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[Lil Peeps]

What should the humidity be at the beginning of incubating the eggs. I hear 45 to 50 percent is that right?

Well it can depend on several factors, like if the climate where you live is super dry, you are going to have to raise the humidity more, and not so much if you live somewhere really wet, some people do dry incubation where they don't add any water until lockdown. I've heard so many different opinions on this but I think right around there should be good. I personally keep mine around 45% and then bring it to about 70% at lockdown. Somebody told me I had it too high even at that too and to stay around 30% but about 45 works for me. I mean you can experiment and see what works for you. One hatch I added to much moisture and my hatch ended up like Sabrina's, three chicks did hatch out of 8 eggs but the rest look like they drowned or something and were huge! And the egg was super wet inside. I don't know if there is one perfect humidity. Not that I have found so far, but a lot of places say exactly what you said 45-50%. Also you need to make sure you calibrate your thermometer and hygrometer every once in a while to make sure they are still accurate. sorry this is so long and wordy, but I hope it helps.

 

[aprilhillier]

I am hvng a very hard time keeping the humidity up during lockdown, very frustrating, after listening to one of my babes keeping tapping and yet no internal pip, and from candling I knew the air sac was large, I decided to help it, of course he was trying to pip below the air sac, I finally was able to find his beak and open his sac, I was able not to damage his membranes. Put him back incubator with a wet paper towel, set my alarm for two hours, he was dead???? Yolk almost completely absorb, I can't understand why?

 

[Lil Peeps]

What day are you at? Good ways to raise the humidity for me is to put a small warm wet washcloth or paper towel in the incubator and to add pretty warm water to the channels, not too to warm or it will also start to make it too hot in there. I do like to use warm water though because it evaporates quicker. You can also take a spray bottle and most warm water in your incubator. I do all these and I am always able to keep my humidity up. I'm so sorry about the chick! I don't know quite why it would have died. You might have helped it to soon, but then again you didn't damage any of its membranes and just opened a hole for him so I don't understand why he died. Was your incubator really dry and his membranes dried out and he got glued to the shell and died struggling? I know how frustrating that must feel for you. Do you have any other eggs in there and if so how are they doing? I would definitely try and raise the humidity in there, I really hope some of this helps you out, and again I am so sorry for your loss!

 

[Lil Peeps]

Well never mind you said you put him in with a wet paper towel so I can't imagine his membranes getting to dry. I have no idea!

 

[DannBlyth]

So most of my chicks are out of the eggs there are about 6 or seven left hard to really tell with all the action in there but there are at least 3 pipped the oldest chick is about 30 hours old the humidity is at 88 and the chicks that are out are panting and I'm freeking out what do I do???????????????????????

 

[aprilhillier]

I am so upset with my new incubator between the humidity issues and temp issues, no chicks hv made it, my old one was a 95% hatch right,this one.. Ugh chicks dying at different stages,two during hatching at this point it's a 0% hatch rate in this stupid digital incubator

 

[Lil Peeps]

DannBlyth, I am so sorry yesterday I replied but for some reason it didn't post! What I always do at that point is REALLY quickly open the incubator and take the older chicks out and wait for the rest of hatch, when they are all done I take them out together. Just open it as quick as you can so you let out the least amount of humidity possible. I always do this every hatch and all the other eggs still always hatch. Sorry for the late reply, I am so mad about my post not posting!

 

[Lil Peeps]

I'm so sorry aprilhillier! What kind of incubator is it?

 

[aprilhillier]

My daughters boyfriend broke my old proven one, so I had to go to TSC and bought the one they hv, at first I thought how cool, it's digital. Tells my temps and humidity. No messing with a knob.. Well I wish I had my old one. Lost one of my lavender last night, in 24 eggs..ugh

 

[Lil Peeps]

Oh I am so sorry! That's terrible! We get such good hatches in our old still air LG I would be so sad if something happened to it!