Help needed!! 1st time incubating silkie eggs

alleysrats said:

Question I have some silkie bantams incubating..   Air cells look like they are between day 7 and 14 even though we are nearing day 14 on Saturday - the other eggs I have in their Lavender Orph's look right on target - I am trying dry incubation - my % runs anywhere from 21-26% depending on the day I have one vent open - I'm hoping this is ok I'm rechecking air cells on Saturday to mark to check progress..   Should I open up another vent?  I would think given the Orph eggs look right on target the others should do as well.

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darrelljudy said:

I just found 2 silky eggs, I have a real cheep small incubator. what do you think? do I have a chance hatching these?  All info well come.  PS have a bigger incubator on the way when It comes can they be transfered from the small incubator to the bigger one?

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AmyLynn2374 said:

Thanks for having confidence in me scflock...lol

Ok, first off. still air incubators should be ran at 101-102F with that temp taken near the top of the eggs. (I know I know...those manuals say.....but they shouldn't.)

Second my silkies had no difference iin hatching than the rest of my hatch so I don't know about that. and the third, my specialty.....humidity. Here's where my post gets long because I believe all new hatchers should first understand humidity and why we control it. So I am going to give you a long winded run down that maybe will help:
(Taken from a blog article I am working on.)

Throw out those incubator manuals!!!

Ok, not really. I'm sure there's some pertinent info in there about your specific incubator, but as a guideline for new hatchers they are awful!!!!! These manuals are very generic and often not accurate where hatching is concerned.

Take temperature for example. Many of the still air incubator manuals still state that the incubator should maintain 99.5F. Ask any veteran hatcher and they will tell you that still air incubators run better hatches at 101-102F measured near the top of the egg. A newbie follows this instruction and ends up with a late hatch. I've seen it. It doesn't mean the hatch will be “late”, but it certainly can contribute to it.

The biggest thing with these [incubator] manuals that bother me though is the humidity recommendations. How many people know why you regulate humidity as a newbie? I know I didn't. I read in a book it should be between this number and that number. I didn't know why, I just went with it. These manuals either throw out a number, (that in my opinion is usually too high) or tell you how much water to put in the wells (regardless of how much humidity that causes.)

Ask what your humidity should be on a forum and you will undoubtedly get at least a dozen different opinions. The only thing that is widely agreed upon is that at lockdown and hatch it needs to be higher.
Why is this?? Because different things work for different people because of various factors that these books and manuals do not take into consideration. The habits of the hatcher, the area that they are in and whether they have a dry or humid atmosphere. The quality of eggs also can play a role. Getting a definite answer is impossible and the issue of humidity can be very confusing. No one is wrong. They have just found what works for them. Some very seasoned hatchers don't even bother with monitoring humidity because they've done it so much they just know what works for them.

So how do you make the confusing understandable? In my opinion the first step is to understand why we control the humidity. An egg needs to loose 13/14% of it's weight during incubation. This weight that it is loosing is actually moisture. Moisture leaves the eggs through the pores of the shell. As the moisture leaves, the air cell in the egg grows. This is very important because when your little chick decides it's time to hatch, he/she is going to pip into the area where the air cell should be. If that air cell is not big enough and there is too much moisture there he/she can drown. On the flip side of that if your air cells grow too big the membrane can “shrink wrap” your chick. This can suffocate them if they have not pipped, if they manage to pip they will be stuck and not be able to move to finish the job.

That's the why of it. Now, the how of it. So how do we know how big the air cells should be? There are many egg pictorials or air cell charts out there. This is the one I use: (I'd give credit to the creator if I knew who that was.)


I believe that there are two ways to go about knowing how to regulate your humidity so that it works for you. Pick a number from 30-50%, (the range you'll find a good majority of hatchers use for the first 17 days.) Start your incubation at that number-but monitor your air cells! Candle your eggs at days 7&14 especially. Mark the air cells with a pencil. If your air cells aren't where they need to be at these times, you still have time to regulate before going into lockdown. Compare what you are seeing to the chart. If your air cells are too small, you know that your humidity is too high. Not enough moisture has left the egg. In this case you need to lower your humidity. (How much depends on the air cell. If it's borderline small, I'd go, 10% less. If it's significantly small, I'd go dry, at least for a couple days and candle after 2 days to see the progress and make the next decision.)

If the air cells are too big then you need to higher the humidity. This will slow down/stop air cell growth and let the development catch up with the air cell size. (Again, how much is going to depend on the discrepancy. Borderline big, raise it 10%. Significantly large, I'd say raise it TO 60% (not raise it 60% more...just up to 60% total,) for a couple days and check to see progress. If they are still growing raise it a bit more.

By keeping track of what your percentages are, you'll have a better idea of what percentage of humidity works for you.

The second way: start with a dry incubation if your incubator holds at least 25% when completely dry. Dry incubation is becoming more and more popular among chicken hatchers. Many people that have had not so great hatches (especially with the cheaper styrofoam incubators) have switched to the dry method and have had better results. I myself run dry when I can. (Seasons have a big impact on humidity levels and running dry. Being in Northern New York with regular below 0 temps and running a pellet stove for heat dries the ambient humidity in my home making it impossible to go completely dry in the winter.)

If your incubator holds at least 25% dry start your incubation &..... monitor your air cells! As long as your air cells are growing at the proper rate, you don't have anything to worry about. If you find that they are growing to fast, higher it, I'd say in increments of 5-10%. Rarely should you find too small air cells doing a dry incubation, providing you aren't in a tropical region.

What about lockdown and hatch??

And there's another question that you are going to get a dozen different answers for. I shoot for 75% many people do prefer a 70-75% range. Many people are happy with the recommended 65% and still there are others that insist 55-60% is perfectly fine for hatching.

More confusion.

Here are my thoughts: Are you a meddler? If you have a chick that you feel needs assisting, (There is an awesome thread on BYC on assisted hatching and why it should only be done if you feel it's absolutely necessary and the what happens if you assist too soon.) are you willing to open the incubator to help?

Many people have a hands off philosophy after lockdown. They will not, for any reason open that incubator until the hatch is complete. If a chick is stuck..so be it. If there are 15 chicks running around and it takes 2 days for the rest to hatch, then those chicks are in there for two days. (There is nothing wrong with their philosophy, but....)

If you are a hands off hatcher, then you can probably successfully hatch out chicks with 60/65% humidity in your bator.

If you are anything like me, then a higher humidity is better for you. I like to move my chicks to the brooder once they are active and bouncing off my incubator walls, thermometers the other eggs and each other. I do not leave my chicks in the bator until hatch is over. If I feel it is absolutely necessary I will assist a hatch. To properly assist a hatch you have to take things slow, help a little and replace the chick in the egg for rest and to give them a chance to finish. This constitutes opening the bator periodically. Every time you open the bator humidity slips out. Chicks need that humidity to hatch. If you are a “meddler” or someone who feels it necessary to open the bator, then naturally a higher humidity level is going to help keep adequate humidity in your bator. So take into consideration your actions and you should be able to judge a good humidity range for hatching. I personally believe you can't go wrong having extra humidity at hatch, but you most certainly can by having it too low.

These are my thoughts and theories of humidity based on research and experience. I by no means am an expert, but I have hatched some adorable little fuzzy butts with this knowledge.

I hope this helps.

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bgriz said:

First time INCUBATING SILKIES. Im using a little giant still air incubator temp at 99 to 100 with mild fluctuation. Im unsure what the humidity should be at??? any help would be appreciated. The more I read the more Im confused!! Some are saying lower humidity in first 17days at 35% and day 18 65-75%. Other site said humidity 75-85% always?? Im also reading these are a hard breed to hatch is this true? I have only 7 eggs so praying most make it. Thanks advise appreciated!!

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