No matter what incubator you choose, finding the right place for it in your house will help your hatch. (Especially in the styro bators.) Choose a room that has a steady temp and no drafts. Make sure that the incubator is placed away from windows (out of direct sunlight) and out from under lamps/lights that might throw off heat in your bator for extended times.
Animals and children are also an issue you want to consider when placing your bator. Little hands are inquisitive not to mention the curious cat. I have seen more than one forum thread where an investigative cat (or child) has compromised a hatch.
Once you are set up start your incubator. I recommend testing the stability of the bator days in advance of when you plan to set your eggs. This gives you an idea if the placing is right and lets you get a feel for the bator and how steady it runs. It will also give you an idea of what you are looking at for humidity. (I will have a long winded post about humidity coming soon....)
Animals and children are also an issue you want to consider when placing your bator. Little hands are inquisitive not to mention the curious cat. I have seen more than one forum thread where an investigative cat (or child) has compromised a hatch.
Once you are set up start your incubator. I recommend testing the stability of the bator days in advance of when you plan to set your eggs. This gives you an idea if the placing is right and lets you get a feel for the bator and how steady it runs. It will also give you an idea of what you are looking at for humidity. (I will have a long winded post about humidity coming soon....)
BIG TIP....I lived and learned to come to this conclusion:
Have more than one thermometer, check it for accuracy and NEVER trust the pre-installed gages on the incubators until they have been checked for accuracy.
That's right. I don't care if the thermometer is brand spanking new-DO NOT TRUST IT UNLESS YOU CHECK IT. I now use no less than 2 thermometers and usually three in the bator at all times. I trusted a brand new thermometer in my bator first hatch only to have a failed hatch and to find out that brand new thermometer was 6 degrees off!
You can check you thermometer by using a mercury/glass style thermometer checked by the ice water test. Take a glass of ice, add cold water and let sit for 3 minutes. Once the water and ice have come to temp, use the mercury thermometer to check temp of water. It should read 32 degrees F. Once you know how accurate the glass thermometer is you can then add this thermometer with the ones you want to check to the bator (close together) and compare temps.
Having more than one thermometer in the bator not only helps you to check them against each other, but to also locate hot/cool spots within the bator.
Once you have your bator up and running and you are confident it is in the right place and holding steady you are ready to set your eggs for incubation!
That's right. I don't care if the thermometer is brand spanking new-DO NOT TRUST IT UNLESS YOU CHECK IT. I now use no less than 2 thermometers and usually three in the bator at all times. I trusted a brand new thermometer in my bator first hatch only to have a failed hatch and to find out that brand new thermometer was 6 degrees off!
You can check you thermometer by using a mercury/glass style thermometer checked by the ice water test. Take a glass of ice, add cold water and let sit for 3 minutes. Once the water and ice have come to temp, use the mercury thermometer to check temp of water. It should read 32 degrees F. Once you know how accurate the glass thermometer is you can then add this thermometer with the ones you want to check to the bator (close together) and compare temps.
Having more than one thermometer in the bator not only helps you to check them against each other, but to also locate hot/cool spots within the bator.
Once you have your bator up and running and you are confident it is in the right place and holding steady you are ready to set your eggs for incubation!
BUT WAIT!!! What is my temp and humidity supposed to be??
As we said, temp depends on the type of incubator you are using. A still air incubator should maintain an average temperature of 101-102 degrees F taken near the top of the egg during the incubation period. A forced air incubator should maintain an average temp of 99.5 degrees f during the incubation period.
And humidity...oh humidity the misunderstood part of incubation.... Next post coming up....Understanding and controlling humidity....
And humidity...oh humidity the misunderstood part of incubation.... Next post coming up....Understanding and controlling humidity....