need help w/ thermostat/ styrofoam cooler

[onfurtherreview]

How's it coming along?

 

[scooby]

Well, i added a mason jar of water, switched to a 60 w bulb, and put a towel over most the brooder just enough that i can pull back and look through the window......but yet I still can't get it completely stable and temps are fluctuating from 97 to 99.... but the light doesn't seem to be cycling as much, it is cycling like every few minutes now.i cut just a small strip of sponge off and wet it and it was holding at 40, but then yesterday when i was gone hunny checked it and said it was down to like 20 so he poured some water in through a hole i put in the top over the sponge container in case i needed to adjust the humidity during lock down and it it is now at about 60%, so i just left it cause lock down would be today anyways, it is still holding at 60 this morning. i candled all eggs yesterday night, the one that cracked that i repaired with wax was dead and oozing from under the wax so i broke it in a ziplock and there was a little baby dead chick, i had a feeling that one wouldn't survive, the other one that i could not figure out if it was piping or cracked i candled it also but could not tell if it was alive or not so i put it back in the brooder, so i am now down to 6 eggs in the bator (started with 9 but 2 i was sure had started but had died early on but put them in anyways in case) and 2 of those six eggs i am not sure if they are still alive, but i know for fact 4 are..... so now its lock down and hopefully by Saturday we will have a few little chicks!.............We have decided that if we incubate again it is worth investing in a digital thermostat!!!! LOL...... i really appreciate all the help, I think i will be nervous till they hatch and i see live chicks....if they do i will upload pics. Now hopefully everything goes OK with hatching !!!!!!!

 

[scooby]

ok it is day three of lock down i locked them down wed night, temp has been held at around 99 and humidiyt betwee 57 and 63, but nothing i dont see any pipping or hear any peeping or rocking or nothin, there is a awful smell coming from the bator, what do i do?
i am assuming one of them is dead because of the smell, should i open and candle will it hurt them if they have internally piped if i open the bator?, leave them alone and keep it closed up? since the temps have been so low could it take a few extra days for them to hatch........What do i do???????