Confused about incubator temperatures...

[Bryam]

Hello!
So I just completed hatching some silkie eggs in a Hovabator 1588 with forced air, and all my chicks hatched out on days 22-24. I considered this hatch to be really late. The entire time my therometer read 99.5-100F, something must be wrong, because this is the ideal incubation temperature for my incubator, and all of my chicks hatched late. So now I am starting a new batch of silkie eggs, and this time I placed the eggs in an automatic turner, which seems to create a different dynamic with air flow and temp, as the temp on the same incubator / thermometer reads 100-101F, (mostly 100.5 F) is this temp still safe for a forced air incubator? I am thinking the thermometer might be slightly off. Should I be worried, or wait and candle the eggs in a few days?

Thanks for your help!!

 

[chickens really]

You have the same incubator as I have....I am on day 17 with Duck eggs....Mine reads the same temp and my Humidity is 50%...

I have no idea, as this is my first time trying to Hatch eggs.......


Hope someone hops in soon.....


Cheers!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Have you calibrated your thermometer? It’s not that unusual for a thermometer to be off a little, sometimes as much as a few degrees. I never trust a thermometer for incubating that I have not confirmed it is reading correctly. I especially don’t trust any thermometer that comes with the incubator. My first thermometer reads about a full degree F high. My second one is adjustable so I could correct it. When I got it, it was reading about 2 degrees low.

There are a lot of different things that can affect whether the eggs are early or late. It’s not that unusual for them to be a full two days early or late, even under a broody hen. Average incubating temperature is an important factor but it’s not the only one. If your hatch is consistently late your thermometer probably is reading a bit too high, which means it’s a bit cooler in the incubator than you think. To me one hatch is not enough to confirm that though. If you had a decent hatch the first time I’d carry on and see how this one turns out before you start to tweak your incubator.

There is a common mistake people make especially when their hatches are late. How are you counting the days? An egg does not have 24 hours of development 2 minutes or 2 hours after you put it in the incubator. It takes 24 hours for it to have a day’s worth of development. In counting to 21 you say “1” 24 hours after you put them in. An easy way to check your counting, the day of the week you put them in is the day of the week the 21 days is up. If you start them on a Friday, the 21 days is up on a Friday. They can still be early or late, but the 21 days are up then.

I use the medical thermometer method myself.

Calibrate a Thermometer
http://www.allfoodbusiness.com/calibrating_thermometers.php

Rebel’s Thermometer Calibration
http://cmfarm.us/ThermometerCalibration.html

 

[Bryam]

Okay, thanks!

 

[Bryam]

You have the same incubator as I have....I am on day 17 with Duck eggs....Mine reads the same temp and my Humidity is 50%...

I have no idea, as this is my first time trying to Hatch eggs.......


Hope someone hops in soon.....


Cheers!

Hey! Are you hand turning your eggs, or are you using an automatic turner?

 

[Bryam]

Have you calibrated your thermometer? It’s not that unusual for a thermometer to be off a little, sometimes as much as a few degrees. I never trust a thermometer for incubating that I have not confirmed it is reading correctly. I especially don’t trust any thermometer that comes with the incubator. My first thermometer reads about a full degree F high. My second one is adjustable so I could correct it. When I got it, it was reading about 2 degrees low.

There are a lot of different things that can affect whether the eggs are early or late. It’s not that unusual for them to be a full two days early or late, even under a broody hen. Average incubating temperature is an important factor but it’s not the only one. If your hatch is consistently late your thermometer probably is reading a bit too high, which means it’s a bit cooler in the incubator than you think. To me one hatch is not enough to confirm that though. If you had a decent hatch the first time I’d carry on and see how this one turns out before you start to tweak your incubator.

There is a common mistake people make especially when their hatches are late. How are you counting the days? An egg does not have 24 hours of development 2 minutes or 2 hours after you put it in the incubator. It takes 24 hours for it to have a day’s worth of development. In counting to 21 you say “1” 24 hours after you put them in. An easy way to check your counting, the day of the week you put them in is the day of the week the 21 days is up. If you start them on a Friday, the 21 days is up on a Friday. They can still be early or late, but the 21 days are up then.

I use the medical thermometer method myself.

Calibrate a Thermometer
http://www.allfoodbusiness.com/calibrating_thermometers.php

Rebel’s Thermometer Calibration
http://cmfarm.us/ThermometerCalibration.html

Thank you! Yes, now my thermonmeter is reading 99.5F So silly, i will keeep an eye on it! A temperature of 101F, for a few hours wont kill the embryos, right?

 

[chickens really]

Quote: I am hand turning my eggs..I turn them 3 to 5 times a day......

Best of luck....

Cheers!

 

[HARRY47264]

I have had similar problems with my incubators .I have three little giants ,none were accurate, one was 3 degrees off the way i do it now is I went to Attwoods and bought two of there incubator thermometers $5.00 each I went through all 30 of the ones they had on the shelf I found 2 that were exactly 100% identical .Some were as much as 2 degrees off from the others I could not find any others that matched the 2 I bought exactly. I then put both in my incubator for 24 hrs .One of the incubators digital readout matched perfectly to the ones I bought , 99.5 degrees the others I had to adjust the digital to match I just ordered a digital thermometer-hydrometer with probe from incubator warehouse just for peace of mind the $20 model .Temperature is too important to be complacent about it, I hope this helps have a nice day and God Bless America.
Harry

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Thank you! Yes, now my thermonmeter is reading 99.5F So silly, i will keeep an eye on it! A temperature of 101F, for a few hours wont kill the embryos, right?

I don't think that should kill the embryos - obviously not something you'd want over a long period of time, but brief temperature spikes can happen. Best of luck with your hatch!

 

[PD-Riverman]

My eggs are my True thermometer, meaning I let them tell me if the temp is to high/low. I use a thermometer to help get a new incubator set-up. I put fresh eggs(no more than a week old that have been turned daily). I use a calendar and write down the due hatch date. If the eggs hatch a day early---I lower the temp 1/2 a degree for the next hatch. If they are a day late I increase the temp 1/2 a degree. If they were 2 or 3 days late I would go 1 degree higher and hatch another load to see if more adjustment is needed. Once most of the eggs are pipping on late day 20(chicken eggs) and most are hatched by late day 21----I permanently mark the thermometer with what ever reading it was reading to make the eggs hatch on time-----meaning if it was reading 103 to hatch on time----then any time I use that thermometer---the temp is set to 103 or if it was reading 98 then it would be marker 98.

If I use another incubator and need another thermometer---I use the already check/marked thermometer and I adjust the thermostat till the inside reads what is written on the thermometer----give it a couple days, then add another thermometer and see what it reads----I make note of that reading and if the eggs hatch on time---I mark that thermometer with what it has been reading. SURE if I started off with a thermometer that was several degree's off---I would probably have some dead embryo's. That's what I like about wal-marts or stores that allow returns. I go to wal-marts and but 3 digital thermometers of the same kind. Bring them home---put batteries in them, and let them set side by side for a day. I then choose the one that reads in the middle as my start----return the other two if I do not need them or hold them till after the first hatch to get a closer reading temp one then return the others. That's how I get my starter thermometer.

Adding a turner---because of the heat coming off the motor will usually increase the inside temp a half a degree or so as well as taking it out on day 18 will drop the temp a little in most of the Styrofoam incubators. I also move the eggs around that are closer to the motor each time I open to add water/check.

Edited to add-----21 days is 21 days. A day is 24hrs long so if you put the eggs in today at 9 am, tomorrow at 9am is one complete day---never count the day you put them in as day one---even if you put the eggs in today at 4am, tomorrow at 4am is day one. So using a calendar count tomorrow as day one, next day as day 2 etc, day 21 is the day they should be hatched. Some say its normal for some eggs to hatch on day 23, 24, even day 25---I totally disagree. I am no pro but have hatched 1000's and 1000's and 1000's and most all my eggs were hatched by the end of day 21. If not---most of the time if I left a pipped unhatched egg or two for another day---I had to help hatch most of them---some made it---some didn't. Never had a egg go past day 22.