Optimum temperature for incubator is 99.5F right?

[MGG]

Yes, high hopes for a great hatch. I have Welsummer eggs and tho I can not get a good look to candle (too dark a shell) I have weighed the eggs at the start and will weigh along the way as time moves on. Had a batch set and then we had the hurricane remnants and lost power for 6+ days, so that hatch was a twinkle in my eye....period. Praying hard for this one to come through. Thanks again.

Good luck! Welsummers are so pretty.
Sorry about your eggs.

 

[Honey wood]

I have an old still air incubator which I have installed a fan to move the air (yup....that's what fans do). I ran the incubator for 2 days to get a feel for the temperature and humidity settings and all was well.....then I put 15 eggs into it..... Here is my dilemma....
I can NOT get a real steady temperature on the thin plastic sheet thermometer laying on top of the eggs, or with the probe set in the same area that reads temperature and humidity. (Got a great one on Amazon for under ten bucks and it is working well, but I digress.....) Temps range from 98.3 F - 101.0 F and the control is SUPER sensitive with a tiny movement taking the temperature up or down by close to two degrees at times. OK, so what is this person's question, already? My question is.....Since I don't seem to be able to keep the temperature at a constant 99.5 F, is it better for the hatch to run a little below or a little higher? Incubator is in house in separate room out of drafts and sun... Room temperature remains constant at around 73, but 99.5 F just is elusive for many of the hours....Higher or lower and why, please? Thanks very much.

Ok I'm new to incubating so I'm kind of stupid on the matter. On my incubator the numbers on the heat are 37.9 and the humidity numbers say 57 what should the numbers actually say on my incubator

 

[Susan Skylark]

Your temp readings are in Celsius (ignore it if you want F and have another thermometer, doesn’t matter what the incubator thinks and the conversion is annoying) The humidity seems a little high (I have quail, ideal for them is 45) but I’m no chicken expert. The humidity is also very hard to regulate in some incubators and isn’t a deal breaker like temp, it won’t destroy your hatch. I’ve successfully hatched at both 10 and 80 percent (my incubator extremes with no or just a bit of water!). Focus on the average rather than individual readings, mine can average out to 50 but rarely maintains it.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Ok I'm new to incubating so I'm kind of stupid on the matter. On my incubator the numbers on the heat are 37.9 and the humidity numbers say 57 what should the numbers actually say on my incubator

37.5 C is the same as 99.5 F. Those are the numbers you want to maintain but readings can often be wrong. Sometimes by a lot. Never rely on them solely. A guaranteed accurate or calibrated thermometer is essential to verify incubator readings.
For humidity, it isn't a set number. Consider that in nature, humidity varies. Eggs vary in porosity so proper humidity will be different for each flock or even individual egg. A hen sits tight on the nest to retain humidity from moisture lost due to transpiration through the shell. What you are trying to achieve is about 12-13% weight loss during incubation regardless of species. A hygrometer will only get you close. IMHO, the most accurate way to determine appropriate weight loss isn't with a hygrometer but rather with a scale. I used a pocket digital gram scale for a few years but because I incubated so much, I got a larger extremely accurate kitchen scale with a platform for whole egg trays. It is a My Weigh KD-8000 scale I bought with a 10 gram calibration weight.

I got mine from Old Will Knott Scales (great company) which has been bought out by another company.
https://www.scalesplus.com/welcome-...lVBtGbZoNT28fO_2sQ_h30vapaXpdeanw4S0wwAruR2mb