How important is it to have the fan off during lockdown?

[tadpole98]

I hope its not very bc my Brinsea doesnt have a simple way to turn it off. I have to take off the top and unplug something and knowing me i am gonna ruin the incubator for good.. So please tell me its not very important

(btw this is my very first hatch

)

 

[sumi]

I'm not familiar with your incubator model, but I did a few hatches in home made incubators and we kept the fan running throughout, even during hatches.

 

[tadpole98]

Okay thank you very much ) thats all i needed to know lol

 

[HEChicken]

In my homebuilt, I feel having the fan running during hatch is the most important time since that is the time the chicks need the most oxygen. My fan is designed to draw in fresh air, (the stale air is then exhausted through holes at the opposite side). This provides the needed ventilation for hatching. If I had to choose (and thankfully I don't) between running the fan during incubation or during lockdown, I would choose lockdown every time.

What you want to avoid is having the fan blowing directly ON the eggs. That will dry out the membrane and make it difficult for them to hatch. Presumably since yours is a commercial incubator it is designed to draw in fresh air without blowing it on the eggs.