Humidity question for the incuholics

In about 6 weeks I am moving to the Philippines where the humidity is always super high 70% plus. I have an idea on how to overcome this problem in incubating some eggs I will get when I get there.

Here is an idea that I have and would like to know if this is feasible, makes sense, or a waste of time. I am going to build an enclosure about 4 feet in each direction and insulate all sides. Once done I will install a small dehumidifier in the enclosure. I will have small vents to allow some fresh air in. I think by doing this I should be able reduce the humidity outside the incubator which will allow me to control the humidity inside the incubator. Does this make sense, sound logical or crazy, any and all thoughts, ideas, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

When I was there before the hatch rate from my hens was always 2 or 3 chicks from 10 to 12 eggs. Most of the eggs had an embryo in them but did not make it.

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I think you are over thinking it and over engineering it... A dehumidifier gives off a TON of heat, way too much trouble to deal with IMO and likely to cause more issues than the humidity...

Personally I don't think the higher humidity is all that bad, but if you must, In an enclosed space like an incubator a handful of 'crystal cat litter' will drop the humidity quite well... The crystal cat litter is the same stuff you see in the 'Do Not Eat' desiccant packets used to reduce humidity in shipped and stored goods...

MeepBeep said:

I think you are over thinking it and over engineering it... A dehumidifier gives off a TON of heat, way too much trouble to deal with IMO and likely to cause more issues than the humidity...

Personally I don't think the higher humidity is all that bad, but if you must, In an enclosed space like an incubator a handful of 'crystal cat litter' will drop the humidity quite well... The crystal cat litter is the same stuff you see in the 'Do Not Eat' desiccant packets used to reduce humidity in shipped and stored goods...

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That is interesting. I have never heard that, not that I have a problem with too much humidity, But it's interesting.

One thing I failed to mention in my original post. The dehumidifier I will use is a very small model like the two larger ones we have in our homes in the Philippines. They have the air intake on the top with the discharge on the bottom. Where the discharge is on the bottom with a three part baffle that divides the amount of air returned into the room. This is so that part of the dry heated air can be directed out two vents to the outside of our homes. This is so the heat return is reduced and you are limited to lowering the humidity to about 40 to 50% in the house. The one I will use for the incubation chamber is the same type but a much much smaller size. I am not looking to lower the humidity to the extreme. I only want to lower it to a manageable % to increase the hatch rate. Three or four eggs hatching out of a dozen eggs is not a very good ratio. Heat is not much of a problem because the temperature outside is usually 80 - 85 degrees or higher pretty much all the time. During the rainy season the humidity can be as high as 90% every day. Hopefully this will explain my situation a little better.

I appreciate your comments. Thanks for your post.

The best thing to do would be to find someone who runs an incubator and get some instructions. The humidity is one thing. The ambient heat will be another. I believe both can be overcome if you move up in elevation to some degree where it will be cooler and possibly the humidity will be different too.

anjovi6 said:

During the rainy season the humidity can be as high as 90% every day.

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FYI a broody bird sitting on a nest can't lower the humidity...

Instead of aiming for a certain humidity, It's much better to weigh the egg and candle the egg to track air sack development, if that air sack is developing properly it doesn't matter what the humidity is...

IMO people worry and focus way too much about numbers when hatching eggs, those numbers are just guidelines that people have found work well, they are by no means rules that have to be followed exactly...

I appreciate everyone's response but I'm still confused about humidity. I have read everything I can find on the subject on the forums and there seems to be a difference of opinions by a lot of people. I know that my problem in the past with hatching eggs in the Philippines was that my humidity in the incubator using a wet bulb thermometer and the conversion the conversion it always worked out to around 90% in the incubator. And I was not using any water in the incubator (forced air type). An article from the University of Vermont says that improper humidity control can cause poor hatch rates when the humidity is to low or to high, with low humidity be the worst. Mississippi State University also says the same thing. So I can only think with the high humidity that I had was the reason for my very bad hatch rates. I did candle the eggs and most of the time I had a fertility rate of about 80 - 85% but, my hatch rate was less than 10%. This was the same for over a year on incubating there. Below are the two links from the Universities.

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2902/2902-1090/2902-1090.html


http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/poultry_environment.html

I know that the low humidity dries out the egg and kills the chick. And I think I read somewhere that the high humidity acts like it is giving the chick to much fluid in their lungs and they basically start to die from day 18 to 21 from drowning from the excessive mucus buildup in their lungs. I do know that before I actually put some more high dollar eggs from Australia in the incubator I am going to do an empty incubator for a week or more to see if my idea works. I eventually want to bring in some Light Sussex eggs in from Australia or New Zealand and they are too expensive to ruin with all the taxes, local fees, and import fees.

I will keep in mind all of everyone's comments and let everyone know how it works out when I get back to my home in the Philippines. 49 days and counting down.

Thanks and keep the confusion coming. I do enjoy it because I am always learning something new everyday.

Merry Christmas to all.

anjovi6 said:

I appreciate everyone's response but I'm still confused about humidity.  I have read everything I can find on the subject on the forums and there seems to be a difference of opinions by a lot of people.

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As I said in my previous post...

IMO people worry and focus way too much about numbers when hatching eggs, those numbers are just guidelines that people have found work well, they are by no means rules that have to be followed exactly...

What works well for some doesn't always work well for others...

I hold my incubator at pretty much a dead on 50% for the first 18-19 days and increase it to give or take 65% for a day or two before hatching, this works well for me... If there are chicks having a hard time hatching I will increase humidity to 90% give or take so they don't shrink wrap...

It is pretty humid where I live... not THAT humid... but I build my own incubators with light bulb, fan and thermostat. I keep top vents open for a several days while incubator is running and humidity gets down pretty low....into the 20s. When I open the lid to turn eggs, the humidity goes up because the outside air coming in is more humid but then it goes down again. I think normal incubators wouldn't be able to hold temp with that much ventilation, but my thermostat keeps it at perfect temp all the time. The whole only costs $10 or free for styrofoam cooler, $7 fan and $14 for thermostat.

If I could get the humidity to stay around 65 I would be thrilled. We have two Philippine incubators presently and I am shipping a 220 volt HovaBator with fan and egg turner there to try. I hope it will do a little better. I may build my own when I get there using all the knowledge I have gained from BYC forums. I would like a larger one capable of incubating 150 - 200 eggs at a time. It would have a brooder built into it also.

Thanks for your post.