Need suggestions: humidity?

[mstricer]

Your hygrometers are way off. I stopped using the digital ones. One they are never right and two they are never right. I just add water to the middle well in plastic tray and don't add any more until lock down. Is there any way you can get fresh eggs and not shipped, so you can practice? If not you will end up spending a lot of money and thinking you stink at hatching. When I first started hatching I bought eggs also. Had bad hatches and swore I would never do it again, then I collected 25 of my eggs, saying I will be lucky if only one hatches, they all did. It takes a few tries before getting it right. Good luck, Michele

 

[cochin44]

Wet bulb /dry bulb thermometer, folks. Eliminates all the errors and guesswork.

http://lyonusa.com/html/incubation_html/thermometers2.html

 

[JDchicks]

I am going to try reducing the humidity level this time 1-18 days. And leaving it at the original level for lock down.

I picked up a new one. Its a glass bulb thermometer with a coil hygrometer. I will order the wet/dry bulb thermometer. But I will have to start with the glass/coil one I picked up. I am calibrating it now.

My eggs showed up a day early so I will be setting them tomorrow morning.

Thank you for the advice and wish me luck.

 

[fried green eggs]

I have a digital and a coil one in both of my incubators since I calibrated them and found out what each was off (I put a tag with + or - and the number on each ) At least now they agree so, I'm not guessing. I start lock-down tonight on shipped eggs. Hoping this time they all hatch. I know that's wishful thinking but

 

[JDchicks]

Let me know how they are doing. Glad to see someone else using the coil one also.

 

[rahul2299]

In my opinion you have done two mistakes.


(1) Shipping Eggs : Don't start your hatching with shipping eggs as their hatching rates are very low. If you are new to hatching try to bring eggs from near poultry or hatchery. Set them for at least some hours before put it into bator.


(2) Your humidity seems to high in the first 1-18 days.. In my first hatching, I also drowned my chicks by increasing humidity up to 60%... In my opinion you must set it to 35-40% in the first 18 days and lockdown should be 65-70%.


Egg turner is good in two ways


(1) As the cashdl suggest it will make life much easier as you don't need to turn it again and again

(2) Touching eggs with dirty hands can harm your chick also.. coz shell may suck harmfull bacterias and other dirty stuff from your hands which can effects on chicks life

 

[JDchicks]

I am trying to get the humidity down. its at 45% right now.

I have no water in the incubator. Humidity here is high.

I am getting ready to put some dry rice in it to see if that will help lower it.

 

[cashdl]

If your natural humidity is at 45% with no water then leave it. Just up it a little bit to 60% when you are hatching. You can only go as low the ambient humidity so you are good.


Lanae

 

[JDchicks]

okay, thank you!!

 

[WinklerFarms]

dont forget you have to lower your tem to 98.5 at hatching time. Low is better than high when hatching.