- Jun 2, 2011
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I'm not an expert, but I have done a ton of reading on it. I have two Farm Innovator Styrofoam bators that I got off of Craigslist. I wanted to start for not much money and don't really need to hatch a bunch of chicks at once. One is just like the one at tractor supply with digital temperature and humidity readings. The other is older so the display isn't digital. I actually prefer the older one. Both have fans which I think is helpful. I also have only used an automatic turner.
Put your incubator in a place that doesn't have much fluctuation in temperature. So nowhere with a breeze or direct sunlight. Get some glass fishtank thermometers from wal-mart or pet store. Calibrate them with ice water/boiling water and put them in the incubator with the turner in there and running (The motor on the turner causes some heat). I also use a digital temperature and humidity display I got for like $8. Put that in there. Let the temperature settle. Compare the glass with the digital. Because you calibrated the glass ones, you will know how much the digital one is off. The nice thing about the digital one is that mine shows me a high and low temp for the day, so I know if the bator is fluctuating or holding steady. Slowly adjust the knob and let it settle out. You want 99.5 if you have a fan. For me, that means I want my digital thermometer to have a high and low between 99 and 100. 1 degree either way shouldn't matter too much. Now, put your eggs in. Again, let it settle out because the cooler eggs will absorb the heat and drop the temperature for a little bit.
I now do a dry hatch. I don't add any water to the incubator until lockdown on Day 18. I do candle Day 7 and 14 to get rid of any empties or blood rings, etc. As long as the air cell is getting bigger, which it always has, I don't see a need to change anything. Day 18 take the turner out. Lift the metal floor and place two warm water soaked sponges in the bottom of the incubator. I place my sponges below the vent holes so I can use a straw to add water if needed during lockdown. Put the metal floor back in and on top of it place some non-slip drawer liner so the chicks have good footing. Place the eggs in without the turner and let it come back to temp. Wait for chicks to hatch.
I recently had all shipped eggs and I had about 50% hatch rate which is about the norm for shipped eggs given the damage they experience in transit. Another hatch, I had almost all local eggs with 75% hatch rate of the shipped eggs and >95% hatch rate of local eggs. Using eggs less than 7 days old also makes a big difference.
You can have good success with Styrofoam bators if you optimize the conditions and learn the way that works for you and your bator. You will learn a lot along the way!
