Quote:
I am afraid you are misunderstanding the "dry" hatch method. Actually, the name "dry" is not really accurate as the eggs are not being incubated at low humidity. "Dry" simply means that little to no water is needed to keep the humidity where it needs to be since the humidity in the air in the room is high enough. Some areas/situations lend themselves well to it, other areas/situations will kill the embryos quickly. The first thing I would do is double check your hygrometer. No matter how much it cost, no single unit is without potential problems. Add another to the incubator and see what it reads.
I would also check the humidity of the room, itself. If the room humidity is only 30% at 70 degrees then it is nearly impossible to have 50%-60% at 99 degrees. The reason is that humidity is measured relatively. This means that the hygrometer is telling you how much moisture is in the air compared to how much moisture the air, at that temperature, COULD hold before becoming saturated. As the temp rises, so does it's moisture holding capacity. Therefore, if your room temp is 70 and your room humidity is 30%, and that same air is entering your incubator with no miosture added, it simply cannot go higher inside the unit as the air is warmer inside.
A/C typically lowers the humidity in the room but how much depends on how humid the room is to start with and how often the unit is running. I know up here in MA it has been incredibly humid up until recently and I have incubated all of my eggs fairly dry. I added water during hatch but even had one or two come out early, before I added the water, without problems. I know that I cannot expect the same thing to happen when I incubate in Feb as it will be way too dry. I honestly do not even use a hygrometer in my incubator anymore so cannot tell you what it runs at. I candle my eggs every few days and make any adjustments necessary by looking at the air spaces. If they are getting too big, too fast I will add some water. If they seem to be progressing okay then I leave it alone. Shooting for 40%-50% during the first 18 days is USUALLY a good way to go. Recheck your hygrometer, check your room humidity and go from there.
I hope this helps and that I have not told you anything you did not already know!
Richard
