Incubator advice Covatutto 16 thermometer reliable?

[Snoopy]

Hi, I am about to embark on the grand voyage of hatching chicks for the first time.

I really need some quick advice (before the eggs arrive, eek!) about the reliability of the Covatutto glass thermometer and hope someone who has had experience with this problem can help.

I have placed a small digital thermometer/hygrometer(the cheap one from ebay) inside the incubator raised up one inch from the base.

I have turned the temperature adjusting screw down until when the light is on the temp goes up to 37.8 oC which cools down to 38.2 oC when the light goes off.

The supplied glass thermometer which is fixed high up about the same level as the heat bulb shows the temp to be two notches below 100oF ?

I am so confused and don't want to get it wrong

Which reading should I use?

[Totally Scrambled]

Evening Snoopy,
We incubate at 37.5 C with humidity set at 52% for the first 18 days and then drop the temp to 37 C and up the humidity to 75%. Stop turning the eggs on day 18.
We have an incubator where the temp and humidity are automatically run by the machine which has a fan to circulate the air, so we have no experience with your type of incubator but we figure the ideal temp and humidity should be as constant as possibe at egg level.
Surely a thermomener in the top of the incubator would show a higher temp as heat rises.
Hope that's some help.
Dom & Ali

[Snoopy]

Good evening to you too Totally Scrambled.

I too would have thought the temp should be measured at egg level, not high up by the heat source, but that is how this incubator is designed...to cause anxiety and no tea being made...