Humidity Obsessed

Date sort Score sort
ozexpat

ozexpat

CocoBeach Farm
7 Years
Nov 18, 2012
12,849
1,808
391
between SoCal and The Philippines
My Coop
My Coop
I am very new to this site and to human assisted chicken hatching. One of the things that surprised me was the obsession with humidity. I was thinking there are some pretty whacky people here
ep.gif
. Before I got my first batch of "proof of concept" eggs I decided to get a Meade TM005X-M Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Thermo Hygrometer. The bator was warmed, I drove 50 miles to get some fresh fertile eggs and joined the circus. WIth the auto turner I dont have to open the bator at all till I candle on day 10.

I now have a remote sensor with min and max humidity and temp alongside my bed. I have joined the whack and depraved.
yippiechickie.gif
 
I'm with ya there. I used to have 0 hygrometers, I now have 4! None of it still makes since to me. I have 2 digital and 2 analog. of course they are just cheap ones. I calibrated them with the salt per instructions i've found on here. my temps in the room upstairs was 78 degrees over night. I wrote down all the readings for each. The next day I put the same bag in the incubator that was set at 99 degrees with the same salt mixture for 12 hours. none of the readings were the same or close to the same % that they were off from over night in the 78 degree temp. Then I took them out of the bag and just layed them in the incubator with no water in incubator. All were off again the ones that I had to add like 5 was now reading higher then the ones that I had to subtract to get the 75% from the first time.
example: hygrometers
#1analog in bag at 78 degrees 68%, in bag in incubator at 99 degrees 60%, incubator no bag of salt 25%
#2 digital 78% in 78 degrees, 57% in 99 degrees, i.n.salt just read low
#3 digital 70% in 78 degrees, 66% in 99 degrees, ins 16%
#4 analog 69% in 78 degrees, 69% in 99 degrees, lower than 0 in ins

So which one would you go by? I'm not sure!

I think I may be over thinking this. My incubator is the syrofoam hovabator forced air and it's in my basement but it's a little drier than normal here, no rain, no snow and my heat is on although I have the vent closed to the room it's been about 68 degrees in that room and I keep the door closed.

I'm not positive but I think I'm getting obsessed with this humidity thing and it's driving me crazy that I can't figure it out. It seemed so easy when I first read about hygrometers
barnie.gif
 
I understand totally.
While I see people freaking about humidity my feeling is that its all relative (experts and scientists jump in any time). My 2 hygrometers are within 5 for both in and out of the incubator. I am just averaging them but my remote sensor version is by my bed. I am trying to be hands off as much as i can. provide the right environment and count the failures and successes.
 
I have quail eggs incubating right now that i'm doing the dry incubation. I added a small cup (laundry soap lid) full of water let it run dry twice. readings have been between 24% when water in cup and 16% without water. ( i think this may be as low as this one reads) The water is currently empty and I'm leaving it till I go into lockdown. I'm using hygrometer # 3 inside and # 2 outside, the outside one has been reading 24%. They are due to hatch this Sunday. We will see what happens.
 
Yes, it is curious that probably the most talked about issue during incubation centers around relative humidity.

I never really had a problem with it, and never really though about it being a problem, until I started reading BYC
hmm.png


Now I worry...
 
Actually, humidity isn't as big of an issue as temperature. I personally use the dry incubation method, and keep the humidity above the teens, but below 30%. My hatches always work out wonderfully as long as my temperatures remain stable.
 
Thank You:

I am trying dry incubation method here in so cal as my "proof of concept" experiment but am hoping I can replicate it in a country where humidity is never below 80 degrees and 60% humid and normally 88 degrees and 88% humid.

I am in day 3. Just 18 days more and I will have a good idea.
 
ozexpat said:
Thank You:

I am trying dry incubation method here in so cal as my "proof of concept" experiment but am hoping I can replicate it in a country where humidity is never below 80 degrees and 60% humid and normally 88 degrees and 88% humid.

I am in day 3. Just 18 days more and I will have a good idea.
Click to expand...

Wow, yeah I wouldn't add any water to the incubator at all for the entire hatch in that situation.
 
I just found the perfect device for the humidity obsessed:

http://pcsensor.com/index.php?_a=product&productId=29&product_id=29

Its a sensor you can hook up to your USB port on your PC and can get auto recordings of your temp and humidity. Then you can drop the results into an excel spread sheet and even have an alarm sent to you via email should the temp or humidity move out of your pre-determined ranges.

Now where my flock will be finally located there is no real internet so its not for me but I know for some of you, it should be a must have.

Just saying....
 

Similar threads

AngeJD
    • Like
IncuView Incubator - BEST!
Replies
4
Views
2K
AngeJD
AngeJD
Kiraeh
    • Like
    • Love
My DIY incubator set-up, hatched 12/14.
2
Replies
13
Views
4K
Phunktacular
Phunktacular
D
Can someone confirm my logic for my incubator build?
Replies
2
Views
2K
donpayne
D
lazy gardener
    • Like
Before you plug in that incubator
Replies
3
Views
2K
lazy gardener
lazy gardener
H
    • Like
After 10 weeks and 100 hatched birds, my take on incubating.
2
Replies
12
Views
3K
HCB
H

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom