The 4th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long

[JoyfulPromise]

HELP!!!! I turned my LG incubator back on this afternoon to warm it up and check it before tomorrow. It has a fan and a turner. My new digital thermometer/hygrometer with probe was stuck at 97.7 for a while, then when I tried to move the probe over right in the middle of the turner where the eggs will go, it is slowly going up and just now, it has actually stopped at the magic 99.5º F!!!

This new digital thermometer has SEEMED to be pretty accurate, it matches our thermostat in the hallway when held near it, and it matched another plastic thermometer that we already had and used. BUT!!! I had my mom get another plastic thermometer with a little hygrometer on the bottom today, because the old one had been left outside, and seemed to be off. Well, this new thermometer, which is resting on the egg turner inside the LG, is registering 102ºF or higher!!! So I put in another little see-through plastic thermometer - the kind that sticks on windows with suction cups - and it seems to agree with the digital thermo. But THEN I tried sticking a human medical thermometer down one of the vent holes, and after some hesitation, it beeped at 101ºF!!! So what do I believe??????

BTW, the humidity says 20% on the Digital, and between 20-25% on the plastic one, so that is ok, right?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Boil some water and put ice in more water. When the ice is almost melted pour out two cups and add one cup of boiling water. Mix it and it will be exactly 92 degrees F. Check your digital probe with that and make a note how far off it reads. Don't use multiple thermometers it will only drive you crazy.

You should also perform a salt test on your hygrometer. Bottle cap of salt, add drops of water until it's a paste not a slurry. Put hygrometer and bottle cap in zip lock bag and wait 4 hours. It will be exactly 75% humidity. However far off it reads make a note of that and your hygrometer is calibrated.

 

[budmarvinfarm]

Well have been asked to share a couple of my newly hatched chicks ( hopefully they hatch) with a friends family. They are coming to her place for Easter on Sat. 30th so thought I'd start a day early so the chicks are ready, dried and fed before they are ready to greet young children...LOL..
I have 42 Aracana/Americana /EE...in incubator, so please count me in.....

 

[JoyfulPromise]

Boil some water and put ice in more water. When the ice is almost melted pour out two cups and add one cup of boiling water. Mix it and it will be exactly 92 degrees F. Check your digital probe with that and make a note how far off it reads. Don't use multiple thermometers it will only drive you crazy.

You should also perform a salt test on your hygrometer. Bottle cap of salt, add drops of water until it's a paste not a slurry. Put hygrometer and bottle cap in zip lock bag and wait 4 hours. It will be exactly 75% humidity. However far off it reads make a note of that and your hygrometer is calibrated.

Tell me about it! "In a multitude of thermometers there is CONFUSION!!" I have read about calibrating before, but my problem is that all my thermometers and hygrometers are connected! The digital probe is both thermo AND hygro, and the plastic ones are stuck together on the same plastic background too. Won't it hurt the hygrometer to stick it in a cup of water?

 

[sarah92107]

I have saved 24 splash silkie eggs so far to set, # to increase as the ladies keep laying...

My guess for total eggs to hatch is 3,222

My Guess for total eggs set will be 4,962

Happy Hatching

 

[Arielle]

HELP!!!! I turned my LG incubator back on this afternoon to warm it up and check it before tomorrow. It has a fan and a turner. My new digital thermometer/hygrometer with probe was stuck at 97.7 for a while, then when I tried to move the probe over right in the middle of the turner where the eggs will go, it is slowly going up and just now, it has actually stopped at the magic 99.5º F!!!

This new digital thermometer has SEEMED to be pretty accurate, it matches our thermostat in the hallway when held near it, and it matched another plastic thermometer that we already had and used. BUT!!! I had my mom get another plastic thermometer with a little hygrometer on the bottom today, because the old one had been left outside, and seemed to be off. Well, this new thermometer, which is resting on the egg turner inside the LG, is registering 102ºF or higher!!! So I put in another little see-through plastic thermometer - the kind that sticks on windows with suction cups - and it seems to agree with the digital thermo. But THEN I tried sticking a human medical thermometer down one of the vent holes, and after some hesitation, it beeped at 101ºF!!! So what do I believe??????

BTW, the humidity says 20% on the Digital, and between 20-25% on the plastic one, so that is ok, right?

102 is not the end of the world. THe hen runs at 102.

THe LG is not stable thruout -- it has pockets of warmer and cooler, and the closer to the coil the warmer, and on the mesh the cooler. All about averages. This is why you need to learn your own equipment. New doesnot equate accurate, as in correct.

I just ran a test hatch to check out all my thermometers. With eggs laid on the sides and thermometer on top, the temps ran from 100-106, on the other side of the incubator the temps ran a little lower. THat is the importance of moving the eggs all around the incubator to have a narrow range in hatching time.

I was scared to death I had cooked the eggs!! They hatched about a day late! WTH? Two pipped on day 21,most hatched on day 22, and a few on day 23. THis tells me that my temps are a little low, despite what the glass fish tank thermometers say. Or I can't read them very well! lol

 

[Arielle]

HELP!!!! I turned my LG incubator back on this afternoon to warm it up and check it before tomorrow. It has a fan and a turner. My new digital thermometer/hygrometer with probe was stuck at 97.7 for a while, then when I tried to move the probe over right in the middle of the turner where the eggs will go, it is slowly going up and just now, it has actually stopped at the magic 99.5º F!!!

This new digital thermometer has SEEMED to be pretty accurate, it matches our thermostat in the hallway when held near it, and it matched another plastic thermometer that we already had and used. BUT!!! I had my mom get another plastic thermometer with a little hygrometer on the bottom today, because the old one had been left outside, and seemed to be off. Well, this new thermometer, which is resting on the egg turner inside the LG, is registering 102ºF or higher!!! So I put in another little see-through plastic thermometer - the kind that sticks on windows with suction cups - and it seems to agree with the digital thermo. But THEN I tried sticking a human medical thermometer down one of the vent holes, and after some hesitation, it beeped at 101ºF!!! So what do I believe??????

BTW, the humidity says 20% on the Digital, and between 20-25% on the plastic one, so that is ok, right?

PS. I use the RH just to know the ball park. In my house it can fluctuate a lot depends on the ambient RH. I dry hatch , which means I don't add water into the well unless I think the moisture level is too low. ON the last hatch RH was running at 19%-- way lower than normal, so I added water then let it dry out for a day, By day 18 the air cells were too small. I delayed lockdown until the cells were the correct size. Thank goodness they hatched late!

 

[wolftracks]

Multi didn't work and then my page froze

I had gone back to check what I was posting to and then closed it down before the freeze. Then I had to refresh! ughggg


Got a few little quail hatched out this morning. I sure wish chickens hatched that fast. 123, they're out!

OK I have a question for those with cabinet bators. Is there any way at all to stack?? I don't see how it's possible, but I know there are some died hard hatchers that can figure anything out.

OK, while waiting for that answer, like it's gonna be answered, LOL, I think I'm going to go auction some eggs. I've actually run out of space in the bators with just MY eggs! You can hear turners in every room! But I hate to waste any of these eggs. The projects we can eat, but I'm to sensitive to waste the others.

 

[Mumsy]

102 is not the end of the world. THe hen runs at 102.

THe LG is not stable thruout -- it has pockets of warmer and cooler, and the closer to the coil the warmer, and on the mesh the cooler. All about averages. This is why you need to learn your own equipment. New doesnot equate accurate, as in correct.

I just ran a test hatch to check out all my thermometers. With eggs laid on the sides and thermometer on top, the temps ran from 100-106, on the other side of the incubator the temps ran a little lower. THat is the importance of moving the eggs all around the incubator to have a narrow range in hatching time.

I was scared to death I had cooked the eggs!! They hatched about a day late! WTH? Two pipped on day 21,most hatched on day 22, and a few on day 23. THis tells me that my temps are a little low, despite what the glass fish tank thermometers say. Or I can't read them very well! lol

X 2
I use multiple thermometers all the time in different corners, on the eggs, on the floor. I move my eggs around the bator each time I turn them. The still air LG does better in the 100 to 102 degree range in my experience. I also did a test hatch. 100% of viable embyros hatched. When I ran this bator at 99 degrees that hatch was draggy with lower percentage of live chicks. For this hatch a long, I've started my eggs in the still air LG and will switch them into the Genesis 1588 half way through. Hoping they don't get messed up but I have no choice. The Genesis if full of eggs right now.

 

[CherokeeFlats]

I'll be setting eggs tomorrow morning before noon as I have to be at a rabbit show by 7 am. Is that going to be ok?? or maybe tonight would be best??