Setting Eggs Today? I am, hatch with me?

[just2rosey]

Momsflock,

It takes a day or so for the temps to stabilize, but after that you want to maintain at least 99.5 if you have a fan or 100.5 for still air. Is you homemade incubator still air or did you intall a fan? Did you install a thermostat? How do you control your temps? I have a home made incubator, too. Your humidity sounds like it is pretty good now. Also be prepared for shipped eggs to be a bit disappointing. I have started with those also, and they can lead you to be discouraged, even when you do everything right. I hope you have great success with them. Good Luck with your hatch.

 

[doramechicks]

I am new to all this too, I just set eggs under my first broody Wed afternoon

 

[momsflock]

THANKS Just2rosey!
I love the support on this site! I placed a Computer fan in the bator and a thermostat. I have a 20 watt bulb, but think I need a 40 watt for the heat. Any I also have 2 temp/humidity gages: maintaining temps of 97%-100 and humidity currenty maintaining at 47-50%. I have 3 baby food jars of water in there too.

The thermostat clicks the light off at 100 F and clicks back on at 95 F, is this bad, any advice???

Thank you all!

 

[artathart]

Can I join in? I set 12 Blue Laced Red Wyandottes on 4/14 and 12 Silkies and 23 barnyard mixes today! How exciting.....

 

[just2rosey]

Hey Momsflock,
I think your temps are a bit to low. Your internal should be the average of your temp swing. Just add your top number to your lowest number and divide by 2. My temps are running from 101.7 to 98.6 and average out to 100.1, but I thought my previous hatches indicated that my temps were running a bit low, so I am trying to keep it at 100. The temps you gave average out at 97.5 which is 2 degrees to low. I now have a 40watt light bulb an inch or so under my thermostat, and a CPU fan blowing on the thermostat to cool it quickly. Mine cycles from beginning of heat cycle through shut down, cool down and coming back on in just under 7 minutes. I would put in the 40 watt light bulb and see if that gets your temps up. Good Luck!

Artathart and Dorame, Welcome Aboard!

Glad you can join us! Wow Artathart- thats a big bunch of eggs!

Good luck! Dorame, I am sure your eggs will do great, they are in the worlds most perfect incubator- the one God made!

 

[momsflock]

I adjusted the temp on my Thermostat last night before finally going to bed. Now the light clicks off 102 and drops down to 95 before it clicks on, but on the gauge right by the eggs it reads 101, even when it drops down to 95 on the other gauge. So am I okay?

Been debating if I should install another fan. It is a bigger fan and I can run it blowing across the light and thermostat. Think it would help???

 

[just2rosey]

Having a fan blowing right on the thermostat would probably help, I would try to close the temperature gap more still, your average is still a full degree to low. What kind of thermometer is it that isn't dropping below 101, and where is it in relation to the eggs and heat source? I don't know what to make of that. How close is your thermostat to the light bulb? how long does it take it to come back on after it cuts off? Did you modify the thhermostat (drill holes in the cover) so it will cool faster? My more sensitive thermometer showes a 3 to 4 degree temp change during a cycle, but my less sensitive only shows .4 to .5 degree change. This is my first hatch with the thermostat, so I am still working things out, too. The incubator seems to be more dry, I am having to work hard to get my humidity up to 40%. These are all bantam eggs, they don't have much liquid to lose, so I don't want it to be to low. I have put my foam cooler into a big rubbermaid tub to help keep its temps stable when the house changes temps. I was running a degree cooler at night than during the day, before.

I don't know what your set up is like, but here is a pic of mine, I have a wire cage to put over my thermostat once I go into lockdown to keep the chicks away from it.

Here is the link to how I modified my thermostat and reduced my temp changes.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=26580-thermostat-modification

 

[mskittydjs]

Kinda nervous right now...leaving today for the week with DH on a business trip. I know my girls and boys will be ok since the gentleman who introduced me to chickens a year ago will be coming by twice a day to check on them but....it isnt the hundreds of times that I do, he doesn't know their names, will he give Rapunzel the little extra in the coop when she comes to see him away from all the others, will he, will he, will he?????

As my DH said yesterday...he has been raising chickens a whole lot longer than we have! I know this but..... And then lets factor in my broody hen Cinderella! Oh, too much to worry about so...let's just hand this right on over to the Mighty Man upstairs and trust in him that all will be well.

When I went this morning to do my daily chores (though they aren't chores!) I picked up Cinderella to allow some leg stretching time and after I set her on the ground, I noticed some fresh poo in the cage!

I was so worried that she wouldn't get off the nest and now I have proof that she did! Then I did my daily count of the eggs...1, 2, 3....11....wait...1,2,3,...11 okay, try again..1,2,3,...11 Where is #12???? I looked and looked and then found the remainder of #12s shell....must have been a dud! So now, I am not freaking because so many wonderful BYC members have had this problem before and I have read about it here! Thank you so much for sharing this. So...wonder how many will be here when I get back on Friday? Since this is a first time ever brood for me, I will be excited with just one!!! But praying for more little fuzzy butts in a few weeks! Everyone take care and have a great week. Praying for your hatch and mine!

 

[larryj57]

Just started 30 Jersey Giant and 8 Americana eggs this morning,I also put 42 Duck eggs in another incubator last Friday,this is my first go at hatching duck eggs. any advice for anyone on the duck eggs?

 

[Badbaby05]

I set 30+ eggs on 04/15/11, backyard mix (standard size) and 2 banties. I will be candling on day 7 ( if i make it that long). This is my second hatch this spring and ever. I am talking to a woman about some silkie eggs, someone has got to stop me.