problems with incubator

[johncv]

i have the little giant incubator and egg turner. the other day i noticed a cracked egg and pulled it out thinking the chick was hatching i waited and waited and nothing was going on so i decided to help out and open the egg. when i opened it it turned out to be a rotten egg. this morning i noticed the same thing it had cracked an egg and it was rotten. my temp is at 99.5 all the time and i keep water in the bottom. can someone help me out and let me know whats wrong is it the egg or the bator?

 

[CluckyBoss]

I first wanted to say that when your eggs start hatching, never take them out of the incubator. And eggs can take up to 48 hours to hatch, and should not be helped. It usually does more damage than good. Everybody runs into a bad egg every once in a while, your eggs could have been unfertile and went rotten after time, or maybe it was just not meant to be. Alot of pressure will build up inside the egg when they start to rot, which is the only thing I can think of that may have caused the cracks. What kind of thermometer are you using? Those little ones that come with the LG incubator are usually not great.

 

[johncv]

im worried they will burn themselves on the element above the egg turner.. i took the egg out and put it in a tank set at the same temp as the incubator.. is that still a nogo?

 

[CluckyBoss]

Hmm, what day are you on?

 

[nurse_turtle]

The humidity level during lockdown must be kept at least over 50%. Humidity can't be controlled in a "tank". The LG is known to be inconsistent with temps. There are probably marked temperature spikes that you may not have seen unless you stare at it 24/7. I highly recommend a good digital thermometer and dial type hygrometer. Lockdown is when the humidity is increased and the incubator lid closed starting at day 18 and continuing through the entire hatch. It's extremely important not to open the incubator any more than absolutely necessary during lockdown. Click on the 'Learning Center' link and read about incubating and hatching chicks.

 

[johncv]

its day 14 today mar 27th. so they will be ok to hatch and they wont hit the element. also i read the that the eggs should not be turned a couple days before they hatch.

 

[CluckyBoss]

On day 18, three days before they hatch you need to stop turning them, the egg turner must be removed, humidity raised, and incubator should stay closed. Good luck.