Temp variation limits

[MightyMama]

Here is my solution. Two computer fans, hot glued and blowing up to help with circulation. We flipped the windows so that the hot air wasn't getting stuck in the lip and the air would move more freely.

Problem; looking at the picture, the top left corner is my hot spot. My (non calibrated) thermometer reads this temperature fluctuation above the eggs from 100.7 to 104.5 every 2.5 minutes, staying above 104 for 30 seconds (I'm a birth instructor, so I timed it like you would a labor contraction, lol). We are trying to decide if this will be okay, or if we should put tin foil above the eggs in that location to help protect them.

The calibrated thermometer is directly forward and center of the LG electrics and is reading consistently 99.1-99.3, all other locations measured by the non-calibrated thermometer at the top of the eggs read 100.3-101.5 (give or take). I don't think I want to adjust the temperature. At this point I think it should be okay....with the only concern being the hot spot.

 

[JaeG]

Up to 97.5 and still rising!! However these two fans are louder then the one original. I know its a stupid question, but will loud fans damage their hearing?

The fans should be fine - my incubator fan is pretty noisy and there's never been any evidence that it affects any babies (and I'm usually hatching Button quail). I've also used mine as a brooder for newly hatched baby finches for their first week or so of life and they grew up just fine with no hearing problems.

You could pop a bit of tinfoil in to fix your hot spot, though it takes a long time for the surface temperature to become the same as the internal temperature of the egg, so a few minutes of more intense heat shouldn't be a problem - those eggs might just hatch a little earlier than the rest perhaps.

 

[MightyMama]

I turned the temp down just a .1 and I haven't been hitting that high anymore. My calibrated thermometer is consistently 99.6-100.22, my non calibrated one is steady between 100-102.

The bigger issue now is getting the humidity right. The one on LG is always way higher than my calibrated one. Right now LG says 71%, but mine says 49.1. There's no condensation on the windows, so I suspect mine is the right one....but mine drops down to 20-30 often and I have to refill the water to get it back high. I wonder if the fans are making it dry out faster??

I plan to weigh them on Monday (day 5) to see if I'm hitting the target or too high.

 

[MightyMama]

With the temp being soooo low on the first 24 hours (90 in the first row), I'm worried that it could have ruined everything. If anything survives, do you think that they might hatch a day late?

 

[lazy gardener]

What is your goal humidity? When I incubate, I try to stay at 30 - 40% through day 17, and am actually happiest if it's around 30%. That allows leeway to increase humidity at the end if air cells are growing too fast.

 

[MightyMama]

My research kind of narrowed it down to me wanting 40-45% - but the breeder was telling me 50-55% for first 17...I'm happy if I can keep it between 40-55.

 

[lazy gardener]

Chicken or quail? All of the reading I've done says that folks are having much better luck with "dry incubation" which really is not dry at all, but limited moisture. I suggest that you read the info pertaining to dry incubation, and IIRC shipped eggs, if you are using shipped eggs. (You can me if I've got my facts messed up about the specifics of your hatch.) Either way, you should choose what ever method you are most comfortable with. I wish you the best.

 

[MightyMama]

Chicken, not shipped. I went to pick them up. This house is really really dry right now, with the heat running all the time. I think I just have to see what happens when I check their weight and go from there....

 

[MightyMama]

Hey guys! I couldn't resist and I candled my Polish eggs (day 7), and there were beautiful veins and at least one very active little swimmer! My other eggs are still too dark to tell, but there was life in these at least, so I didn't kill them all.

 

[Deryk]

Very cool MM! What type of polish are you hatching? I need to get some more this spring myself.