# Input please on my improvised incubator.



## ZEROPILOT (Dec 1, 2016)

I suddenly have Redfoot eggs. I've found 14 but I could have LOADS more still to be excavated.
I have a HOVERBATOR chicken egg incubator, but the settings for heat will not stabilize. And forever creeps hotter and hotter.
So I "reverse engineered" an old closed chamber that I wasn't using and added 4" of Vermaculite That I mixed with water 50/50 and it is uniformly damp. I put my eggs in depressions in the mixture and my set-up has a pretty constant 85 degrees and 85% humidity. There is a standing bowl of water for humidity from evaporation.
My concern is that there are water droplets forming on the glass and I'm worried about moldy eggs.
I've wiped down the glass and there seems to be less of it now.
This has only been set up an running for 3 days now.
Anything that you would tweak?


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## Kapidolo Farms (Dec 1, 2016)

Water droplets on the inside of exterior exposed surfaces indicate a difference between inside the chamber and outside the chamber temperature.

Put a plastic overeager cup wholly inside the incubator with water in it and I'll bet you won't see the condensation. That will be your clue that the RH is not to high.


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## Markw84 (Dec 1, 2016)

Will said:


> Water droplets on the inside of exterior exposed surfaces indicate a difference between inside the chamber and outside the chamber temperature.
> 
> Put a plastic overeager cup wholly inside the incubator with water in it and I'll bet you won't see the condensation. That will be your clue that the RH is not to high.


I always love your suggestions, Will, but not following this one... what is an "overeager cup"? And how would a cup inside the incubator stop condensation that was forming?


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## ZEROPILOT (Dec 1, 2016)

This is it.
I have a standing container of water. It's hooked to an airline and aquarium air stone, but it is not turned on.
Already humid enough...


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## ZEROPILOT (Dec 1, 2016)

Should i just swap it for a water bowl with more surface area?


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## cmacusa3 (Dec 1, 2016)

just get it right Ed. I wanna see a bunch of the "ED"foots running around. I might even need to get one.


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## Kapidolo Farms (Dec 1, 2016)

Markw84 said:


> I always love your suggestions, Will, but not following this one... what is an "overeager cup"? And how would a cup inside the incubator stop condensation that was forming?


Strike the word that seems out of place "overeager" and it makes sense per instruction.

No this does not solve a problem it changes the observation made indicating a problem exists. You see condensation on the inner surface of an outer wall only indicates a temp differential between the inside and outside, it demonstrates that with the RH of the interior.

However if some surface is not against the outside, like a cup in the middle of the incubator, then both sides of the cup wall (inside and outside) are both the same temp and the same RH, no condensation = not too much RH. 

Does that clear it up?


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## Markw84 (Dec 1, 2016)

Will said:


> Strike the word that seems out of place "overeager" and it makes sense per instruction.
> 
> No this does not solve a problem it changes the observation made indicating a problem exists. You see condensation on the inner surface of an outer wall only indicates a temp differential between the inside and outside, it demonstrates that with the RH of the interior.
> 
> ...


What RH do you keep in an incubator? Some say not that important as the eggs are in a container of their own with a mix of vermiculite and water. Most seem to use a closed Tupperware style container for the eggs with 1:1 vermiculite to water by weight. even with holes near the top sides of the container, that would consistently maintain 100% RH by my actual measurements. So what do you find, and prefer? Do you monitor the humidity in the incubator and/or egg container?


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## Yvonne G (Dec 1, 2016)

ZEROPILOT said:


> This is it.
> I have a standing container of water. It's hooked to an airline and aquarium air stone, but it is not turned on.
> Already humid enough...
> 
> View attachment 193583



You know what? I really, really like this idea. I like being able to see the eggs without having to open the lid of the incubator. What are you using for a heat source, a CHE on a thermostat?


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## cmacusa3 (Dec 1, 2016)

Yvonne G said:


> You know what? I really, really like this idea. I like being able to see the eggs without having to open the lid of the incubator. What are you using for a heat source, a CHE on a thermostat?


 This how I did some of my box turtles eggs and worked get, with CHE on thermostat.


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## ZEROPILOT (Dec 1, 2016)

Will said:


> Strike the word that seems out of place "overeager" and it makes sense per instruction.
> 
> No this does not solve a problem it changes the observation made indicating a problem exists. You see condensation on the inner surface of an outer wall only indicates a temp differential between the inside and outside, it demonstrates that with the RH of the interior.
> 
> ...


Yes


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## ZEROPILOT (Dec 1, 2016)

Yvonne G said:


> You know what? I really, really like this idea. I like being able to see the eggs without having to open the lid of the incubator. What are you using for a heat source, a CHE on a thermostat?


No just that florescent and a 15 watt 18" heat rope underneath the tank. Taped on and with feet on the tank to raise it up for cooling.. Same as I had for my baby Redfoots. With moist substrate the heat ropes work and last forever.


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## Kapidolo Farms (Dec 1, 2016)

Chris Estep (sp) (Toucan Jungle) incubates eastern leopard eggs in a vision cage much the same way. At least in as much as I understood the caption with an image that he posted once - somewhere.


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## Millerlite (Dec 1, 2016)

Get plastic put it above the eggs like a false ceiling and then put weight toward the middle where the cupnis. The drops will roll back into the cup. Don't make it too close but it might work And keep the dorpplets from droping on your eggs 

Kyle


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## ZEROPILOT (Dec 2, 2016)

Millerlite said:


> Get plastic put it above the eggs like a false ceiling and then put weight toward the middle where the cupnis. The drops will roll back into the cup. Don't make it too close but it might work And keep the dorpplets from droping on your eggs
> 
> Kyle


Thanks Kyle.
But the droplets are almost all on the side glass and not on the top plexiglass.
The humidity is holding at 85 still.
None of them look like they are chalking or getting dark at all. Still semi opaque and purplish.
Maybe another round of duds?


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## Anyfoot (Dec 2, 2016)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Thanks Kyle.
> But the droplets are almost all on the side glass and not on the top plexiglass.
> The humidity is holding at 85 still.
> None of them look like they are chalking or getting dark at all. Still semi opaque and purplish.
> Maybe another round of duds?


 They can take weeks to chalk, if my memory serves me right i believe @cdmay once said up to 5 wks.


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## ZEROPILOT (Dec 5, 2016)

When should I see chalking?
When should I be able to see anything by candling?
They still look the same.


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## ZEROPILOT (Dec 5, 2016)

ZEROPILOT said:


> When should I see chalking?
> When should I be able to see anything by candling?
> They still look the same.


Nevermind.


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## Anyfoot (Dec 5, 2016)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Nevermind.


Does this mean you can see something?


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## ZEROPILOT (Dec 5, 2016)

Anyfoot said:


> Does this mean you can see something?


No. That you'd already answered the part about how long until chalking happens.
In a CAMP KEENAN video, he states that even a one or two day old ebryo can be damaged if you rotate an egg. (An egg layed 1 or 2 days ago)
I had also thought that that would happen much further along into the development.


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## Anyfoot (Dec 5, 2016)

ZEROPILOT said:


> No. That you'd already answered the part about how long until chalking happens.
> In a CAMP KEENAN video, he states that even a one or two day old ebryo can be damaged if you rotate an egg. (An egg layed 1 or 2 days ago)
> I had also thought that that would happen much further along into the development.


 I would have thought the same, I've left mine in the ground for 2 or 3 days before digging them up before because I was too busy, believe me, I have zero finesse. Mine are now chalking up. I wouldn't worry about it if they haven't chalked yet.


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## Anyfoot (Dec 5, 2016)

It's not shown up on the photo very well Ed. But you can see this one has started to chalk, the date and initials PR are in the chalked area. This egg was layed on 16/11/16. So 19 days old.


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## ZEROPILOT (Dec 5, 2016)

I see that familiar purple glow going away.
These eggs are also tiny, like my first batch, but they are all within 20% of each other in size.
I'm going to look for more this afternoon.


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## Anyfoot (Dec 5, 2016)

ZEROPILOT said:


> I see that familiar purple glow going away.
> These eggs are also tiny, like my first batch, but they are all within 20% of each other in size.
> I'm going to look for more this afternoon.


Up to now I've only has small eggs hatch. All my large eggs have been duds.


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## Anyfoot (Dec 6, 2016)

ZEROPILOT said:


> I see that familiar purple glow going away.
> These eggs are also tiny, like my first batch, but they are all within 20% of each other in size.
> I'm going to look for more this afternoon.


 Just noticed another clutch of mine has started to chalk on day 30. Not saying it means they are fertile, just observing for you.


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## ZEROPILOT (Dec 6, 2016)

I'll consider them infertile when they explode in a nasty blob


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## ZEROPILOT (Dec 6, 2016)

I've hatched several of THEM before.


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## cmacusa3 (Jan 9, 2017)

How are the R"ED"Foot eggs coming along?


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## ZEROPILOT (Jan 10, 2017)

They still all look semi transparent and light "purplish".
I see no or little evidence of chalking. 
I'm starting to believe that it's the same female that deposited all of the eggs. (And she's digging again.)
The incubator is rock steady. 82-83 degrees and 72-76% humidity.
At this point, I'm leaning toward more dud eggs and not blaming the incubator.
The eggs seem to be too tiny to me. The hatchlings would have to have shells the diameter of a quarter....


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