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humidity after hatch?

post #1 of 3
3/22/12 at 9:12pm
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Ok so. This is my first time using a real incubator. I had my first baby hatch about an hour ago. It is of course reaking havoc and rolling all the other eggs around. I was looking at my hydrometer.... it reads 90% and the windows on the bator have gotten dewy. before it was about 70% humidity but after this little guy it raised. What is your advice to me? I don't want the other buggers to drown!

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post #2 of 3
3/22/12 at 9:41pm

That has happened to me a few times! Lift the cover for a second or 2 and wave away some moisture! Always works when I do it! If your bator has a window then lift it out for a couple seconds! Temp should stay the same and just a little humidity will leave! It is gonna happen every time one hatches though!

Proud momma of 4 Kids, 3 Cats, 3 Dogs, 5 Geese, 10 Quail, 50+ Chickens, 3 Royal Palm Turkeys, 5 Guineas, 3 Rabbits, 8 Goats, and 2 COMPLETELY EMPTY 'BATORS! DARN WINTER!!!:( *NPIP Certified Flock*

http://chickenswapsofnh.com/

*****REST IN PEACE CAPT. JACK - 6/23/12*****

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Proud momma of 4 Kids, 3 Cats, 3 Dogs, 5 Geese, 10 Quail, 50+ Chickens, 3 Royal Palm Turkeys, 5 Guineas, 3 Rabbits, 8 Goats, and 2 COMPLETELY EMPTY 'BATORS! DARN WINTER!!!:( *NPIP Certified Flock*

http://chickenswapsofnh.com/

*****REST IN PEACE CAPT. JACK - 6/23/12*****

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post #3 of 3
3/23/12 at 3:50am

Your unhatched chicks will not drown due to 90% humidity at this point. If your humidity has been correct throughout the incubation and your eggs have already lost the correct amount of moisture, they'll be fine.

 

Chicks drown inside their shells when your humidity has been consistently too high throughout the incubation. They don't lose enough moisture, and when they break through into the air cell to start breathing air, they drown in the excess fluid still inside the egg. Because they're alive up to that point, and then they die during lockdown, people mistakenly assume that it was the high lockdown humidity that caused them to drown, but that's incorrect thinking.

 

I incubate at 40-45% humidity, and hatch at 75-80%+. Once they start popping out, the humidity often shoots up past 90% and stays there for ages. I just leave it be, and they're always fine...

Breeder of Marsh Daisies; keeper of a pick-n-mix laying flock of Leghorns, Marans, ISA Browns, Black Rocks, Daisy culls and various Mystery Muttleys. The dogs in my avatar pic are fat Sam, the assumed cross of a greedy black Lab and a sneaky Collie, and grumpy Meg, the smallest and narkiest Jack Russell for 50 miles in any direction.
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Breeder of Marsh Daisies; keeper of a pick-n-mix laying flock of Leghorns, Marans, ISA Browns, Black Rocks, Daisy culls and various Mystery Muttleys. The dogs in my avatar pic are fat Sam, the assumed cross of a greedy black Lab and a sneaky Collie, and grumpy Meg, the smallest and narkiest Jack Russell for 50 miles in any direction.
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