New to incubating ,need help please,

[New2chickensnky]

Thanks Hypnofrog ,
I pulled both plugs because pulling one just did nothing , and I am playing the WAITING game again , I am getting pretty good at that game but don't like it at all .. LOL
I really appreciate all of the help that you folks are giving me.. I already told Ms. Prissy that I would name a hen after her and I guess what I will do is name all my chickens that I am going to hatch after everyone that helps me.. They will be the backyard chicken gang.. LOL Thanks again and I will let you all know my progress..

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

LOL! that would be so funny. "uh oh hypnofrog got worms again and there is missprissy fighting over them" Yay! lol

 

[MissPrissy]

I am not sure where you are in the world but where I am has high humidity at times. Last summer I did not have to add any water to the incubator to keep the humidty up at 45%.

You'll get it worked out eventually. Raise the temps in tiny increments and you should do fine getting it adjust out to where you need it to be.

Remember - have fun!

 

[New2chickensnky]

I am in Ky , and I have added water and I think that I have the temp and humity worked out , I added heat all day to get it to 104 when last checked and then I am going down from there .. I think all will be good now , I am just happy to be able to hatch our own Red Stars.. The little boy that had this had it set on 92 and told us not to adjust the heat any at all so I am sure that is why we had no eggs hatch out of our 13 and none out of the rest he had in there . He had never got an egg to hatch with it , but we figuared it was because it was set at the wrong temp and he had no way to check the temp in there .. He is just 14 and thinks that he knows all there is to know about everything.. LOL

Thanks again and I will for sure keep you all posted...

Hypnofrog.... That was cute.. LOL I will make sure to post pic's of my backyard gang named chickens.. LOL

 

[MissPrissy]

Good luck with your first batch of eggs!

 

[New2chickensnky]

Is it ok if the temp is around 100?? Just wondering because we are having a bit of problems with keeping it at 101, we either have it at 103 or 100 .. Thanks

 

[orlandoluv1]

hi,
well from what i heard the ieal temp is 100 degrees. the highest you want it to go is 102 and the lowest is 98. keep in mind that with hotter you could have an erly hatch and the chics not make it. with a cooler temp they might take a little longer to hatch, but its alwasy better to have them a little too cool then a little too hot. hope this helps!

 

[New2chickensnky]

Thanks, I will try to adjust it to get it to the right temp. It just seems hard to get it right at the point it need to be and make it stay. Thanks again ,,

 

[twigg]

If you are measuring the air temperature then it won't stay. It will rise and fall as the heater cycles on and off.

So the correct temperature is the one the manufacturer specifies, measured at the point in the incubator that they suggest.

For nearly all still air incubators this is 101 - 102F at the very top of the eggs.

These devices have a temperature gradient from top to bottom. The aim is to get the eggs at 99.5 internally.

If you are not going to fill the incubator (thermal mass helps stability enormously) then I would suggest you fill a few smallish plastic bottles with water, seal the tops and place them in the incubator. This will add a good deal of temperature stability.

 

[MissPrissy]

Twigg is correct. Using sealed jars of warm water to act as a heat sink will help to keep your temps more stable. The incubator you have is best suited to be used at near capacity for hatching. If you can get the air at the top of the eggs to read 101 - 102 you'll be in the good ball park.