Ready Set Hatch! Set 3/17 Hatch 4/7 - ready now! Hatch-Along

[Bens-Hens]

Tonight is Day 18, transfer and lock down......I CAN"T WAIT (I need help)

 

[melodie_a]

So I got my humidity up but my temp is all over the place. My water wiggler and big thermometer is reading low-perfect but my two thermometers at middle of the egg height are reading very hot! Gaaaahhhh!

 

[hokankai]

Thank goodness I have a handful of projects to work on! I need to create a false floor for the brooder and move the current babies downstairs to make room for these that are hatching. I also need to work on the chain link dog kennel I'm converting into a grow-out pen which needs the corrugated roofing screwed on, the hardware cloth zip-tied to the fence, and the coop built. I'm also going to be painting the interior of the banty coop to help make cleaning easier, and work on other projects for my dad to make some money. Hopefully that keeps me busy til hatch day!

 

[Bens-Hens]

So I got my humidity up but my temp is all over the place. My water wiggler and big thermometer is reading low-perfect but my two thermometers at middle of the egg height are reading very hot! Gaaaahhhh!

When things go a bit hay wire, I try let it all settle. Internal temps take some time to change, so even though you are measuring egg height, the air temp changes much quicker.

IMO, Keep the lid closed, monitor every 10 or 15 minutes without making changes. If you have serious concern about it being too hot, make an initial adjustment to lower the temp, then very slowly creep it back up. (slowly as in over a couple of hours)

The eggs internal temp change will be gradual.

To many or too big adjustments will have you chasing your tail feathers.

Example: Last hatch, I found temp a bit high, so I lowered the dial, came back in a few minutes, still too hot. Lowered it some more. Few minutes later, still a bit warm, gave it another twist to lower it, check it a few minutes later and it was right, great, walked away for an hour. When I cam e back, the temp was quite low and I had to play the same game getting warmer. If I had just made a small adjustments and tracked it, made sure it was stable before making the next it would have been more accurate and less stressful.

You may know this already, I don't mean to teach you to suck eggs, but I made the mistake of rushing changes before.

 

[Wrightsx4]

So I got my humidity up but my temp is all over the place. My water wiggler and big thermometer is reading low-perfect but my two thermometers at middle of the egg height are reading very hot! Gaaaahhhh!

mine did that last time - took quite a while before it finally stabilized. Hang in there!

 

[melodie_a]

When things go a bit hay wire, I try let it all settle. Internal temps take some time to change, so even though you are measuring egg height, the air temp changes much quicker.

IMO, Keep the lid closed, monitor every 10 or 15 minutes without making changes. If you have serious concern about it being too hot, make an initial adjustment to lower the temp, then very slowly creep it back up. (slowly as in over a couple of hours)

The eggs internal temp change will be gradual.

To many or too big adjustments will have you chasing your tail feathers.

Example: Last hatch, I found temp a bit high, so I lowered the dial, came back in a few minutes, still too hot. Lowered it some more. Few minutes later, still a bit warm, gave it another twist to lower it, check it a few minutes later and it was right, great, walked away for an hour. When I cam e back, the temp was quite low and I had to play the same game getting warmer. If I had just made a small adjustments and tracked it, made sure it was stable before making the next it would have been more accurate and less stressful.

You may know this already, I don't mean to teach you to suck eggs, but I made the mistake of rushing changes before.

Not at all, I appreciate all the advice I can get! I am trying really hard to be patient.. I am realizing it is a serious shortcoming of mine!
I just hate when all the thermometers are different. Makes you question which one to believe!

 

[bamachicks8]

wow Wright I sure hope #10 hatches
have 3 hatched so far and 3 more pips all from the "white" carton. I believe im going to have to cull one of the chicks she/he has a under developed wing and can't stay upright.

 

[hokankai]

Candled tonight and had one Jersey Giant quit around day 16 or so and I have one that I'm pretty sure has an alien in it because it is really weird looking inside. We'll see what happens to it though.

So it looks like I have 40/52 heading to lockdown

 

[Bens-Hens]

Not at all, I appreciate all the advice I can get! I am trying really hard to be patient.. I am realizing it is a serious shortcoming of mine!
I just hate when all the thermometers are different. Makes you question which one to believe!

Happy to be corrected by more experience hatchers, but here's how I see it. (more to calm myself lol)

I had the same issue last time, so I got more thermometers, and had even more concern. IN the end, I picked two that I trusted. A medical 'in your mouth' type, and my multi-meter with a temp prob. Both were very close, and I think the variance came from probe position.

I chucked the one that came with the Hovabator as that was way off, and had a few holes in it where someone had played with it. The rest I noted the difference and just work to that. 99.5F or 37.5C is ideal, but there is a range to that. A little warmer will be early and a little cooler will be later. I have read that the safe range is 97.7F (36.5C) to 101.3F (38.5C). Slightly cooler is safer than too warm. Dangerous causing death at 104F (40C)

I aim for optimum, but depending on how the temp is regulated that will vary as it cools to turn on and off the heat source. The finer that range the better, but there is some room to move in there.

Consistently being in the wrong part of a range may result in issues, but dips and spikes seem to be recoverable. Ideal conditions are great, but nature is to a degree, flexible. I read about on gents recent hatch that lost power to the bator all night, he thought he lost the set but they came back and hatched a day or so late.

 

[Wrightsx4]

I love your calm sensible manner Ben! Very good advice. It's hard to be patient and wait to see the result of an adjustment, but a very tiny (the tiniest amount possible!) adjustment can make a big difference - but it can take a long time to see the change. It's hard to be patient
While waiting for the school bus just now my DD told me about a dream she had last night...
She awoke to all the eggs hatched and her silkie was black with a long neck like an ostrich, huge fluffy crest, and spoke with an Australian accent. LOL.

whoohoo! Lockdown tonight! Can't wait to see if she's right hahaha.