Using a Human (Children's) Temporal Thermometer on Eggs?

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Livingskies

Livingskies

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May 24, 2019
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Has anyone used a children's temporal (forehead) scanning thermometer on incubating eggs? I've had some mega thermometer issues (I now have 4 in there and they all read different, there is a spread of 4 degrees F). Only 12/30 fertiles are still alive and its Day 12. When I brought out the kids' thermometer the air temp read 103.8 F and the internal egg temps 101.5-103. I cranked the heat way down and the air temp is now 99.3 and the internal egg (using it like I scan a forehead) is 99.5-100.5. My other thermometers placed around the incubator (Hovabator with fan) read 96-98 F. I do rotate them to ensure that all spots are reading pretty much the same.

Go with the (human) medical thermometer and hope I don't get sticky chicks?
 
I'm not sure how the medical one actually works, but I would have thought it more accurate actually on the egg than in the air? If I measure the air temp with the temporal thermometer it's more like 98.5-99. But I don't know if it's as accurate in air as reflecting off blood/liquid? I just know my stupid bulb ones and digital one ended up cooking my embryos :( I read on a really old thread here the other day the suggestion to get fish tank thermometers so that is on my to-do list tomorrow. I think this batch is probably pretty much done in though so will try to figure out the temp thing for next round. I'm thinking maybe a candy thermometer?

My humidity is 58%. I calibrated it using the salt test. I want to get it down to 50% and then raise to 65% for lockdown. Does that sound about right?
 
Livingskies said:
My humidity is 58%. I calibrated it using the salt test. I want to get it down to 50% and then raise to 65% for lockdown. Does that sound about right?
Click to expand...
What color eggs are you hatching? My preferred humidity is 35-45% days 1-18 (lower for dark eggs) and raised to 65-70% for lock down. Some folks refer to it as "dry hatching". Here is one article that got me to try it...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...h-eggs-using-the-dry-incubation-method.47694/

The reason testing the egg surface isn't accurate is kinda like if you have wood floor or tile or carpet or concrete.. even at the same ambient temperature one feels cooler or warmer than the other. I'm not sure if your thermometer type actually changes it?? Some folks will use a baggie filled with water and stick the thermometer in the center of it folded over the top... meaning dry and on the outside of the fluid.

Fish tank thermometers aren't that accurate to me... but maybe! The little floating type seemed decent if I remember my fish days very well.

With digital, I have discovered that it's important to keep the batteries fresh.

Even in my forced air bators... temps do vary through out. I just figure out what my good average is and use it.. or how far off the thermometer is and include it in my calculations. Usually the temp is lowest near vent holes. But rotating the eggs around like you said (or you meant the thermometer) is what I do to keep my hatch frame tight.. as air can get baffled on things and it can warmer near the turning motor.

Gee, I struggle to get my candy thermometer to work for candy! But I have used meat thermometers and even standard instant read stuck though my top vent hole... reads 104 when I'm good... in my non circulated one. It's mostly a matter of figuring out your actual parameters and getting familiar with your little tweaks. Too many thermometers is enough to make anyone crazy! But it sounds like you have a good plan for dialing it in.

I would keep the temp where you have it now and see how it goes. :pop
 
Argh there was someone here who said the fish tank ones were the best! The digital was brand new with brand new batteries, I honestly had no idea that thermometers could be that far off, from each other, and from true temp (which I have no idea which is correct - only the garage one goes down to 0 to test against ice water).

I think I will go with my medical one and see if I can find a correction to apply to a couple others. I like having them in different spots so I can see how consistent the temp is, but it does seem within 0.5-1 with the circulated air. Good point about the vent. I had one near the vent and thus it was probably measuring cooler from that.

Great idea about the water baggie. I will try that tonight when I get home from work!
 
Lol. I had read a different dry hatch article yesterday, but this one was egg-cellent. I printed it out for future reference. I was confused about pulling the vent plugs out during days 1-18 and putting them in 18-21 which is backwards to what the manual says, but I'm game to try. It's just super depressing to lose babies. But I can't do any worse than this :barnie:hit
 
I really like hatching at a lower humidity (I live in humid TN and 25-30% works pretty well in the spring/summer for me, closer to 40% in the winter). I wouldn't worry at all about having the plugs out during the first 18 days (I always have my vents open) but plugging all the vents at lockdown (like the article suggests) would make me extremely nervous since chicks need more oxygen when they hatch especially with the higher humidity required for hatching.

Good luck with your hatch, I hope some of your remaining little ones make it! :fl
 

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