Newbie needs help with LG first try

[kyle7630]

Here is what I want to do; hatch eggs. I have a LG w/turner and plenty of questions. I read on here several times not to put the eggs in the fridge. Hens are giving me 8 a day. I put them in a carton in the only place that seems to have a constant temp. My moms basement. Temp stays at 70 all the time there. Will the eggs be ok to keep there for 3 days untill I'm ready to incubate them? Also, the outside temp here has been in the high 90's lately. Are the eggs that sit in the pen all day ok to incubate? Another question; The LG directions are vague in regards to humidity, and what to do with the red caps. What do I need to know? Is 99 the exact temp they need or is there a + - tolerance for the eggs. Any answers, extra tips or advice is welcomed. TIA

 

[easttxchick]

Hi Kyle!
I have an LG that has hatched out quite a few chicks(although it can be tough to regulate once you turn it off for a while).
The eggs will be fine for 3 days-10 days out is really as long as you want to go-your hatch rate goes down every day you wait. Ideal storage temp is around 65 degrees so I think you'll be OK there. As far as your eggs sitting in the coop til you pick them up-mine have done OK with our temps in the 90s here.
The red caps are used to control your humidity-if you need to lower the humidity, pull one out(or both if need be) and to raise the humidity, put them back in as needed. I incubate at 50-55% for 18 days and then at lockdown, I jack the humidity up to about 65%. Many people have different advice on humidity, but this is what works for me.
The temp needs to hover between 99-100(as close as possible) all during incubation and hatch. It will fluctuate a bit, just adjust as you need to to get it as close to ideal as possible.
Just be warned: INCUBATING AND HATCHING YOUR OWN CHICKS IS ADDICTING! Sorry, just felt obligated to tell you that.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[kyle7630]

Thanks so much. Reading your post raised a few more questions. How do I monitor humidity? Also, what is lockdown? Is that just the last three days when you leave the incubator closed? One more. The LG instructions say to add water often. How do I do this and keep a steady 100 at the same time. I guess I'm asking how often do I open the bator?Thanks again.

 

[easttxchick]

You will need a hygrometer-mine measures humidity and temp(you can get them at Lowes in the garden dept.
Yes, lockdown is the last 3 days and you do need to leave the incubator closed during that time(unless you HAVE to add water).
The temp and humidity will always drop a bit when you open the lid, but mine has always leveled out pretty quickly. You will just keep an eye on your temp and humidity(with your hygrometer)-that will tell you when to open the incubator to add water(or in the event you have a temp spike).
With my LG, I have been lucky that have only had to add water every 2 days or so.

 

[Kittymomma]

Be sure to calibrate the hygrometer, they can be off by quite a lot.

I can't remember the exact proportions but if you do a search on calibrating a hygrometer you should find directions pretty easily. Basicaly you put about 1/4 cup salt in a small bowl and add enough water to make a sludge. Place the bowl in a large ziploc bag and put the hygrometer next to it and seal the bag. Check the hygrometer after 12-24 hours. It should read 75% (I think, do the search and double check) but it probably won't. Say it reads 70% then you'll know to add 5 to whatever it reads when it's in your incubator. If it reads 85% you'll know to -10 and so on. Good luck and happy hatching!

 

[they'reHISchickens]

We made some alterations to our LG: weatherstripping between the two halves; added a computer fan. I also put it inside a large box to help with temp fluctuation and weight it down with a heavy jar on top. Once it is filled, I only open it by opening one of the windows. It loses a lot less temp that way. I like ot leave a space without an egg under one of the windows to add water easily.
For temps, we have two electronic thermometers/hygrometers. One is in the LG and visible in the window. The other is a remote one with the sensor inside the bator and the reader right next to the TV so we see it often. Other than that, we keep the incubator out of sight/out of mind. Except for the thermometer!
I dry hatch at 30%+/- increased to 65+ at lockdown. When it was really hot & humid last week I didn't add any water. It's around 29% now, so I might add some tomorrow AM if it's still that low. Just a little.. 2 tablespoons or so.
If it's dry in your area, you may need to add terrycloth or some such to have more evaporation area during lockdown. I think it depends totally on your local conditions.

 

[kyle7630]

Thanks for the replies everyone. This thread is clearing up alot for me. My LG looks like it has a fan i it. I will check tomorrow when I am over there. I plan to try 16 eggs for my first try. I'll set them tomorrow evening. It is pretty humid here in NC so I will monitor it but hope that nature will help me out. Should I start out with one red cap off?

 

[easttxchick]

Personally, I start out with both caps in and go from there.
I just read your signature line...

 

[kyle7630]

Any more advice, tips?

 

[jettgirl24]

One thing I noticed with my LG is that while I can get my humidity up pretty easily, the water evaporates and it goes back down fairly quickly. That wasn't a problem during days 1 - 18 but I didn't want to open the bator even a little bit after lockdown so I came up with an easy solution for filling the water wells after lockdown in the LG: There are two little vent holes in the top that make it nice and convenient to add water without opening the bator. I grabbed a large drinking straw when I was at Starbucks the other day and picked up a syringe from the feed store for about $1. I just suck water up into the syringe, stick the straw through the vent hole and down into the wells or over the sponge, then stick the syringe into the straw and fill up as needed. It has worked great so far which is good because I already had to add water and I just went into lockdown yesterday!