Styrofoam Incubators Club

[BusyBearMama]

Looking like this hatch might be 15/22 which is ok since I wasn't sure about some that went in but they're all cute and happy. The last hate hatcher is a bit sticky and having a bit of special recovery time but hopefully everyone is ok and we will have a bunch of chickens soon. 4 I'm keeping for sure if they're pullets just because so cute!! So so cute!! They're all cute but these guys are great the rest all look just the same so I will probably keep just 4 from this hatch since there could be 150-200 chicks this year and honestly if I keep 10 per hatch well that'll be bad lol... Another hatch Monday and another one Wednesday and a new tray will go in after the one Monday so whenever there. Lots of mixes some pure and olive eggers finally!

 

[confusedturtle]

Duck Drover I'm sorry about this hatch, did you candle them? I hope some of the hatch for you

 

[confusedturtle]

BusyBearMama I wish I could hatch that many, I would want to keep a bunch too

 

[LaPoulet]

Congratulations on your hatch!

 

[beetandsteet]

Quick question: I'm borrowing a friend's Little Giant. It seemed to hold a steady temp until last night, when I realized a still-air machine should sit at around 102 instead of 99.5. I adjusted it and it got there pretty fast, no problem. Then this morning, the temp was 100. I suspect it will get back to 102 sometime soon. Hopefully.

Anyway, will a two-degree ebb and flow be a big deal? I'm not incubating eggs right now. Just trying to learn the machine and make sure it can hold a temp adequately.

Keep in mind that in a still-air incubator, the temperature can be different in different parts of the incubator. Make sure you have several thermometers in there, in various places, and make sure you measure the temp at the top of the eggs.
For hatching, some people go with the approach that you should just try to get your temperature numbers in the ballpark of 99-102. Other people think that you have to have a precise temperature the whole time. Both kinds of people have had successful hatches. I'm not trying to confuse you, I'm just saying that there are conflicting views on this.
LG incubators can be susceptible to various fluctuations. It's important to have the incubator in a room with a fairly steady temperature, it'll help cut down on major swings. The reason for this is that they do not have an actual thermostat, they have an electronic device that cycles the element on and off depending on how you turn the knob (or set the numbers on a digital). It's a good thing that you're taking the time to test the incubator before filling it with eggs. If the temp averages around 101-102, I would say its good. Wild fluctuations, (like down to 95, then up to 105) could indicate a problem with the incubator. Also know that the amount of humidity in the machine can cause the temperature to change.
Do know however, that when you put eggs in, it could take a good day or so for the temp to get back up. Don't adjust it unless it's been over a 24 hours. Good luck with your hatch! Let us know how it goes!

 

[MeepBeep]

The reason for this is that they do not have an actual thermostat, they have an electronic device that cycles the element on and off depending on how you turn the knob (or set the numbers on a digital)

This is incorrect, they do in fact have a very basic thermostat circuit, based around a thermistor... The problem is that the circuit is bare bones and based on the teeter-totter balancing act between the resistance of the dials variable resistor and the thermistor... An action as basic as taking off the lid can ever so slightly turn the dial/variable resistor and then the teeter-totter is whacked... Plus the termistor is inside the electronics housing up top and not actually down by the eggs so it's not in the best place to get the an accurate reading... I don't know if it was this thread or another, but I have suggested removing the circuit board and enlarging the hole for the dial, the shaft on mine was rubbing the foam, thus it's very likely the foam was nudging that dial just a bit here and there...

Now since these foam incubator circuits are made in Asia with a cost driven goal the actual boards will vary by model and production date or what not, but they are all basically the same circuit... If you look closely at the circuit inside you will see the thermistor, it's generally floating on the PC board over a hole to better allow air to flow around it, but being in a housing up top it's still not exactly getting decent air flow, especially in a still air incubator...

 

[danielkbrantley]

Keep in mind that in a still-air incubator, the temperature can be different in different parts of the incubator. Make sure you have several thermometers in there, in various places, and make sure you measure the temp at the top of the eggs.
For hatching, some people go with the approach that you should just try to get your temperature numbers in the ballpark of 99-102. Other people think that you have to have a precise temperature the whole time. Both kinds of people have had successful hatches. I'm not trying to confuse you, I'm just saying that there are conflicting views on this.
LG incubators can be susceptible to various fluctuations. It's important to have the incubator in a room with a fairly steady temperature, it'll help cut down on major swings. The reason for this is that they do not have an actual thermostat, they have an electronic device that cycles the element on and off depending on how you turn the knob (or set the numbers on a digital). It's a good thing that you're taking the time to test the incubator before filling it with eggs. If the temp averages around 101-102, I would say its good. Wild fluctuations, (like down to 95, then up to 105) could indicate a problem with the incubator. Also know that the amount of humidity in the machine can cause the temperature to change.
Do know however, that when you put eggs in, it could take a good day or so for the temp to get back up. Don't adjust it unless it's been over a 24 hours. Good luck with your hatch! Let us know how it goes!

Thanks! And thanks, MeepBeep. Interesting info. I think if I can keep the temp pretty steady (added some water today once the humidity finally got in the 20s), I won't do any more engineering on my own. Especially as it's not mine. Now back to monitoring the temp and my li'l notepad!

All the best...

 

[Victoria-nola]

Hi folks, Wish I had found this thread before I did my first hatch recently, but glad I found it now. I have a HovaBator model #1583, the one with the large window in the top and only 1 red vent hole, with fan and turner. I now have 10 beautiful chicks (from our own EE hens/purebred Blue Ameracauna rooster eggs) having fun in their brooder that is located out in the chicken coop with a "MamaHeatingPad" cave-- they are doing great.

Here's my problem:
As closely as possible I followed the article on dry incubation advice that is in the Learning Center here on BWC. Part of that article emphasizes that it's very important, once you take out the egg turner on day 18, to raise the wire floor so that your temperature readings are still accurate because the turner raised the eggs up and you want to be sure to be measuring temps at the same egg level. So, following the author's advice, I got stainless steel condiment cups to lift up the wire grate and put water in them for humidity, put wet paper towels in and among the channels and cups, and covered the wire with moist paper towels to spare the chicks' feet.

Being my first hatch, I did not realize the significance that the walls of the incubator are curved outward, and when I raised the wire floor, it no longer covered the whole area and a void was created all the way around the wire grate. But when the chicks started to hatch, they would lurch about and then fall into the voids around the edge. The third chick kept falling headfirst and I went away a few minutes and came back and she'd fallen and was upside down for several minutes. So for the rest of the hatch I took each chick out after a short time and let them finish drying inside the MHP cave I had awaiting them in a large birdcage next to the incubator. That worked fine for the chicks themselves, all healthy and no pasty butt.

But, that meant I kept opening the top, creating temp changes and humidity loss. I had 3 eggs shrinkwrap after pipping, helped 2 open (following instrux from BYC) of which 1 survived and is thriving, the second didn't make it, and I didn't see the third because the pip was on the backside, lower bottom of the egg and I was trying not to disturb things too much so I didn't even know it had pipped until I removed the dud eggs after the hatch was over. ACK!

QUESTION:
Is it in fact important to raise the wire bottom after removing the turner? I have guinea eggs arriving early June and need to get this sorted out.

Bonus question A: Thank you for the specifics on temp control/readings. Since guinea eggs are smaller, is it possible to still use the 60mL (2ouce) baby bottle as a thermometer "fake egg" but just put less water in it since the guinea eggs are smaller than chicken eggs? or...?

Bonus question B: Is there a price point at which I can be confident the "spike" type thermometer that I'll buy for the baby bottle will be accurate? Or some other criterion that will help me make a choice? I like having an external digital readout but also will use analog thermometer to double check, but I had 4 differnt thermometers (2 digital, 2 analog) and they were ALL different.

Bonus question C: Advice on vent holes varies wildly. Can I get a definitive answer to the question of when to open? I just have the one single one on my model. fyi The model came with small air holes drilled into the styrofoam all the way around the base about every 3".

Thank you for your help.

 

[Duck Drover]

Duck Drover I'm sorry about this hatch, did you candle them? I hope some of the hatch for you

My daughter did everything wrong, including putting in the eggs dirty, but one has actually hatched! She threw out all the visibly bad eggs using a flashlight since our candler bulbs are burned out and we can't find replacements anymore and the rest went into lockdown. I did not think any would hatch at all considering how bad the eggs looked so maybe there is still some hope left. We hatched two eggs a hen left in the nest after 9 ducklings hatched so the lone duckling has companions at least if nothing else hatches. I had plans to give the two late hatches back to the hen but now they need to stay with this duckling so it is not alone instead.

 

[Duck Drover]

This has probably been covered oodles of times before, but I'm just experiencing something, so I'll run over it again.

Have many of you added a fan to your Hovabator or similar styrofoam incubator? What changes did you notice? 

I started my eggs yesterday after they arrived from another BYC member. I had the incubator running a couple days in advance, to have it all ready. The fan wasn't due till today, but I elected to go ahead and start them yesterday. but the fan didn't arrive until today, So, I quickly added the fan, a low speed Amazon special that I saw others had used for the same purpose. I had done a little Okie engineering, and have the thing in installed just like the real Hovabator fan install I saw on Youtube. 

 The incubator had been running at the right setting for two straight days, without having to adjust anything. After adding the fan, the temp soon rose a couple degrees, and held there. I've adjusted down, but was surprised a bit.

Have you noticed a better temp situation, or had noticeably improved hatches? My hatches have been only fair recently. Hoping this will help.

I use fans in my Little Giant incubators that we use to incubate chicken eggs and they do hatch better with the fans. I am using still air for ducklings so they don't dry out from the fan but I have thought about trying the duck eggs in the forced air incubators and just using the still air for hatching. I have read that still air is recommended for duck eggs so that is what I have used.