Incubator - thermometer hygrometer way off?

[LoreWalker]

So, after nog yielding an single developing egg from my first try at hatching chicks in an incubator, I decided to test my incubator's hygrometer and thermometer. I also bought a 2nd thermometer/hygrometer, intended for use in terrariums, to use alongside the ones built-in in my incubator. More measurements should mean better accuracy, right?

I did the following 2 things:

I put the thermometers in a glass of ice water. The terrarium one got to 0.4c/32.7f and so was "off" just a little bit from the 0c/32f it should read. The Incubator's thermometer, though? That one stuck at 1.8c/35.2f, so it was off by 3.2 degrees farenheit! (Meaning the eggs were constantly 3.2 degrees colder than intended... No wonder none developed.)
Should I test the thermometers in boiled (boiling?) water, too? Or is "just" the ice water accurate enough? It scares me a little to put them in water that hot, honestly!


As far as the hygrometers go, the jury's still out on that one. I'm keeping the temperature in the incubator at 20c/68f now because a steady temperature helps with a more accurate reading. I put both probes in a sealed ziploc with a cup that has 1/2 cup salt and 1/4 cup water in it, and the meters should end up reading 75% humidity if calibrated correctly. But they need a couple of hours at least, to reach that, right? I read a lot of different opinions on how long I should leave them in there.
_____

Any help is greatly appreciated! Trying to learn from my mistakes and hoping to actually hatch some of my eggs this time...

I picked up new eggs to put into the incubator this morning. I'm letting them rest for at least the next 24 hours, as adviced by the breeder.
But I could probably wait another day or so if you guys think that's necessary?

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Do you know for sure your eggs are fertilized? Because even at a lower temperature they would have started developing something even if they quit.

 

[Mellowmalt]

don't stick them in boiling water. I myself don't trust the ice method but at least it did show you that the one thermometer was 1.4 degreec C off compared to the other

 

[LoreWalker]

Do you know for sure your eggs are fertilized? Because even at a lower temperature they would have started developing something even if they quit.

I had a super low fertility rate to begin with, sadly. However there was also 0 development in the eggs that were fertile (5 out of the 22 I put in). I opened them all up to check once I was sure none of them were showing any development.
The eggs I got today are from a breeder who has a good fertility rate and he regularly hatches his own chicks in an incubator.

I mostly worry about making the same mistakes as before, and want a little more security about how accurate my meters read, if at all.

 

[LoreWalker]

The new hygro/thermometer did well and was only 2% off in the salt water test. The built in one is off by about 10%.
For temperature accuracy, I put a 3rd analog thermometer in there that I calibrated in boiling water (95c) and ice water (3c). It and the terrarium thermometer are at the same temperature, the built-in remains off some.

I'm running the incubator without any water in it, was hoping I could try dry incubating. But it only reads 10-12% (so 12-14%). Is this too dry for dry incubating?
Our old, wooden house is always pretty dry this time of year, and nothing really helps in terms of improving it. I could fill one of the ridges in the incubator with water and that would get the humidity up to 30% or a little over. It would mean having to open it up and take out the eggs in their turning mechanism at least every other day.