Honestly, yes - it's a pain dealing with the huge, awkward styrofoam incubator top (where to put it, can't set it face-down or the buttons could accidentally be pushed and alter the settings...also easy to accidentally bump the incubator while monkeying around with the top), but I just dug my fingernails (short though they may be) into the styrofoam "handles". That part of the unit could definitely use some improvement! Let me know how your DIY handle project works out.
I have a long table that I use for incubation and there would normally be more than enough room to just set the top next to the unit, but I had two other incubators going at the same time. lol I just set a folding chair next to the table and carefully set the incubator top on the chair while turned the eggs. Worked just fine.
Yes, I start with the incubator dry and see what it reads; if it's between 30-40, I don't add any water until lockdown. The humidity in your home may definitely affect the humidity in the incubator, but it may actually work in your favor. Personally, I think duck eggs and dadark-shelled eggs like BCM benefit from dry hatching; lighter-shelled eggs seem to do ok with slightly higher humidity, but they may just be a bit more forgiving./quote]
Darker eggs have more layers of pigmentation, making the shell thicker/less porous, generally meaning they loose moisture at a slower rate, thus why they fair better with lower humidity.
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