots,the front right of heater wants to run 104,all others are 100 one theromenter is 1/2 degree off.My quail eggs have always hatched with no problem.I just moved eggs into back half wheres its 100 degrees.I don't think I would have had any problem.I have new controlers for the little giants and have a fan coming for one.My hovator came in,no more egg turning or temp control worries,hopefully.I cant get ridof all the quail I have now,they are eating me out of house and home

 

[kyzerc]

thanks by the way,forgive my spelling,i can only see out of one eye,and ive been out of colledge about 40 years.I was a diesel mech/shop foreman for almost 40 years,didnt do much spellimg then.