Surface tempiture of chicken egg

[PenguinChick]

Hi, new here!

Working on hatching some chickens! 11hrs have passed since I started to raised the temperature of the eggs I have been storing at +/- 55F. Two of my thermometers now read 96F, the built in thermometer reads 100.5F (set to 101F ). When running the incubator, prior to adding eggs, it is was holding at 96F according to my digital thermometer. I also have an infrared surface thermometer. In my last run with this incubator I had no success. I think I raised the tempiture too much to compensate, temps got to 104F before I was able to correct.

Questions:

Should I raise the temperature on my incubator?
What is the ideal surface temperature of egg in incubation?
Will raising the incubator temperature by 1/2 degree increment be too slow?

 

[HKG]

@MGG @Corbdee

 

[MGG]

Hi, new here!

Working on hatching some chickens! 11hrs have passed since I started to raised the temperature of the eggs I have been storing at +/- 55F. Two of my thermometers now read 96F, the built in thermometer reads 100.5F (set to 101F ). When running the incubator, prior to adding eggs, it is was holding at 96F according to my digital thermometer. I also have an infrared surface thermometer. In my last run with this incubator I had no success. I think I raised the tempiture too much to compensate, temps got to 104F before I was able to correct.

Questions:

Should I raise the temperature on my incubator?
What is the ideal surface temperature of egg in incubation?
Will raising the incubator temperature by 1/2 degree increment be too slow?

Welcome to BYC!
Did you calibrate your additional thermometers before setting the eggs? There's no way to be sure they're accurate otherwise. And does your incubator have a fan?
You should have the incubator up to temp before putting in the eggs. It needs to be at the correct temp the entire time. Do whatever you must do to get it there, just be sure your thermometers are spot on so you don't over/under heat them.
If your incubator is forced air (has a fan) the temperature must be 99.5 degrees.
If it is still air (no fan) the temperature must be 102 degrees.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If it is still air (no fan) the temperature must be 102 degrees. taken at the top of the eggs.

Warm air rises. If you have a fan then the air gets mixed but in a still air the higher parts of the incubator will be warmer. In a still air the elevation you take the temperature is very important. In a still air a normal recommendation is 101.5 Fahrenheit (38.6 Celsius) taken at the top of the eggs. If you are a half of a degree off no big deal, it is close enough. The eggs will still hatch.

 

[PenguinChick]

My incubator has a fan. The calibrated thermometer is reading 99.5 degrees pretty consistently. Hoping for the best. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Feathercrazie]

If your eggs begin to hatch early you have the temp too high. If they begin to hatch too late your temp is too low. There are so many variables to incubation. Temperature is not as critical as most people think. A degree either way will usually only affect the time of hatch although the ideal temperature allows birds that are not as strong to hatch as well as the strong ones. The best way to determine the ideal is to candle frequently and record the progress of the chicks. You can also record the weight of each egg to determine the progress.