Airspace Size opinions please!! (pics) (last year they died from humidity)

[Apriljc]

Hi all!

I lost my chicks last year and I am pretty sure it was due to humidity issues (too much).

My incubator has had a humidity on average about 53% with a range of 43% as a low and 55% as the high.

Here are photos of the airspaces as traced at 8 days and almost 15 days. Do you think the spaces are too big/too small/just right at this stage or should I change the humidity? (Sorry, I couldn't get a pic during candling bc I didn't have enough hands).

Hatch day is next Monday.









(number 1 has a funky airspace and you can see fluid move at the edge of it) (number 4 has an airspace on the side due to a puncture wound which has been sealed with wax)


Thank you! (I can try for a candling pic later)

 

[A.T. Hagan]

My incubator has had a humidity on average about 53% with a range of 43% as a low and 55% as the high.

Given your humidity to date and your pencil lines it appears to me the air cells are not yet large enough. Precisely what you should keep the humidity at is subject to a number of variables, but to my mind you need to lower yours a good bit. In fact for the rest of this particular hatch I'd take the water out all together until the final three days when they are getting ready to hatch when I would raise it to between 60-65%.

In my air-conditioned Florida home in the spring time when I'm doing my hatching I like to keep the humidity between 40-45%, as close to forty as I can for the day 1-18 (1-25 for turkeys) humidity.

 

[rungirl]

I think that looks good. It shows they're losing moisture, which they need to do before hatch. I do the dry hatch method, which means I don't put ANY water in the incubator until lockdown and I don't worry about the humidity until hatch time. Humidity usually stays in the low 40s during much of the incubation and then I crank it up at lockdown. I've had excellent hatch results this way.

Lisa

 

[Apriljc]

Thanks to you both.

So do you think high humidity during the first 18 days is more likely to cause problems than low humidity?

I want the chickies to survive...not sure the kids and I can handle another batch of dead babies!

We have only three days or so till lock down....maybe I should go dry until then?

 

[rungirl]

High humidity is absolutely a problem. If your chicks are drowning, the humidity was way too high. You're always better off to keep the humidity low. The only reason you need to raise it at the end is so they don't dry out during the hatch and get stuck in the membrane. If it were me, I would open the incubator and dry it out and get the humidity down. At this point, I might not even add water until there was a pip.

 

[capstone]

okay I am not trying to hijack the thread but there are times my humidity gets as low as 23%, my chicks are only 5 days old. So I have been adding a little water to bring it up to 40-53% humidity. Are you saying that a low % of humidity is fine at this point? My temps are staying steady at 99.5-100.2 degrees

 

[cmom]

I also dry hatch. My humidity runs around 35% to 40% during incubation and 70% to 75% during lockdown (the last 3 days when I set the eggs for hatching). Originally my humidity during incubation was around 50%, since changing to lower humidity during incubation my hatch rates have increased greatly. I have had 100% hatches since lowering my humidity. Usually my hatches run from 90% to about 100%. The eggs do need to loose moisture as the chicks develop. I have had drops to less than 20% and up to around 50%, but as long as I check the humidity daily and close or open the vents to adjust it I have great hatches.

 

[capstone]

super.. thank you. That is what I do. I check ours several times a day. It is in our dining room so as I walk by I just peek in through the window and check temps and humidity. If it gets too low I put a little bit of water in to bring it back up....

 

[Apriljc]

Thanks everyone.

Its actually very hot and humid in our area right now so I am opening the bator now and then to let out some heat and humidity (replacing the cover after a minute or so).

Just candled and all 11 are still kicking around! The bottom has gone dark where there was a lot of white left so I guess they have turned lengthwise?

I hope they hatch. My heart is very into this whole thing!