Temp issues, not sure what's going on!

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mpcardona

mpcardona

In the Brooder
8 Years
Sep 30, 2011
85
4
41
Mineola, Texas
This my first time incubating ever and on top of that I made my own incubator. I have a large Ice chest, 40w bulb, one digital and one Mercury thermometer, and small fan.I tested my incubator last night (3 hours 99) and all this morning (5 hours 100). I put my eggs in at 1pm and a couple hours later my digital temp said 106 my mercury temp said 102. I don't know what's going on. I have drilled a couple holes in the lid and opened the lid just a tad over a four hour span. I don't know what else to do. Are my eggs still going to be okay. I can't post pics till the morning. Anyone have any advise!
 
Temperature can fluctuate with the position of the incubator and the outside/indoor temperature of the air as well. If you have you incubator in a room that has a consistant temperature, you may get less fluctuation. Open windows, or even windows not covered by drapes can cause the temperature to rise dramatically. Air displacement (introducing the eggs) can also cause a temperature swing.

Are you using a control switch to keep your temperature constant? It would help you greatly so you don't end up fiddling with the heat too much.
 
Just keep watching it and give it time after each adjustment for the termperature to settle. If the internal egg temperature hits 103 degrees and above it will start to damage the embryo. I have never incubated above a 100 degrees due to there being such a small window to keep it at. I would keep it a tad lower and gradually work up (maybe).
 
The lid to my chest is hollow, so I drilled 6 small screw holes through the first layer and even had to prop open the lid a tiny bit. I knew the hardest part of this project was going to be the temp, just didn't think it was going to be like this. Nest time I will upgrade my ice chest with a thermostat.
So danger zone is 103-95?
I woke up this morning and my temp was at 99.
big_smile.png

Then 20 mins later it dropped to 97.
hmm.png
 
Last edited:
Get a water wiggler toy and a probe indoor/outdoor thermometer and stick it inside the toy, them in the incubator. After a few hours it will tell you the internal temperature of your eggs. I say 105 is too high for an extended period of time. If it's a short spike it's OK. Below 97 is too low for an extended period. I have two thermometers, one for air temp in the incubator, and one for egg temp. As long as the eggs temp doesn't fall too low you should be OK.

Maintain between 99 and 101 though I strive for 100.
 
mpcardona said:
This my first time incubating ever and on top of that I made my own incubator. I have a large Ice chest, 40w bulb, one digital and one Mercury thermometer, and small fan.I tested my incubator last night (3 hours 99) and all this morning (5 hours 100). I put my eggs in at 1pm and a couple hours later my digital temp said 106 my mercury temp said 102. I don't know what's going on. I have drilled a couple holes in the lid and opened the lid just a tad over a four hour span. I don't know what else to do. Are my eggs still going to be okay. I can't post pics till the morning. Anyone have any advise!
Click to expand...

That is what is supposed to happen. After the temp has been stable and you add the eggs, the incubator is working to warm them up. Therefore the spike in temps. Don't adjust anything until the eggs have completely warmed, which should take a few hours. Once they are warm the temps should even out. Happy hatching.
 

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