What is the ideal humidity for hatching in an incubator?

[junebuggena]

I wonder if anyone is incubating in Kansas generally our air is high humidity anyway? Do u still do the same recommendations for humidity range 40-50 day 1-18 and 60-70% last 3 days

You'll have to find what works for your set of circumstances. Candle, mark the air cells, and make adjustments to your humidity as needed.

 

[WVduckchick]

I wonder if anyone is incubating in Kansas generally our air is high humidity anyway? Do u still do the same recommendations for humidity range 40-50 day 1-18 and 60-70% last 3 days

That's likely a bit too high for a humid area... I would suggest starting out with no water in your incubator (it will probably maintain 30-40 without any water, which is fine) Then follow what junebuggena states below. Starting with humidity low is much easier to adjust, if it happens to be "too" low, than getting extra water out later if you start too high!

You'll have to find what works for your set of circumstances. Candle, mark the air cells, and make adjustments to your humidity as needed.

x2

 

[Tinybantam52]

I barely put water in my incubator but it still shows 65 percent humidity, so how do I get it to go down, I hardly have but a few drops of water in it

 

[PD-Riverman]

I barely put water in my incubator but it still shows 65 percent humidity, so how do I get it to go down, I hardly have but a few drops of water in it

Why put any water in it if its 65%? But do check your humidity with a second working meter to see if it is about the same.

 

[SilkieLadee]

I think humidity is the most difficult thing. And it changes so much! You put water in and it rises and then slowly goes down. And you have to open the bator which everyone says NOT to do.

My husband made something for me to help with humidity. A funnel with clear tubing attached. I can put it through the hole and add water that way. I am going to try it for my next hatch.

I hope SOMEONE has some sort of answer for this question on humidity.

That is really neat... I will have to try that!

 

[SilkieLadee]

I agree. I keep mind around 50% with chicken eggs, regardless of day. But then I also have a rotating incubation schedule. Eggs get laid on day 1, they go in right away. Eggs get laid on day 2, they go in on Day 2. Eggs get laid on Day 3, they go in on day 3. On day 21, the first eggs will hatch, and whatever eggs get laid that day will be put in the incubator. So I am adding eggs to the incubator every day, and I have hatches almost EVERY day as well. There is no "day 17-21" for me, because every egg is on a separate schedule. So I don't try to raise the humidity at the end.

But then again, a mother hen can't exactly sweat a lot heavier at the end of sitting, either. So it almost seems pointless to raise the humidity. HOWEVER, the hatching eggs themselves will help raise humidity as the liquid on the inside becomes exposed and gets evaporated into the air inside of the incubator. But that first chick to hatch under a momma hen still has to deal with the same humidity she had on day 4.

Now during the winter, the air here gets EXTREMELY dry, and I have to either add more water sources (sponges, shallow dishes) or mist it at certain times of the day with a spray bottle. But I still don't try to go too far above 50%.

Do you turn your eggs by hand?

 

[Goldenchik]

I completely agree as well, and as I am on my first hatch I am nervous. I have set 9 eggs, 6 of which are very dark colored. Three of the six are Olive Egger eggs and the other three are Black Copper Marans. The Olive Egger eggs I am unable to candle as the shells are so dark I cannot see through. A side note; When I cooked with my Olive eggs they had an unusual blue color inside the shell so it's not surprising that I can't candle them. I am able suprisingly to see through the Marans eggs (which are really dark). Good veining was noted at day seven. The other 3 eggs are a Cream Legbar (which I removed on day seven as there was no veining, just a yolk), a Barred Rock and a Polish/Araucana/Marans cross. I'm getting to my point. Why I'm incubating is because we had a raccoon attack and kill 7 of my chickens including my Black Copper Marans Roo. I lost my only Black Copper Marans hen that had just started laying and had only laid maybe 6 eggs. I also lost 2 Olive Egger hens, a Legbar hen an Easter Egger hen and Barred Rock hen. Thus my reason to try and hatch my Olive Egger and Black Copper Marans eggs that I had in the Frig only for 1 or 2 days. It was a risk, but worth trying to save my Olive and Marans lines that I've started. Thankfully I still have 2 other Legbars, Easter Eggers and 3 Barred Rocks. So back to the point, which is that I'm not exactly sure when all of the eggs were laid. And so even though I set them all at the same time I'm not exactly sure they will all hatch on day 21. And then there is the worry of the humidity levels as well. I am hopeful for these eggs, but I am also going to be realistic and not expect them all to hatch. If I get one BCM hen and Roo and an Olive Egger hen I'll be very happy.
My first hatch date will be around March 2nd and the second should be March 7th.

Now as I am worried about not having any Olive Eggers I set 2 more Blue eggs, (Cream Legbar and another Polish mixed egg), which mating with the BCM Roo should produce Olive Eggs if they are hens. I also set a Green Easter Egger, a Golden Laced Wyandotte and another Barred Rock. Now these 5 eggs I know when/what day they were laid, and they never were placed in the Frig. And I candled them at day 5 and all have nice veining.
I also want to add that I was pleasantly surprised to find out that hens stay fertile for up to 3 weeks or so even when separated from a Roo for that length of time.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I have read different things, so I wanted to find out what humidity level has worked best for some of you that are more experienced at hatching in an incubator. What humidity is ideal for the first 18 days and after day 18 when they come out of the egg turner?

I really don't give a rip about some figure on a hydrometer I use a variation on a sling hygrometer that finds the relative humidity by the temperature differential between two thermometers one of which has a gauze sock on the bulb and the sock has one end resting in a small tube or glass of distilled water. The dry bulb should be at 99 to 100 degrees and at lock down the wet bulb should be hovering between 83 to 85 degrees. that is somewhere in the mid 85% to 87% relative humidity range if my memory is correct.

I have down loaded two videos from a commercial hatchery. Watch these two videos carefully. In one of them the interior of a LARGE incubator is shown, the temperature and humidity in this incubator is expressed in large red led digital numbers. Look for and carefully note the temperature and the relative humidity in these incubators. Then go ye forth and set your incubators accordingly. The effect that food, mineral, and vitamin deficiencies has on both hatchability and birth defects in baby chicks is touched on. Another thing I have touched on in my own post is to do an inspection of the empty eggshells post hatching and try to everything so as not to force your baby chicks to spend hours and days pipping. When strong, healthy, baby chicks bust out of the egg it looks like the eggshell was cut in half with a lazier beam, & not like a drunk gorilla spent days hacking its way out of the eggshell using a dull machete.

1st installment of a in action

2nt installment of hatching eggs

 

[WVduckchick]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/incubation-humidity.73386/

 

[Anagram]

I completely agree as well, and as I am on my first hatch I am nervous. I have set 9 eggs, 6 of which are very dark colored. Three of the six are Olive Egger eggs and the other three are Black Copper Marans. The Olive Egger eggs I am unable to candle as the shells are so dark I cannot see through. A side note; When I cooked with my Olive eggs they had an unusual blue color inside the shell so it's not surprising that I can't candle them. I am able suprisingly to see through the Marans eggs (which are really dark). Good veining was noted at day seven. The other 3 eggs are a Cream Legbar (which I removed on day seven as there was no veining, just a yolk), a Barred Rock and a Polish/Araucana/Marans cross. I'm getting to my point. Why I'm incubating is because we had a raccoon attack and kill 7 of my chickens including my Black Copper Marans Roo. I lost my only Black Copper Marans hen that had just started laying and had only laid maybe 6 eggs. I also lost 2 Olive Egger hens, a Legbar hen an Easter Egger hen and Barred Rock hen. Thus my reason to try and hatch my Olive Egger and Black Copper Marans eggs that I had in the Frig only for 1 or 2 days. It was a risk, but worth trying to save my Olive and Marans lines that I've started. Thankfully I still have 2 other Legbars, Easter Eggers and 3 Barred Rocks. So back to the point, which is that I'm not exactly sure when all of the eggs were laid. And so even though I set them all at the same time I'm not exactly sure they will all hatch on day 21. And then there is the worry of the humidity levels as well. I am hopeful for these eggs, but I am also going to be realistic and not expect them all to hatch. If I get one BCM hen and Roo and an Olive Egger hen I'll be very happy.
My first hatch date will be around March 2nd and the second should be March 7th.

Now as I am worried about not having any Olive Eggers I set 2 more Blue eggs, (Cream Legbar and another Polish mixed egg), which mating with the BCM Roo should produce Olive Eggs if they are hens. I also set a Green Easter Egger, a Golden Laced Wyandotte and another Barred Rock. Now these 5 eggs I know when/what day they were laid, and they never were placed in the Frig. And I candled them at day 5 and all have nice veining.
I also want to add that I was pleasantly surprised to find out that hens stay fertile for up to 3 weeks or so even when separated from a Roo for that length of time.

I'm so curious to find out how you did with your hatches that were set to hatch March 2nd and March 7th. How did they do? I have 8 Isbars in an incubator and 3 under a broody and set to go into lockdown on Thursday. I'm a little worried as my air cells are small, but my humidity was running at 60% so I'm dropping it down today and hoping to get larger air cells going before lockdown.