Thermometer questions

[ClosetChicks]

I'm thinking about trying again after two failed hatches and decided to get another thermometer just to cover all of my bases. I was also looking for a water wiggler, but couldn't find one.

Anyway, I have the two thermometers side by side and they are reading 2 degrees apart...now how do I know which one to trust?

Also, I had the thermometer with the probe attached to the inside wall of the bator on my last two tries and just read not to do that, and that the thermometers should be in the middle? I have a still air incubator, if that matters.

I want to attempt to figure out what went wrong before I try again because I really, really want chicks this time!

Thanks!

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

2 degrees apart is about average. I would split the difference and go with that figure. The thermometer should be about the same level as the eggs. It just give you a better idea of what the temp is at the level of the eggs...not in the corner of the bator. Sometimes I lay the thermometer on top of my eggs if there isn't room for it to lay beside them.

 

[Chicken Woman]

I got a couple water wigglers from Amazon. What should the temp of the wiggler be. Does that show the internal temp of egg?

 

[millebantam]

Believe it or not, I still use a couple of those old mercury incubator thermometers. I know that they're not the most environmentally friendly, but they are pretty darn accurate, as long as you don't get any separation of the mercury. They have been using them for 100 years. I have a couple of old brass Buckeyes. You see them every once in a while on Ebay.

 

[BeardedChick]

Does that show the internal temp of egg?

Yes, it approximates the inner egg temperature. It's harder to go by the air temperature, because it swings around quite a bit. The wiggler temperature should stay more steady.

That said, I notice I often have to adjust my thermostat by a degree or two whenever a big weather changes comes through and the barometric pressure drops a lot. I can tell things are off because the wiggler temperature will read too high or too low (usually too high in my case, I get nervous when it gets to 101 or above).

I saw your temperature question got answered on the other thread...