Temps in Little Giant Still Air with Egg Turner

[kindir]

So I've put my first bunch of eggs in my incubator, and yes, next time I will be getting a fan kit... But as of right now I have 4 different thermometers and a Hygrometer in this thing and nothing is making sense!!!

The two cheap thermometers that came with the LG are on both ends sitting on top of the eggs. The one in the left window reads 102. The one in the right reads 99.2!

The digital accurite indoor/outdoor (I'm using the probe of the outdoor one inside the incubator) says 98.6 but it's not right at the top of the eggs, the probe sorta falls onto the egg turner, so it's probably in the middle of the eggs height-wise.

The accurite thermometer/hygrometer is stuck on the side of the incubator and reads a temp of about 99 and humidity of about 50%.

I have no idea which thermometer to believe! If I turn my temp up to get the digital thermometer higher the cheap thermometer on the left really spikes up.

I am going crazy messing with the heat here! Should I err on the side of cooler temps or warmer??? Other than getting a fan kit and/or a better incubator next time, any advice on how to avoid destroying all these eggs?

 

[greyartist]

It's only my second try, 1st only got 2, this time it's 3 and counting, hatching as I type. I have the LG still air with turner. I have used the thermometer on the flat plastic that came with it on top of the eggs, I think it is the most accurate. I have 2 digital/hydros. One is small and laying on an empty spot of the turner, the other has a prob that I drop through the air hole. I have kept up with the readings to see the differences. From start to lock down -the flat plastic has stayed pretty steady at 99.5 (instructions said it should be that) the inside dig reads 95.7 to 96.2- 25% to 34% humidity, the one with the prob has read 95 to 101. only added water through straw on to a sponge piece every few days. After lockdown, water added to rings, 97- 99.5 at 45%-55% humidity. And mine are hatching.

 

[kindir]

OK, I'll turn it down some then. It's amazing how much of a wreck you can be about a bunch of eggs!!! I put these in the incubator last night and I have probably checked it about 80 times since then!!!

 

[dbullock]

I used the little thermometer on the plastic that came with the little giant and egg-turner. I put it flat on the screen the whole time and it read slightly below the 100 mark the entire time. I added water on day 18. I just hatched 12 of 12 on my first attempt but it was more luck than anything I did, I can assure of that. Good luck.

 

[Kittymomma]

I'd ignore the cheapy ones that came with it. They're glued to a paper with the numbers on it and if they weren't placed properly at the factory (that wouldn't happen!) they're not accurate. I'd go with the digital one and/or pick up a regular little one (they're about $1.00) at the hardware store, target, or Wally world.

 

[greyartist]

I think where they are located is key. I have two of the flat on plastic ones and they read identical, two digitals that read different. But with the flat on top of the eggs nearer the heat source I would keep it at 99.5 to 100.5 and the others on the screen read lower because they where father from the heat source. 95-96 or so. That's what mine did. I have 5 hatched so far and many more piped

 

[Kittymomma]

Quote:
Agreed. I forgot to add that since I was hand turning anyhow I moved the eggs around the bator so nothing sat in a cold or hot spot for more then 8 hours or so. I had 22/24 hatch with two midway quiters so I was happy with it, but it took a bit of fussing.

ETA: Oooohhhhh, you have new fuzzy butts!

CONGRATS!

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

A good way to test the accuracy of your thermometers is to pick up a cheap digital oral thermometer for people at your local drug store. Ours cost $3.99 at Publix. They are guaranteed accurite to +/- 0.2 degrees. Put it through the air hole and see what it reads. That will tell you which of your thermometers is the most accurite.
Other tricks with the L/G's is to have it in a place with little or no air movement and as constant of an ambient air temperature as possible.
Don't place the incubator thermometer near the turner motor. The motor does produce heat and will throw off your temp reading.
The temp adjustment knob is extremely sensitive on an L/G so just a hairline adjustment will change the temp by 5 or 6 degrees.
We dry incubate, meaning we add no water to the bator during the 18 days if incubation. We actually pull our eggs on day 19 and place them in a homebuilt hatcher. In the hatcher we will place a metal cup with water to boost humidity a bit for hatching. We consistently have hatch percentages between 90 and 95 percent.