9th-annual-byc-new-years-day-2018-hatch-a-long

[ronott1]

What is a dry hatch?

Keeping humidity below the traditional humidity level. Many use 30 to 35% humidity. In dry places you still have to add water.

Going below 25% is not good though and is associated with dead chicks. Humidity is not as critical as temperature. Temperature needs to be plus or minus one degree of 99.5 to have the best hatch. Humidity on the other hand can vary 20 degrees so anywhere from 25% to 50% will get the same result.

 

[ronott1]

Good Morning!

 

[Altfrizzle]

Keeping humidity below the traditional humidity level. Many use 30 to 35% humidity. In dry places you still have to add water.

Going below 25% is not good though and is associated with dead chicks. Humidity is not as critical as temperature. Temperature needs to be plus or minus one degree of 99.5 to have the best hatch. Humidity on the other hand can vary 20 degrees so anywhere from 25% to 50% will get the same result.

I had to average about 52% humidity to get the right weight loss for my chicks, with 3 of 24 not losing enough and 2 of the 24 losing too much. The other 19 were right on target for 13% loss by lockdown.

 

[ronott1]

I had to average about 52% humidity to get the right weight loss for my chicks, with 3 of 24 not losing enough and 2 of the 24 losing too much. The other 19 were right on target for 13% loss by lockdown.

Perfect! Different breeds do better at different humidity levels. A dry hatch would not have worked for you. At different times of the year humidity levels will need to be changed too. Conditions determine this, like where you hatch and what it is like in the room where you have the incubators.

Good job!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

You don't add water until lock down i think!

Me/FL. =
Spring-Summer✓No H2O until day 15.
Fall-Winter✓H20 day one - refilled day 18.
(still air/chicken pods @ 100.8° F)
∆lso... During Summer quarter, hatch room is 5° less than incubator from the brooders. You will melt in there... Literally.

 

[pennyJo1960]

View attachment 1220151
Good Morning!

thanks @ronott1 needed the wake up

 

[aliciaplus3]

Here in dry colorado at my altitude a dry hatch = dead in shell babies..or at least that was what I found the 2 times I ran a dry incubation ... we are so dry that right now in my house is reading 10% humidity. But it could also have something to do with being at 6000 feet above sea level???

 

[Altfrizzle]

My house is at 15%. :-(

However, when I attempted dry incubation it was summer with non-functional AC. Very humid.

 

[chonsey]

I have an rcom with temp & humidity control, sounds like my chicks should be ok. Just got a new furnace for the house, so I increased the humidity to the house & incubator. Hoping for a successful hatch!

 

[ronott1]

Here in dry colorado at my altitude a dry hatch = dead in shell babies..or at least that was what I found the 2 times I ran a dry incubation ... we are so dry that right now in my house is reading 10% humidity. But it could also have something to do with being at 6000 feet above sea level???

6000 feet does make it a bit harder to hatch but only for eggs coming from sea level. Eggs laid at your place should hatch fine.

with humidity as low as yours, you might need to add a humidifier to the room with the incubator