Still air incubator temps

[Cave Junctionite Girl]

My husband made me a still air incubator, we followed directions to a "t" and we can't get the temp to stay a steady 101.5 it falls between 90-103*on a regular basis. I had my first batch of fertilized eggs go bad, one actually exploded! That wasn't a pretty site LOL! Anyways, took out four RIR eggs that appeared to be 'dead' 3 were rotten, 1 had a live chick in it. They had about 3 days to go... but my cats grabbed the live chick and had lunch. Urrr! Does the temp difference prolong the incubation days on the eggs or kill them? 1 Rouen duck eggs feels like it has a baby in it after candling it. Also, how can I tell if my Rhode Island Reds eggs are alive? The shell is very thick and brown, I can't see a thing when I candle them. Any info will be greatly appreciated!

 

[rebel yell]

What kind of thermostat are you useing ? & what are you useing as the box ?

 

[bds613]

I don't know how you are candling your eggs but I used to candle with mine up and down (large end up small end down.) When I started candling sideways it made a world of difference in what I can see, especially the farther along the development gets.