Too Early for Feb Hatch-A-Long Thread??

[BluebirdHomestead]

I'm in. I might get around to setting eggs today or tomorrow at the latest.
I have January HAL egg due to hatch on the 29th.

What are you going to set and what do you have hatching this month?

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

Currently trying to get my temp and humidity right and all my thermometers and hygrometers are way different. Sigh.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What are you going to set and what do you have hatching this month?

All black variety Penedesencas. That is all I have raised for almost 8 years.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Currently trying to get my temp and humidity right and all my thermometers and hygrometers are way different. Sigh.

I can certainly sympathize. I've been through that with a lot of failed hatches. I wish I knew then what I know now. Either one or two guaranteed accurate thermometers or calibrate them. When I did that, I threw all the others away since they were worthless for incubating. Most thermometers will be off by up to 2 degrees or more. That includes incubator company thermometers and incubator controllers.
The two best thermometers I know of that won't also break the bank are the Brinsea spot check and this pocket digital from Thermoworks.
https://www.thermoworks.com/RT301WA
After never being able to keep a hygrometer calibrated, I switched to weighing eggs rather than constantly check humidity. I weigh before I set, and then weekly. If too much weight is lost, add water. If not enough, let it dry out.
As long as weight loss is correct, so is the humidity.
One of these gram scales will do the job.
https://americanweigh.com/index.php?cPath=24
Weight loss should be about 0.6% per day.
https://poultryperformanceplus.com/information-database/incubation/283-weight-loss-during-incubation
If you are convinced you need a hygrometer, which is a good idea, you might try one from a humidor company.
I found this $7 analog one from cigars international to be fairly accurate for a low price.
https://www.cigarsinternational.com/shop/?q=hygrometer
Whichever you choose, it still needs calibration.

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

I can certainly sympathize. I've been through that with a lot of failed hatches. I wish I knew then what I know now. Either one or two guaranteed accurate thermometers or calibrate them. When I did that, I threw all the others away since they were worthless for incubating. Most thermometers will be off by up to 2 degrees or more. That includes incubator company thermometers and incubator controllers.
The two best thermometers I know of that won't also break the bank are the Brinsea spot check and this pocket digital from Thermoworks.
https://www.thermoworks.com/RT301WA
After never being able to keep a hygrometer calibrated, I switched to weighing eggs rather than constantly check humidity. I weigh before I set, and then weekly. If too much weight is lost, add water. If not enough, let it dry out.
As long as weight loss is correct, so is the humidity.
One of these gram scales will do the job.
https://americanweigh.com/index.php?cPath=24
Weight loss should be about 0.6% per day.
https://poultryperformanceplus.com/information-database/incubation/283-weight-loss-during-incubation
If you are convinced you need a hygrometer, which is a good idea, you might try one from a humidor company.
I found this $7 analog one from cigars international to be fairly accurate for a low price.
https://www.cigarsinternational.com/shop/?q=hygrometer
Whichever you choose, it still needs calibration.

I’ve been messing with things over the past day and think I’m honing in. I have a very good meat thermometer and checked it in boiling water (at the temp it should be for my altitude) and it was exact. And then I compared that with my therm-pro one and my incubator one. It matches the therm-pro within a point and they agree that the incubator runs a degree and a half hot. So I have it turned down as much as I can. Incubator says 98.3 and other thermometers say 99.9°. Hoping I can make that work. Going to try putting it on a taller table today and see how that changes the temp.
As far as humidity goes, the therm-pro and incubator are within a few points. I’m going to weigh the eggs so not too worried. Awesome to know I should be looking for .6% loss per day. I was about to go calculate that.

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

All black variety Penedesencas. That is all I have raised for almost 8 years.

I just googled them! Beautiful!!

 

[Dharmachick]

I'm getting 13 whiting true blues the fifteenth. I bought the first batch on eBay and the incubator got unplugged when we were moving furniture. I turned it up and forgot and it went up to 106. I thought they would all be dead but I have 7 left on day 17 that are still alive! I also ordered 12 BCM eggs from eBay, and she sent me 18. Yikes! That was nice of her, but that brings the total to 37 eggs! Well, I've only had 100% hatches with eggs from Meyer Hatchery.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That's a miracle.
That they developed with the temperature swings, I mean.

 

[LilyD]

Started collecting for a Valentines hatch hoping fora few dozen.

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

Both of my dozen eggs are in route and supposed to arrive Thurs!! Nervous!