Topic of the Week - Incubating eggs

[BirdsNRabbits]

Just bought a new incubator. Test run was great with humidity around 50-55%. Doing mock lock down now, and I cannot get the humidity above 65% with 3 additional cups under the chicken floor. Dome has lots of moisture on it. Any tips, or should I be okay? Quail eggs will arrive in 2 weeks to start incubating.

Humidity isn't changed by the amount of water you have but the surface area.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Just bought a new incubator. Test run was great with humidity around 50-55%. Doing mock lock down now, and I cannot get the humidity above 65% with 3 additional cups under the chicken floor. Dome has lots of moisture on it. Any tips, or should I be okay? Quail eggs will arrive in 2 weeks to start incubating.

My advice would be salt test the hygrometer. Humidity that low shouldn't cause condensation. If for some unbelievable reason it's accurate and you are getting condensation at that low, then you have more than enough humidity. What kind of incubator are you using?

 

[BradLimer]

My incubator is a forced air, and has 2 outside channels. The fan and wires almost sit on the floor in the middle, so I cannot just add water in the middle. I did add 3 additional cups in the middle where I could squeeze them in to increase the surface area, but still cannot get above 65%.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Quote:
Cool, what do you think of the incubator?

My incubation experience is quite limited, but I think that @AmyLynn2374 might be familiar with that model.

That appears to be the Hovabator 1602N still air. The Hovabators overall have excellent reviews. I have the 1583 and love it. I know quite a few people who use or have used the 1602N and liked it very well.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

My incubator is a forced air, and has 2 outside channels. The fan and wires almost sit on the floor in the middle, so I cannot just add water in the middle. I did add 3 additional cups in the middle where I could squeeze them in to increase the surface area, but still cannot get above 65%.

Is this a home made incubator? Like I said, I'd do a salt test on the hygrometer. It does not sound accurate. However, either way, if you have condensation you don't need more humidity.

 

[birdwrangler057]

That appears to be the Hovabator 1602N still air. The Hovabators overall have excellent reviews. I have the 1583 and love it. I know quite a few people who use or have used the 1602N and liked it very well.

Ok then! That's the one I'm going to get! Thanks for the help!

 

[Peaky]

How do u know if an egg is fertile before putting in the incubator

 

[Jilliho]

I live on the west Coast, so everywhere I get shipped eggs from is to the east of me. I get pretty good hatches.

 

[Finnie]

I've had problems with eBay eggs from the upper east coast. I'm in Southeast Texas, I think its a combination of the elevation and humidity change that causes the problems

At one time I heard, and I don't know how accurate this is, but in shipping eggs, it's best to get eggs from the west of your location.
It might be an interesting experiment.

I live on the west Coast, so everywhere I get shipped eggs from is to the east of me. I get pretty good hatches.

I wonder if the original person, whoever they were, who said to ship from west towards east had that mixed up with "from higher elevation to lower elevation." Because for all of the country east of the Rockies, those two directions would be the same. But west of the Rockies, you would ship towards the west to go down in elevation.

@BlooieYou are at high elevation, right? Didn't you have some issues at first with eggs shipped to you from a lower elevation? And then didn't you have a better hatch with eggs someone closer to you shipped? (From your blankie fort thread?)

 

[AmyLynn2374]

How do u know if an egg is fertile before putting in the incubator

You don't. The only way to know if an egg is fertile other than incubating it and seeing if it develops is to crack it open and check for the blastoderm and bullseye.

I wonder if the original person, whoever they were, who said to ship from west towards east had that mixed up with "from higher elevation to lower elevation." Because for all of the country east of the Rockies, those two directions would be the same. But west of the Rockies, you would ship towards the west to go down in elevation.

@BlooieYou are at high elevation, right? Didn't you have some issues at first with eggs shipped to you from a lower elevation? And then didn't you have a better hatch with eggs someone closer to you shipped? (From your blankie fort thread?)

I know the eggs that Blooie had success with came from downstate New York. So they had quite a travel, and from low elevation, not high.

With shipped eggs, a lot depends on the postal route and hubs they go through. Some hubs are so rough it doesn't matter where the come from they end up scrambled.