Where to put thermometer

[henney penny]

Where is the best place to put the thermometer in the bator? Right now I have it off to the side on top of the eggs.I have a turner and a fan in my bator and its a styrofoam bator.I have ordered one with a sensor and digital readout where would be the best place to put the sensor?

 

[kuchchicks]

Do you have more than one? I have 2 digital thermometers with the probe. I try to put them off to the side on the top of the eggs (but since I have 2 I put one on each side). With a fan you should have more of a stable temp in the entire bator. I have noticed though that bators that have the heating ring around the top of the bator will sometimes have a slight temp differential at time even with a fan. If you have this, or if you have just one thermometer and you are at all concerned that maybe you might have hot/cold spots, you can get your eggs in a rotation every day and place them somewhere else in the bator. That way no one egg is constantly running hotter/colder than the other eggs and they each have equal time in all spots.

 

[henney penny]

I do have the heat ring. I had six thermometers in there yesterday and they all read different. Two human mercury ones,one human digital one,one digital incubator one,the one on top of the bator that is built in and a combination hygrometer and thermometer in one.So I ordered a new one today with the sensor,it is for bators and the reviews were very good on it. When it comes I will lay it in the middle

 

[kuchchicks]

Goodness, I bet you were going crazy! I think finding good thermometers that you can trust and know are accurate is probably the most frustrating part of incubating. Did you try to calibrate them? Search on this site, there are directions on how to do it. I have an extremely accurate thermometer that I could not use for the incubator. I placed it along with my probe thermometers on the counter for about 20 minutes and noted the temp. I repeated this in the fridge, and under my brooder light. I was able to determine that they were pretty close to the same temp (all within a degree). I then just ran my bator based on that. I did not allow myself to go crazy if I was not right at 99.5 (like I did on my first attempt at incubating,... LOL! I was a hot mess!). If my temp my anywhere from 98.5 to 101.5 I let things be. I have great hatches going with this. All of my chicks hatch on day 20 1/2 to day 21. So I know my temp is pretty much right on.

 

[henney penny]

Goodness, I bet you were going crazy!  I think finding good thermometers that you can trust and know are accurate is probably the most frustrating part of incubating.  Did you try to calibrate them?  Search on this site, there are directions on how to do it.  I have an extremely accurate thermometer that I could not use for the incubator.  I placed it along with my probe thermometers on the counter for about 20 minutes and noted the temp.  I repeated this in the fridge, and under my brooder light.  I was able to determine that they were pretty close to the same temp (all within a degree).  I then just ran my bator based on that.  I did not allow myself to go crazy if I was not right at 99.5 (like I did on my first attempt at incubating,... LOL!  I was a hot mess!).  If my temp my anywhere from 98.5 to 101.5 I let things be.  I have great hatches going with this.  All of my chicks hatch on day 20 1/2 to day 21.  So I know my temp is pretty much right on.

 

[henney penny]

I do calibrate the two that had the humidity in it neither one read right after 12 hours