HELP! HUMIDITY!

Does low humidity cause a egg to self aboart? What are some of the causes of eggs to self aboard. I had a hole batch of 3 eggs die for no reason that I can think of. Other than the humidity being low. They were at 9 and 10 days.

That's a tricky one. What are you calling low humidity? Below 30%? Normally, low humidity wouldn't cause a problem until day 18 and beyond... where it would shrink-wrap the chick and not allow it to move into hatching position or be able to pip. What did your air cells look like when you set the eggs? Were the eggs local or were they shipped eggs? Did you candle the eggs when you got them and again on day 7? There are a LOT of factors that can cause embryos to die in the early stages of incubation. Soiled eggs can result in death due to bacterial infection, high temps can kill embryos, old eggs can result in early quitters, and the list goes on and on.

As far as humidity goes, too little humidity results in too much weight loss and will make it difficult for the chick to hatch. Too much humidity results in not enough weight loss and a small air cell... which means the chick will likely drown before it hatches. There is a wealth of knowledge in the INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! thread. The first page has links to nearly anything dealing with incubation and hatching.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...riends-come-hatch-learn-chat-meet-new-friends

Ur-ur-ur-urrr said:

That's a tricky one. What are you calling low humidity? Below 30%? Normally, low humidity wouldn't cause a problem until day 18 and beyond... where it would shrink-wrap the chick and not allow it to move into hatching position or be able to pip. What did your air cells look like when you set the eggs? Were the eggs local or were they shipped eggs? Did you candle the eggs when you got them and again on day 7? There are a LOT of factors that can cause embryos to die in the early stages of incubation. Soiled eggs can result in death due to bacterial infection, high temps can kill embryos, old eggs can result in early quitters, and the list goes on and on. 

As far as humidity goes, too little humidity results in too much weight loss and will make it difficult for the chick to hatch. Too much humidity results in not enough weight loss and a small air cell... which means the chick will likely drown before it hatches. There is a wealth of knowledge in the INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! thread. The first page has links to nearly anything dealing with incubation and hatching.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...riends-come-hatch-learn-chat-meet-new-friends

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The humidity was at 20 to 10 present.

I forgot they weren't turned for 2days could that be the reason? They did go down hill from there.

On another note I had 2 eggs that when I brot them in they got condensation on them. I tried a little to dab them dry. One of them is relly pourus.

I want to have them hatch what do I do?

They are at day 2 technically and so far are showing sings of growth. I used a piece of cloth to dab them.

peepsthebrassy said:

The humidity was at 20 to 10 present.

I forgot they weren't turned for 2days could that be the reason? They did go down hill from there.

On another note I had 2 eggs that when I brot them in they got condensation on them. I tried a little to dab them dry. One of them is relly pourus.

I want to have them hatch what do I do?

They are at day 2 technically and so far are showing sings of growth. I used a piece of cloth to dab them.

Click to expand...

The humidity is far too low. It should never be below 30%.

Turning is very important for the developing embryo. Turning keeps it from sticking to the side of the shell, and gives it excercise.

Whenever you bring eggs in from outside, always let them sit at room temperature for several hours (overnight is good) before putting them in the incubator. If eggs are very porous, it's best not to incubate them. Be very selective with the eggs you put in your incubator, and only use the eggs that have the best shape, size, and shell. Doing this will give you the best chance of success.

I would leave them in the incubator until day 7 (not day 3, 4, 5, or 6) and then candle them to see how they are doing. If you see a dark spot moving around and lots of blood vessels and veins, they are doing good. Try not to handle the eggs any more than necessary. If you are turning by hand, or getting ready to candle, always wash your hands before touching the eggs... bacteria from your hands can kill the embryos. Only candle on days 7, 14, and 18. The less you handle the eggs, the better. Handling the eggs in the first few days of incubation can mean death to the newly forming embryo. They are extremely fragile in the first 4 - 5 days, so don't mess with them during the first week. Make sure you read up on what the air cell should look like on day 7, 14, and 18. After you have incubated successfully a few times, you will know exactly what you want the air cells to look like on those days...

I'm having the problem as to high of humidity

My little giants do the same with temp.I can put in 2 to 4 thermometers, in 1 in each corner and temp will read different at all 4.I finally just use 1 on right front and keep it on about 100.I called miller and they told me to make sure I put sensor directly under controls,which I had not been doing.I added a fan to one and temp still varies.I just bought a gensis 1588 with preset temp which checks perfect.It has 6 troughs and you just start with #1.Unlike my 2 little giants the humidity is easy to control ..I can fill them full,add sponges and still have trouble getting over55%.Today I ordered 2 humidity checkers from stromburgs,a digital for 39.95 and a wet bulb for $9.00.The lady said the digital is the only one certified to read accurate.I hope this helps,my little giant. It sometimes gets condensation on glass at 39%.It also changes from 39% this morning to 50% tonight.I had to put them in a back room due to the cat finally looking in it while it was full of quail chicks.The room stays colder than rest of house,which I think may have some thing to do with it.I did have them all in the kitchen where I had better control of temp and humidinty.Sorry for my spelling,ive been out of school 50 years and was a mech where I didn't need to write much.I think you can get what you want at stromburgs or gqf manufacturing.My manual says45 to 55% for setting and 55 to 65% humidity