Temp regulation...

[Mommy6]

I have a farm innovators circulated air incubator and have been running it for the last week, collecting eggs since Thursday, and the temp has been staying in the range of 99.3-99.9. I have the incu-therm plus hatch monitor from incubator warehouse for temp and humidity. Well, today was the day I planned on setting my eggs and yesterday evening the incubator temp jumped to 100-100.6 randomly and that's where it wants to stay. If anything my house has gotten colder, so I don't get the jump. Should I try readjusting and set tomorrow or is 100.6 ok? Where should I keep the probe? I currently have it near centered in the incubator about where the middle of the egg would be sitting.

My last 2 (out of 3) hatches were horrible to the point I hadn't ever planned on hatching again, so I REALLY want this to go well.. maybe I'm just over paranoid. Also, I can't keep the humidity consistent either... it gets too high if I add water, but drops to 10% if I let it dry.

What would you do???

 

[Dragons4u]

100 to 100.6 should be fine for your eggs. Just watch as your eggs process because they will generate some heat of their own as they age.
That temp will mean they may hatch half a day to a day early, but should be fine.
For the humidity, if you are dry incubating, you only need to hold the humidity around 20 percent from what I've read until lockdown. Then push it to 50.
To raise it with a little more control, use a brand new sponge rinsed in hot water, cut it into wafers and put it in the Bator, damp or in a bowl of water.
Also, are you using an automatic egg turner? They generate a little heat as well.

 

[Mommy6]

Thank you! I will be using the auto egg turner, but I didn't have it running... so maybe I should bump it down a bit to compensate for that and set the eggs tomorrow.

 

[Dragons4u]

Mine is running at 100 because I can't get it to hold at 99.5, but have 80 out of 100 eggs all doing well and showing great movement on day 11.
Just keep an eye after the first day. Setting your eggs will take the temps it is set out down for a while. Was about 24 hours for mine to steady out. Then the next couple days just make very very small adjustments as needed if its not holding.
I started seeing some heat increase from egg development at about 7 to 8 days and had to adjust my thermostat down just a little bit.
My adjustment knob is just a bit loose, which is why I can't hit that 99.5, but its working anyways.
And what kind and how many eggs are you setting? Those two factors play a big part in how hard it will be to hold your temp setting.
If you are setting a lot it will hold better, if just a few you can use a heat sink (baggy filled with water) setting wherever your eggs aren't. Just be sure it doesn't leak or get squished by the turner.
Thus is all information I've learned from reading through the forums here, and it all has helped greatly.

 

[Mommy6]

I will have about 35-40 eggs by the time I finish collecting tomorrow. My rooster is ameraucana and I have white leghorn, black sexlink, new hampshire red and dark cornish hens that I crossed him with. I want a colorful egg basket

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I have noticed the humidity changes my temp too.... about a half hour ago it was at 10% humidity and 100 degrees, I added some water and got a 30% humidity with a temp of 99.1... I guess there are more variables than I had thought and maybe my temp isn't jumping around as much as I think it is.

 

[Dragons4u]

Yup, every time I add water I get the same but it comes back up.