temp problems with hovabator

[Clucking Lovely]

Hi all, its my first time hatching eggs and im having trouble getting the temp up to the 99.5F that it needs to be. Im at 90 now... but cant seem to get that extra bit i need, any suggestions? Does the temp need to stay stable, or can it vary? My humidity is between 25-55% but the temps are low.

 

[AlleysChicks]

Temp needs to stay stable. You don’t want it jumping around.

 

[Clucking Lovely]

anything i can do to raise the temp? they've been in the incubator for 3 days so if i can get it under control, im assuming i might still save them.

 

[AlleysChicks]

Does it have a fan? Are you using a calibrated thermometer or going by what the incubator thermometer says?

 

[Clucking Lovely]

it does have a fan. i have a digital thermometer/hygrometer inside the incubator, I dont believe its the one that came with the incubator (bought this setup used) I will use my oven one with probes tonight when i get home to see if that makes a difference.

 

[Clucking Lovely]

I also have the automatic egg turner - not sure if that makes a difference regarding the heat.

 

[AlleysChicks]

Turner is fine, they are a life saver.
You want temp on top of eggs. I have 2 thermometers in my small bator and 4 in my big one. You can never have enough lol
If you have a TSC they have a nice metal one for brooders. Pull a few off the shelf and see what ones have the same temp.

 

[Clucking Lovely]

thanks, ill move the thermometer, i just wasnt sure if i could put it on the eggs with the turner, if it would fall and crack an egg or something?

 

[Clucking Lovely]

Another question! I see some stuff about adding insulation - how is the best way to do this?

 

[Clucking Lovely]

Bump - I can't keep the temp stable I think my house temps vary too much, yesterday I finally got up to 100F and then this morning I woke up to 86F temps in the incubator, 14F seems pretty drastic to me... Think I'll manage to hatch anything?