thermostat?

[ShowMeCorns]

Its been a while since breeding. I normally used a plain chicken incubator but always had fluctuating temps. Any good worry free incubators I can buy or a good thermostat to prevent this? Also anyone use HatchRite substrate? Any good? Tryin to find out what would be a good substrate to use. Also would like to see how you split eggs up in an incubator(pics) I didn't do that but I've been seeing people talk about it so wanted to see some pics to better understand. Thanks.

 

[Buzzard]

We use chicken egg incubators from our local Tractor Supply store (http://www.tractorsupply.com/little-giant-reg-still-air-incubator-2167379).
They work great for us - we have a digital thermometer inside that we use to measure the temperature which we keep 82-86 degrees - we have not had any need for a thermostat because the incubator keeps a steady temperature by turning on/off as needed. We use vermiculite - add water, mix it up, and squeeze it. If it doesn't drip it's not too wet, and if it holds form when you let go its just wet enough. Add water if it isn't damp enough, add dry vermiculite if it's too wet. We have tried Hatchrite and have used pearlite (with no additives) but prefer the vermiculite. We place our eggs in rubbermaid/ziplock-type containers with a couple of holes for ventilation. We can usually fit about 4-6 clutches in one incubator depending on the size of the containers/clutch. Here is a picture from last year's Alabama clutch to show spacing of eggs and substrate. Hope this helps.

 

[Fencer04]

I'm in the process of making my own incubator using a Herpstat intro, some 11 inch Flexwatt and a standard Igloo Cooler. I have previously used the Thinkgeek Refrigerator for my Leopard Geckos and didn't like the results. I can't say for sure that it was the incubator but for me it seems that have a proportional thermostat and more constant temps will be beneficial.