GQF Sportsman

[HickoryHollow]

Ok, I started collecting eggs yesterday and will be putting my first batch in my new GQF next Friday. I should have between 60 and 90 eggs first batch.

I bought the Sportsman used, but barely. It has ALL the bells and whistles including every size turning tray you can think of and the humidity kit with the bucket on top.

Here is my question. I fired it up and let it run for 24 hours just to check everything out. I filled the water tray and bucket. The only thin that didn't come with the bator were the sponge "wicks".

In 24 hours, the humidity only came up to about 34%. The set point for temperature was set by the previous owner right at 100 and held a very steady consistent 99.5.

Where do you Sportsman users run your humidity?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Ok, I started collecting eggs yesterday and will be putting my first batch in my new GQF next Friday. I should have between 60 and 90 eggs first batch.

I bought the Sportsman used, but barely. It has ALL the bells and whistles including every size turning tray you can think of and the humidity kit with the bucket on top.

Here is my question. I fired it up and let it run for 24 hours just to check everything out. I filled the water tray and bucket. The only thin that didn't come with the bator were the sponge "wicks".

In 24 hours, the humidity only came up to about 34%. The set point for temperature was set by the previous owner right at 100 and held a very steady consistent 99.5.

Where do you Sportsman users run your humidity?

No matter what incubator you are using the important thing is not so much the percentage, but how much moisture the egg is loosing. Some people (myself included) have switched to the "dry incubation" or "dry hatch" method. Basically not adding water to the incubator the first 17 days as long as the incubator holds at least 25% and then upping it to at LEAST 65% for hatch (I shoot for 75%). Instead of worrying too much about percentage we check the air cells for proper growth, or some weigh the eggs to measure for proper weight loss.
Generally the standard incubation humidity for most not doing dry hatch is 40-50%.

I use wet sponges in mine to get the humidity up and hold it there. Works well, but I have a table top LG incubator.

Sounds as though you've got a nice incubator though and should have good hatches!

 

[HickoryHollow]

Amy,
Yep, you are completely right about moisture loss in the eggs. Every hatch can vary depending on how much moisture the eggs in each batch have lost. I get all that...air cell size etc. I have hatched about 400 peeps. This is a whole new game though. Last year, I was weighing eggs in each batch to determine moisture loss, and candling eggs to check air cells. When the Sportsman is full, it will hold almost 300 eggs. Not going to weigh, or candle 300 eggs, so I was just wondering a "somewhat rule of thumb" for the Sportsman.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Amy,
Yep, you are completely right about moisture loss in the eggs. Every hatch can vary depending on how much moisture the eggs in each batch have lost. I get all that...air cell size etc. I have hatched about 400 peeps. This is a whole new game though. Last year, I was weighing eggs in each batch to determine moisture loss, and candling eggs to check air cells. When the Sportsman is full, it will hold almost 300 eggs. Not going to weigh, or candle 300 eggs, so I was just wondering a "somewhat rule of thumb" for the Sportsman.

Ya, that's a lot of eggs....lol. I'm a candle addict...I'll come candle them...lmao