Temperature fluctuations in styrofoam incub - should I bother setting?

[fatcatx]

Dillemma-
We have about a dozen eggs we would like to incubate. Our current living conditions do not provide a room where I can keep the ambient temperature close to consitent for our still-air incubator. The temperature dips to about 99 in the a.m. and then slowly comes up to the desired 102 over the day. Then slowly dips again over the night. I have attempted to increase the temp in the evening which works to some degree, but it has been impossible to get the morning adjustment just right. It either stays too low or I'm getting temps to 103. It is the change in the room temperature that is killing me, but I'm stuck with it.

So the question is should I even bother setting the eggs? Optimistic DH wants to give it a try and hope for the best. I can deal with abyssmal development. But I am having visions of getting a great hatch rate but the chicks all having health issues. Or just as bad - getting development but having chicks too weak or deformed to hatch. Does any one have good/bad experiences in a similar situation?

If I go ahead with it, am I better off leaving it in the 99-102 range or should I try daily adjustments and risk the 100-103 range?

 

[scflock]

AmyLynn?

Check out the Little Giant thread. There are a lot of successful styrobator hatchers on there

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Dillemma-
We have about a dozen eggs we would like to incubate. Our current living conditions do not provide a room where I can keep the ambient temperature close to consitent for our still-air incubator. The temperature dips to about 99 in the a.m. and then slowly comes up to the desired 102 over the day. Then slowly dips again over the night. I have attempted to increase the temp in the evening which works to some degree, but it has been impossible to get the morning adjustment just right. It either stays too low or I'm getting temps to 103. It is the change in the room temperature that is killing me, but I'm stuck with it.

So the question is should I even bother setting the eggs? Optimistic DH wants to give it a try and hope for the best. I can deal with abyssmal development. But I am having visions of getting a great hatch rate but the chicks all having health issues. Or just as bad - getting development but having chicks too weak or deformed to hatch. Does any one have good/bad experiences in a similar situation?

If I go ahead with it, am I better off leaving it in the 99-102 range or should I try daily adjustments and risk the 100-103 range?

Well, it's still air, so 99-102 is the best range if you have to have a range. Those bators really do need a steady room temp to really produce good hatches, but there are things you could try such as wrapping a blanket around the bator, (not covering the top) at night time when the room dips to cooler temps, then taking the blanket off during the day. You might experiment with setting a bedside light up next to the bator and have that on at night shining onto it to provide it with a bit more warmth. Or even a red brooder light set up in the vicinity to give off a little more warmth. (My red brooder light warms the room my brooder is in very much.) I would experiment with the possibility of using the light(s) before adding the eggs. I've heard of people putting their styro bators inside a box with a blanket around it (the bator) to control temps due to drafts as well.

 

[fatcatx]

Thank you for the link! Should answer at least some of my questions. These are some great ideas to try too. The blanket method would probably be the easiest - I will give that a try first and then try a box if the blanket doesn't work. (Heat lamp will be last resort as the area is off my bedroom so the red light might drive me buggy. But I will if I have to - oh the things we do for chicks!)

Am I being too paranoid about the temps? All the help sheets and threads stress how important it is too keep it within 1 degree of the ideal temperature for good chick development so the 3 degree swings I am dealing with have me nervous.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

That's about the range my incubator stays in, I get pretty good hatches from it. I've found it stays much more steady if I load it with a lot of eggs, or put sterilized rocks (or water bottles filled with water) in when I'm doing smaller batches. I've used boxes and blankets as well

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Thank you for the link! Should answer at least some of my questions. These are some great ideas to try too. The blanket method would probably be the easiest - I will give that a try first and then try a box if the blanket doesn't work. (Heat lamp will be last resort as the area is off my bedroom so the red light might drive me buggy. But I will if I have to - oh the things we do for chicks!)

Am I being too paranoid about the temps? All the help sheets and threads stress how important it is too keep it within 1 degree of the ideal temperature for good chick development so the 3 degree swings I am dealing with have me nervous.

The best is a stable temp. No questions. However, the overall average is what is going to effect the hatch the greatest, outside of a temp spike that can fry the babies. Temps that remain too low for long periods of time can cause a developmental delay and late hatches. Temps higher than recommended but not high enough to fry can cause excellerated development, early hatches, but with the possibility health risk. A steady average development comes with the steady temps. I experience temp variations in mine. The majority of the incubation is fairly steady, but I've had days where I was struggling to keep mine (forced air) between 99-101.

 

[fatcatx]

That's about the range my incubator stays in, I get pretty good hatches from it. I've found it stays much more steady if I load it with a lot of eggs, or put sterilized rocks (or water bottles filled with water) in when I'm doing smaller batches. I've used boxes and blankets as well

That is reassuring to hear. When you say "pretty good hatch" roughly what percentage is it? My biggest worry is sickly or deformed chicks. Have you experienced any health issues when dealing with the 99-102 range?

I was also wondering opinions if I am better off working with 99-102 vs 100-103? I am not home during the day to check on my incubator after an a.m. bump so that has me concerned. Do I do less "damage" at 99 than 103?

 

[WalnutHill]

99 to 102 is a safe and healthy range for growth. I would rather have a variable temperature in this range than a steady temp outside of this range. Damage to the embryo is generally caused by temps > 103 for longer durations or < 99 for longer durations.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

That is reassuring to hear. When you say "pretty good hatch" roughly what percentage is it? My biggest worry is sickly or deformed chicks. Have you experienced any health issues when dealing with the 99-102 range?

I was also wondering opinions if I am better off working with 99-102 vs 100-103? I am not home during the day to check on my incubator after an a.m. bump so that has me concerned. Do I do less "damage" at 99 than 103?

I would not recommending bumping a temp up with these bators if you are not there to monitor after bump. If you bump and have a heat spike that is not caught and extends a long period of time, you can literally fry the chicks. If you have a couple degrees lower it can slow the progress of development, but will not (normally) cause instant death. That's my opinion.

 

[mortie]

Last year I hatched in a LG forced air and had temps that varied in the range you are describing and I had 8 of 9 of my local eggs hatch. No sickly chicks, in fact I did not lose any or have any problems with them at all. They were very robust, sturdy chicks.

Most of them time when I tried to make small adjustments to it, I ended up doing more harm then good. Once it was settled, I found the best thing was to leave it alone so even if it varried a bit, it would still settle back into the range it was supposed to be. Trying to make small adjustments with those things is frustrating at best.