Newbie Incubating - Question on temp??

[triggfamily5]

Story line - Free incubator and first time playing with it. DH is doing a "trial" just b/c he can and his curiosity is getting the best of him.. Have some eggs that are fresh (collected that night) some that have been refrigerated for a day or two, and the rest from the fridge for who knows how long... I know that hatchability of these are definitely in question, it is anyway b/c from cracking eggs, looks like I currently have a 50/50 shot at being fertile anyway..

Like I said, it's just an experiment... a way for me to learn how to do this

Anyway, my dilemma...


I can't seem to get the temp at 99.5. I have an old Hovabator with a fan, but my temp either is at 100.4 or 97.3. I can't get it to go in between. I have been moving the "knob" (not sure what to call it) ever so slightly for almost two days now, but I can't get it to budge. I am holding it at 100.4 most of the time... It's not like it's bouncing, just either gets set at one or the other....

What should I do and how will this affect incubation/hatching?

 

[triggfamily5]

BTW, I noticed when I put the eggs in (I let them sit at room temp for 12 hours) that my temp REALLY dropped for half the day, is that normal??

 

[Julie08]

just leave it alone, yes it is normal for the temp to drop when you add the eggs, that is a lot of cold mass to bring up to tempurature. 100.4 is fine if thats the temp it wants to be that is the temp I would let it be. I would not mess around........ how is your humidity?

PS is that the temp at the top of the eggs?

 

[Brickman House]

I'd leave it at 100.4 F. That's not terribly high, but 97.3 is really low, and you risk a late hatch and sticky chicks.

 

[triggfamily5]

is that the temp at the top of the eggs?

I would say no... I don't have a full bator and put the temp on top of an empty rack under the window.

Leaving the temp that high, do I need to lock down earlier then?

how is your humidity

I don't know if I want to go there

I filled the reservoirs on day one, had it up to 60%, been loosing about 5% a day, until last night... Another winter storm is moving in and the furnace is running like crazy again and the humidity in the house took a plummet, thus so did my bator.. I left his morning it was at 35%, I was going to fill it up again tonight???

I was trying to hold out until day 7 (trying the fill and forget, do once a week thing).

I set a 9 am Sunday 3/2.. I wrote down the starting temp and humidity. Every night around 6 pm I have been writing down the temp and humidity (though I do check on it in the morning before work, I don't have time to do anything that early)..​

 

[Julie08]

I dont understand what you mean about where you are taking the temp, it should be 99.5 at the top of the eggs if you are getting 100.4 at the bottom of the bator then it might be to high if its right close to the element it might be to low, I think it is fine however but it would be nice to know at what spot you are testing. I dont know if you mentioned if its still air or forced? if its forced its less important.

Is there still water in the well? you might want to add a sponge just to bump up a bit if the well is filled.

No dont lock down early