I am ready to load my bator and I need to know what temp I should keep the eggs at? Today is the last day to set with the signs so I hope somebody can answer my question quickly. I need to let the bator run for 6 hours before I load it to make sure the temp is holding at the right spot. Thanks!
Need info ASAP
thirty-seven celsius or ninety-five farenheight and good luck Caj. Haystack
Correction Caj: it's 99.5 farenheit, Sorry bout that. Hay
Thank you so much for the info. I just checked it and it was near 120 so I turned it down. I hope I can get it regulated quickly. I am anxious to load it up. I have been saving my bantam eggs but I only have 4 hens. One is not with a roo and the other three don't lay consistently. I have a blue egg a friend gave me and today I got a dozen big brown eggs from another friend. The same guy I got the 5 from that I put under my little hen. They will either be Dominique, RIR or White Plymoth Rock. I know the roo he has is a WPR. I am so excited!!! I'm like a kid with a new toy. LOL
Would it be alright to open the top and let the excess heat out and then let it heat back up to the new temp?
Do you have a fan inside it? If you don't it needs to be 102. Opening it will cool it down, but if you get it too cool, it won't be a true reading. That will also drop the humidity. What is the humidity? 6 hours is cutting it terribly close.. It is better to run it at least 24 hours.
Are you sure you can't wait till tomorrow?
No, it doesn't have a fan inside but I have a fan under it to keep fresh air feeding into it from underneath. I don't have anything to measure the humidity. It only came with a thermometer for the temp. The directions say to keep water in the water resevoir in the bottom tray. The directions also say to run it at the right temp for 6 hours. I would rather set them tonight to stay with the signs. I know a lot of people don't put any stock in them but we have always used them and they always work. I've seen other who didn't and they have had bad results.
A forced air (inside fan) incubator runs at 99.5
A Still air (no inside fan) is 102.
That sounds right then.. run it at the right temp for at least 6 hours.. but it usually takes a day or so to get it to the right temp!
I wish you luck.. a few degrees one way or the other isn't lethal.. it's just better to let the temp regulate without eggs in it.
When you put the eggs in it.. don't change the setting if you got it stable.. The temp will drop.. and if you turn it up, by the time the temp gets back to normal you will have cooked them. Let it drop and it will come back on it's own.
Good luck!
Thanks for all the help. I'll let you know how it goes.
Hope your first run is successful! Very excitement and all that. =0)
Good luck Cajun. Great advice ZZ. Cant wait til we see babies. do de do de do...21 days! MAN