Thermometer placement during lockdown

[MagnoliaBrahma]

It's been about 8 years since I set eggs. I just had a hatch 4/23 and I set new eggs a couple of days ago. But I have a question that I just cannot find an answer to, and it was a problem with the last hatch.

For those that have incubators with the thermometer attached to the plastic sheet that you set on top of the eggs (I assume that not all incubators are like that but I don't know I've only ever had this one)
Where do you put your thermometer during lockdown?

I put mine On top of the eggs as usual, but then found that the chicks that hatched would inevitably knock it down and then the temperature would get out of whack.
My hatch rate wasn't great (18/35) but almost all unhatched eggs had fully developed chicks in them so I'm trying to figure out what went wrong.

I suspect due to the thermometer being knocked around, and me trying really hard not to open the incubator, the Temps got too hot.
Eventually I couldn't take it anymore so started to take the chicks out after there got to be a couple of them. No chicks were ever shrink wrapped so I don't think that caused any issues, however a couple chicks hatched sticky, so actually I may have had too much humidity (i tried to keep it at 75% but it spiked with each hatch)

I'm trying to decide what to do with this round. If someone has any good suggestions on keeping that thermometer stable? Or if I should just plan to remove chicks as soon as they hatch.

(my recent hatch)

 

[Tonyroo]

Post a picture of your incubator so people can see if it is similar to yours.

 

[MagnoliaBrahma]

The second black cord and the black thermo/hygrometer I added. But you can see the red and black thermometer that attaches to the incubator thermostat

 

[MagnoliaBrahma]

Before anyone panics none of the Temps displayed are correct, lol. Most of them read about 2 - 3 degrees high.
I have a chart for the calibration of each one

 

[elorraine52]

It's been about 8 years since I set eggs. I just had a hatch 4/23 and I set new eggs a couple of days ago. But I have a question that I just cannot find an answer to, and it was a problem with the last hatch.

For those that have incubators with the thermometer attached to the plastic sheet that you set on top of the eggs (I assume that not all incubators are like that but I don't know I've only ever had this one)
Where do you put your thermometer during lockdown?

I put mine On top of the eggs as usual, but then found that the chicks that hatched would inevitably knock it down and then the temperature would get out of whack.
My hatch rate wasn't great (18/35) but almost all unhatched eggs had fully developed chicks in them so I'm trying to figure out what went wrong.

I suspect due to the thermometer being knocked around, and me trying really hard not to open the incubator, the Temps got too hot.
Eventually I couldn't take it anymore so started to take the chicks out after there got to be a couple of them. No chicks were ever shrink wrapped so I don't think that caused any issues, however a couple chicks hatched sticky, so actually I may have had too much humidity (i tried to keep it at 75% but it spiked with each hatch)

I'm trying to decide what to do with this round. If someone has any good suggestions on keeping that thermometer stable? Or if I should just plan to remove chicks as soon as they hatch.

(my recent hatch)
View attachment 3484916

nice hatch!! love the picture <3