UPDATE!!! Please help....temperature was perfect until I put eggs in.

[trinacliff]

Here we go...on the incubator roller coaster! LOL Lastnight, I noticed it got down to 90 degrees and has stayed there every since...why does my bator that everyone has said holds temps so well, already not held it's temp? The temperature in the room maybe was a tad cooler lastnight as it was yesterday...but we pretty much keep the house from 70 to 72. Would a 2 degree change in room temperature affect the bator? I turned the temperature screw just a smidge to increase it a little...just enough so I could feel it actualy moved. It says 1/4 turn is about equal it 2 degree temp change, so I don't want to even turn it 1/8th of a turn. I guess I will just try to creep it up little by little until it gets back up there?

First, I'm worried too cool at 99 on mercury thermometer, gets up to good temperature, then goes back down...what is up with that? Is something wrong with my incubator?

Thanks for holding my hand....hahaha!

Kristen

 

[lildinkem]

My temp is ALWAYS set near 99. When the day gets close to the final three days the heat from the little ones in the eggs always raises it up to near 101. Better a degree colder then too hot.

 

[trinacliff]

Quote:
Good to know....should I just leave it if it is staying around 99? It is still just barely over 99 according to my digital thermometer...and even cooler according to my mercury. I have barely turned the screw several times a day to increase temperature, and even though I have done it gradually, I know I have changed it...but it has yet to increase the temperature according to the thermometers.

 

[Overeasyplz]

I have been dinking with the thermostat, the light bulb, the placement of eggs and water dish, ect, and even though I thought I had ruined my eggs tonight I candled and 7 out of 10 are doing fine! They can take more abuse than we give credit for, even tho I think I have an ulcer over the whole process....lol

 

[Happy Chooks]

Nature isn't perfect either. You can "screw up" more than you think. I thought I really screwed mine up the last 3 days when I added too much water.(it said fill ALL the trays, so I did......big mistake) I ended up having to dump some out, and the temperature dropped really low and took a long time to come back up. I still had 5 out of 7 eggs hatch.

 

[trinacliff]

OMG!!! I just candled three eggs out of 17 eggs half way through Day 6...even to a newbie, it was obvious they are developing just fine! WHOOOOOO Chickeee HOOOOOO! I saw the veins, spider like thing...and one big spot that moved around...on it's own. Wow, that is sooooo incredible!!! I'm so pumped....can you tell??? Now I need to calm my happy blankety blank down, be patient and hold it together for 2 more weeks. I check those temps and humidity every few hours. Leave them alone until day 18, right? You sure? LOL I really have to sit still and do nothing? Oh my, I don't think I can....when should I candle again? I don't need to candle all of them, do I?? I hate opening the bator....I hate messing with the eggs....they are so lined up in there, that I would waste so much time moving them to check them. Do you guys leave the top off of the bator for all that time? I know, I know...the broody leaves her nest...sometimes....LOL!

Ok, I'm done.....

Kristen

 

[trinacliff]

STOP THE PRESS! I need to play the lottery, I guess...I got brave and decided it was so easy that I went and candled the rest of the eggs...only 5 total are developing out of 17. One had an obvious blood ring, one looked like a blood ring was beginning and the others looked like nothing was ever happening. Boo Hoo...my odds go down now...what are the chances of hatching 5 chicks out of 5 that are definitely developing? What are the odds of hatching even just a couple? Is there any chance that those others are just too early to see anything? I wouldn't think so since they all were set at the same time.

The three eggs I picked randomly to candle because they were the easiest to get to were all developing....

Thanks for reading my ramblings....LOL

Kristen

 

[TommyVT05]

Kristen,

That is not really unusual. If you think about it, you are adding more density to your incubator while the stabalized temp was already set at a lower density. It should actually drop for a while and come right back up but if you let things run its course, it shouldn't really shift that much overall, perhaps by .2 - .4 F at the most really (and thats if you put in like 12 more eggs or so).
Good luck!

- Tommy

 

[MuranoFarms]

Whenever I candle and it looks like I have a quitter, I put it in the last row. 2 days later I check it again. If it still looks gone, I take it out. I've been right on all but 1. That one, I was sure was done then on his last candling he moved! I checked him again today and he's still developing. He's smaller then the rest from his batch, but he's still coming along. Don't give up on your other 12 just yet, give them a few days and check again. They might surprise you.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I've only hatched once, but I'd candle somewhere between 12 and 14 days. It will be obvious at that point who's developing and who's not. That way you can remove the bad eggs before you lock the bator down for hatching.

Good luck!