So I'm not sure what to think about this part...
I've got a homemade incubator set up using a light bulb some water in the bottom of a tote, air holes, a flooring piece with the eggs wrapped in towels etc.
I have two thermometers I've been using to work this out. I put one thermometer in the center, and the other one around the edges.
I'm surprised by how much variation there is between the center thermometer and the edges even though they are only about 3 inches apart. The center one I've been trying to keep between 96 and 102. By that I mean I'm actually just trying for 99, but its hard to keep it constant. But when I check the one around the edges, its continuously fluctuating to cooler ranges a lot, often around 90, 92, etc. (I do think the central area is fairly constant, but maybe just that far edge of the incubator is harder to reach.)
This raises more questions for me. Maybe most incubators are like this, because we can only get the main thermal reading in the center?
Have others experienced this also?
Not sure what to think of it honestly.
I kind of wish I could regulate the temperature around the edges better, but I don't know if I can. I did the best I could just getting this far.
But what do others think about this?
The edges of the nest or incubator in nature probably are like this also, but the chics, ducklings, etc hatch just fine most the time don't they? Are the temperature allowances bigger than we think? Or not sure how to even word this. But I'd like to get data and comments from others about this. Its quite interesting, but perplexing also.
Part of a homemade design issue is that I had to put the light bulb on the side and not on the top, because of not having the right skills or knowledge of being able to even do a top down design. But now I can see it probably would be easier to get a better thermal regulation with a top down heat source, but the skill and knowledge jump to get to that point is beyond my hobby crafting limits. A plastic small tote also wouldn't let me hang the light bulb down from it well also because of the light bulb would end up hitting the cloth and towel wrapping the eggs and create fire hazards. (Maybe in other designs I'll be able to do more.)
I've got a homemade incubator set up using a light bulb some water in the bottom of a tote, air holes, a flooring piece with the eggs wrapped in towels etc.
I have two thermometers I've been using to work this out. I put one thermometer in the center, and the other one around the edges.
I'm surprised by how much variation there is between the center thermometer and the edges even though they are only about 3 inches apart. The center one I've been trying to keep between 96 and 102. By that I mean I'm actually just trying for 99, but its hard to keep it constant. But when I check the one around the edges, its continuously fluctuating to cooler ranges a lot, often around 90, 92, etc. (I do think the central area is fairly constant, but maybe just that far edge of the incubator is harder to reach.)
This raises more questions for me. Maybe most incubators are like this, because we can only get the main thermal reading in the center?
Have others experienced this also?
Not sure what to think of it honestly.
I kind of wish I could regulate the temperature around the edges better, but I don't know if I can. I did the best I could just getting this far.
But what do others think about this?
The edges of the nest or incubator in nature probably are like this also, but the chics, ducklings, etc hatch just fine most the time don't they? Are the temperature allowances bigger than we think? Or not sure how to even word this. But I'd like to get data and comments from others about this. Its quite interesting, but perplexing also.
Part of a homemade design issue is that I had to put the light bulb on the side and not on the top, because of not having the right skills or knowledge of being able to even do a top down design. But now I can see it probably would be easier to get a better thermal regulation with a top down heat source, but the skill and knowledge jump to get to that point is beyond my hobby crafting limits. A plastic small tote also wouldn't let me hang the light bulb down from it well also because of the light bulb would end up hitting the cloth and towel wrapping the eggs and create fire hazards. (Maybe in other designs I'll be able to do more.)
