Who is with me?

[Gunswayne]

Quote:
I have 3 LG bators going right now. All three have the thermometer that came with them in the bators plus digitals. For me, the cheap ones have worked out much better than the digital ones. I checked them after my last hatch by putting all of them next to my house thermometer. The cheapo's were right on the money and the digital ones read all over the place. One was 10 degrees off! I am only using the digitals for humidity now. Much less stess this way for me.
Good luck on your hatch!

 

[walkswithdog]

Quote:
I have 3 LG bators going right now. All three have the thermometer that came with them in the bators plus digitals. For me, the cheap ones have worked out much better than the digital ones. I checked them after my last hatch by putting all of them next to my house thermometer. The cheapo's were right on the money and the digital ones read all over the place. One was 10 degrees off! I am only using the digitals for humidity now. Much less stess this way for me.
Good luck on your hatch!

BA - Black Australorp

Air temperature in an incubator is never a consistent temperature - air is always being traded from outside to inside - or they'd suffocate.

The temperature inside an egg and a water wiggler represents the temperature at which the cycling air is actually keeping the eggs.

While a smaller air temp variation is desireable over all, no incubator doesn't have an air temperature range. Your thermometers may be reflecting that range.

If you've checked the accuracy of the thermometer with the probe in the water wiggler - then believe it.

If you didn't, use silly putty, play dough or that flour dough you make for kids - wrap it so it won't dry and stuff it in the bator for at least 4-6 hours, then stick a medical thermometer into it - if you want to reuse it don't tear the wrapper, and check the internal temp of the putty/dough. A medical thermometer is more accurate than most OTC digitals or will tell you if yours is accurate. That is your ACTUAL temperature. If it's .5 or .8 or one degree off you just remember that when you look at your digitals and subtract to know your actual temps.

Medical thermometers are "contact" thermometers and MUST be surrounded and in contact with a substance to accurately read temperature they cannot accurately sense air temps.

Good luck and good hatching...

 

[riqui1]

It is a still air incubator, also an LG (if that stands for Little Giant), so I guess I will look for the temps to be a bit higher.

If by "medical thermometer" you are referring to the good old-fashioned mercury thermometers that goes under the tongue, that's what I have inside a playdough egg that is wrapped in Saran Wrap. It has not left the incubator since I put it in there yesterday. That's what I have been trying to use as a guideline for my temps. Currently, that is reading 100.5. Unfortunately, I wasn't smart enough to check the other thermo before I opened the bator to add some water!

So, with my humidity running just above 50% and my "fake egg" temp at 100.5, I am hoping that I am safe to put my eggs in. I have about 4 hours, so if there is anything I need to tweak, please let me know!

Sorry if I am being a bit annoying with this; I guess I am a bit paranoid about screwing up and having it have been something simple!!

Thank you for your patience!! I guess that comes from all of your past hatches!! lol

 

[walkswithdog]

Thn 100.5 is your actual egg temperature since you are using a medical thermometer and that works. Always figure that unless your putty dries out - it's the accurate thermometer. When you add water poke that sucker to make sure it's still soft. The other is an air temp, if I were doing still air, I'd have two - one on top of the wire, one on top of the eggs.

If you can you want to keep the still air temp at the top of the eggs at right around 102. The eggs lay in a thermal layer that runs from the water tray to the top of the eggs. Since your "egg" simulator is 100.5 you've got it about perfect. Many people lay a liquid garden thermometer on top of the eggs - or set a digital up there. Just to give you something you can glance at quickly for reference.

Even if your "egg" temp falls to 99. Do not FREAK out and adjust the thermostat in huge jumps. LG's respond much better to a tiny tap, and see, adjustment. Tap and watch for several hours. 99 degrees is perfectly safe for even a couple of days. Over that it might slow a hatch but it's still safe. So adjust over LONG hours, in tiny bits.

As soon as you try to MAKE an LG "do something rapidly" it will tell you to go where it's hot.... and take your eggs there... and it will over compensate and spike.

So patience. You're doing fine. You should be in a totally safe range to begin.

 

[chickie_mama]

Hey Chickie Buddies!!!!
We are back from vacation. We had a really great time. I candled just about as soon as we got home. Out of the 13 guinea eggs, I had 6 fertile and growing. My 2 pea eggs are developing nicely!!!!

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

I wanna see pictures of the RGPs!!!!

 

[countrybum]

For you chickie mama.

Walkswithdog, what do you do with all the quail? I think I asked that before, but

so I am asking again if I did.

Chickiemama, I can just see you coming in the door and going straight to candle before doing anything else.

 

[chickie_mama]

CB, You are eggs-actly right! I came straight in and went downstairs to find out what was going on with my eggies! I am soooooo excited. I have told DH they were "surprise eggs". His dad raised peafowl when he was growing up so he is aware of the noise. DH said.... "You are not getting peacocks". So I told him I got "surprise eggs" "Boy won't he be surprised.

I think I am going to go ahead and order more blue slate eggs tomorrow or Tuesday. I really, really, really need another turkey!!!!

 

[countrybum]

I am just delighted they are doing good. As for the turkey, get it now and raise it up, it will be plenty big enough come Thanksgiving.

Sending you hatching vibes.

My next hatch is due in 8 days. My peafowl egg, I am giving the 30 days, but I think it died during one of the two 104 spikes.

It was doing so well up until then. I am keeping a closer eye on the temp for the other 2.

Live and learn.

 

[chickie_mama]

Is anyone else totally addicted to candling like I am?????

I am just in awe of the entire process.

I love to see the little guys swimming around!

 

[riqui1]

I am not addicted, but I believe that is only because I haven't done it yet! I am excited by performing my first egg-ultrasound! I have been trying to read up and find out when it is best to start, as I realize that starting too soon is just a "waste of time", how often it can/should be done, etc. It seems that there are so many different opinions...it tends to get rather confusing! lol