Are my eggs losing enough weight?

[saving grace]

I just found out my mom already has a pocket scale.

After weighing them with  that I really don't think most of the eggs are losing enough weight. So I'm adding more rice, and hoping all goes well.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

Hope everything goes well! I will say, I haven't hatched too many eggs however I've not been one to worry too much about the weight of the egg and I've had a good hatch rate. Aside from monitoring temperature and humidity, and candling them occasionally I just leave them. Obviously, if you think that it is an important thing to check then absolutely weigh them. Best of luck!

 

[Eggs_Over_EZ]

I did my first dry hatch in a Maticoopx 30 last month. I did not use water in the incubator until day 18 and then I only filled the smallest channel with water. Only time the humidity went up over 50% was when chicks hatched which always brings the humidity up. Some who dry hatch never add water at all. I was too use to having water added to not. My hatch was around 80% hatched.

 

[saving grace]

Hope everything goes well! I will say, I haven't hatched too many eggs however I've not been one to worry too much about the weight of the egg and I've had a good hatch rate. Aside from monitoring temperature and humidity, and candling them occasionally I just leave them. Obviously, if you think that it is an important thing to check then absolutely weigh them. Best of luck!

Thank you!

I hope I'm just being overly paranoid with the weighing, but I guess better safe than sorry. This is my first time incubating, so if some don't hatch I won't be too hard on myself.

 

[Eggs_Over_EZ]

Thank you!

I hope I'm just being overly paranoid with the weighing, but I guess better safe than sorry. This is my first time incubating, so if some don't hatch I won't be too hard on myself.

I hear you. I was as well. All other hatching experience was using the typical standard of keeping humidity at 50 and raising to 60-70 during hatching. One thing I will mention is I live in FL where humidity is a part of everyday life. The first 18 days the humidity was about 25 to 30%. I will not hesitate to dry hatch again in the future.

 

[saving grace]

Ack, the eggs are still not losing nearly enough weight.

I feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record.

Anyway, the rice wasn't doing anything (in fact, the humidity seemed to spike when I added it) and so I ended up cracking open the lid a tiny, tiny bit, which has brought the humidity down to 27%.

Temp is still running good, but I'm keeping a close eye.

 

[saving grace]

Update:

After lowering the humidity to 25-30% for the next while, my eggs seemed to be losing a very good amount of weight. Last night at the 18th day mark I put them in lockdown and raised the humidity to 60%.

To my extreme surprise, I just checked on the eggs and two have pipped!!! It's not even day 19 yet.

My thermometer has been reading steady temps of 99.3-100 the whole incubation, but usually 99.5.

I calibrated my thermometer, but clearly it mustn't be accurate and the incubator is hotter than I'd thought.

I hope everything will be fine. Is there anything I should do?

 

[Eggs_Over_EZ]

I have heard that others have had early pips. I have never had the experience. Very exciting!

 

[saving grace]

I have heard that others have had early pips. I have never had the experience. Very exciting!

Yes, I can't stop checking on them.

I realized why these two must have pipped so early. When I candled the eggs for the last time on day 18, two of the eggs' air cells were quite large, so I'm supposing it's those two.

One has also pipped on the wrong side of the egg, but I think all shall be fine.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

Yes, I can't stop checking on them.

I realized why these two must have pipped so early. When I candled the eggs for the last time on day 18, two of the eggs' air cells were quite large, so I'm supposing it's those two.

One has also pipped on the wrong side of the egg, but I think all shall be fine.

I did a dry hatch last month. Added about 2 tablespoons of water to the incubator on day 19. They started pipping day 19 and everyone was hatched by day 20.

I didn't weigh the eggs but I did watch the air cells..I saw steady growth of the air cell. My humidity stayed between 30-35% the whole time. When I added that little bit of water it jumped up to 50-55%. Great hatch. 19/22. Yours will be great I'm sure.