Question ***Help*** Incubation question!

[Spunky~Chick~Mom]

Ok my quail friends!

I just purchased a hova bator 2362N with the fan circulation and also got 1610 egg turner.

Ok, I have only used someone elses hova bator before and just used the thermometer that came with it.

So, I'm trying to do it right this time. I have the one that came with it and I bought a thermo/hygrometer (or whatever). I put water where hova bator tells you to put
water.

Here's the question!!!

The thermometer that is sitting on the eggs is hovering just a smiggin under 100.
But the digital one. I ran the sensor down through one of the plug holes on the top. So it is just a little bit over the top of the eggs.
The humidity has not gotten over 40%, but currently 29%. And the temp on the digital one fluctuates SO much. right now it is 99.9, but when i started to type this it was at 97.9.

Is that normal for the digital temp to fluctuate so much?

And What do I do about the humidity?????? Add more water till it gets to 50%. I read some where the other day that a quail person had a better "dry hatch" at 35%.

Help me please. This is my first to attempt quail hatching and my other hatches haven't been that great with chickens either.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Indoor-outdoor digital is what I started with,& it fluxuated too. I bought 2 good outdoor thermometers & put them on each tray. They hold steady & I get a better hatch. I was constantly trying to regulate the temperature with the digital, but not anymore. Oh yeah, I don't use a hygrometer. I have a tub of water that the fan barely blows on, & my hatches do fine. I couldn't even begin to tell you what the humidity is, just that it's ok.

 

[fishman65]

Don't try to dry hatch quail!!!! It works fine for chickens BUT you will wind up with dried yolk dead eggs if you dry hatch. I lost a lot of eggs trying to hatch quail like i do chicken. I keep my humidity at 40-50% in my hovabator, just add a little more water and keep vent holes plugged, if it gets over 50% pop out a vent plug. I trust the GQF thermometer way more that the digital ones. they can fluctuate quite a lot so i use them just for the humidity part which i have calibrated before i use it. Just be very carefull when hatching quail eggs. They are so much fun and so easy to hatch that it becomes more of an obsession than a hobby. Luckily for me after the first hundred quail my wife put me in REHAB

 

[mustanger]

Rehab? HA!! Welcome to the hospital.

David

 

[Spunky~Chick~Mom]

Thanks Ya'll!

My husband hasn't commited me yet....... But, I don't think it's far off.

Thanks! I currently have the humidity up to 40%. So, I am going to add some more water slowly until i get about where I need it to be.
I'm just a bit nervous about a low hatch rate already cause they are shipped eggs from three different sellers.

Thanks for being helpful!

 

[JJMR794]

IMO the probe type digital temp/ hygro are very inaccurate! Junk it and go get the small white all in 1 units from walmart for 8 bucks--- set it directly on top of your eggs and follow it. Just for fun run them both togather to see what a major difference in readings you get, especially in humidity.

 

[Spunky~Chick~Mom]

Wow really, I passed up the 8 dollar one to get this one. I was trying to figure out how it would balance on the eggs while the are rotating on the auto turner.

But, i am also convienced that the one I have is garbage. I kept the package. So I think it is going back.

Thanks for the info!

 

[dbcooper02]

The remote probe only measures what they call outside temp. To read incubator humidity the entire unit has to be inside the incubator, otherwise you are reading the room humidity.

 

[Spunky~Chick~Mom]

Quote:
OH MY GOSH!!!!! I JUST JUMPED UP AND PUT THE WHOLE UNIT IN THE INCUBATOR AND IT INSTANTLY READ 86%.

I RAN AND POURED ALL THE WATER OUT OF IT AND STARTED AGAIN.

ARE MY BABIES IN DANGER???????

 

[peewee]

I'm sure that you are going to be ok. Quail eggs are real hardy. They will take more abuse than quite alot of other eggs and turn out just fine.