Arizona hatchers????????

[brijay2]

Anyone out there have trouble with humidity in homemade bators. I'm trying to trouble shoot mine. I have excellent development and no hatches. I can't seem to get my humidity above 40%

 

[mahalo4]

what are you using as an incubator?and what are you using for humidity? adding x-tra sponges with warm water works great to add more surface area and bump up humidity i use commercial sponges and cut some to add just enough. i am new at this but i am sure someone with more experiance can help you more 40% is great for the first 18 days then add the sponges during the last days to kick it up to aroung 65% for the last few days.

 

[AK_Button_Mama]

yeah more surface area and it its a hopmade bator you should build a hose onto so you dont have to open it. make a funel and hose device that you can slowly add water to the bator without opening it! every time its opened it causes the humidity to drop drasitically. good luck and we are from Phoenix but now live in Alaska... where are you?

 

[Bigdaddy101]

I had the opposite problem..... My humidity was to high. Button mama hit the nil on the head. The surface area is one factor. The more area the air has to "pick up" water the high the humidity. Also, consider the fact of what the incubator is made from. If it is porus wood, it will be low until the wood is fully saturated. The wood acts like a wick. Sponges also work well (as mahalo stated). sealing the system up is also important. There are so many factor's that determine the humidity it's crazy. Latex paint or better, insulation will prevent the wood from sucking up the water from the air for sure. Then it will be easier to control.

 

[Rebel Rooster]

I've built 4 bators out of old coleman and igloo coolers. (48-50) quart size. I've hatched 100's of eggs and the humidity is the key! The suggestion in the earlier post about installing a small hose to add water is a great idea... That's the way I designed mine. I use 1/4 inch clear rubber water line. (.5 cents a foot at lowes) drill a 3/8 inch hole about halfway up the side of your bator, run the hose to the bottom and surround the hose with your sponges. I use 2 1/2 inch and 3 inch PC fans for cirulation. (Usually $5.00 a piece including shipping on ebay) sometimes cheaper if you really look! I mount 1 fan directly over my sponges to circulate the warm humid air (It works great) I rigged a small kitchen funnel with 3/16 inch ice maker water line (It's hard, flexible plastc) I taped the plastic line to the end of the funnel with elec. tape. The 3/16 line will slide snuggly into the 1/4 inch rubber line that runs inside the bator. Slowly add your warm water to the sponges... You never have to open the bator to add water. If humidity starts to climb too high, allow more fresh air ventilation to compensate.. Hope this helps!

 

[tofuranch]

more info on you incubator...so I can help you better

I am able to get my humidity up and down...so you should be able to also

I do understand with it being so dry here that it is hard.

 

[AK_Button_Mama]

OH one other thing, the sponge should be set up on its skinny end. not laided down in the water flat. if its laid down flat its just a little bit higher humidity. the surface area is rasied if you put a edge in the water and the water is "wicked" up the sponge.... I saw some ones little cups with pieces cut up and put into it... thats a great system if you only need a little humidity raised... if you need a massive amount put in. try to set the sponge on its edge and not flat. I gaurantee it will raise the humidity!

 

[Mahonri]

Same problem here with my hovabator.

84 eggs... 24 chicks.

most of the quitters were fully developed and just didn't make it out of the shell.

I had a hose into my trays... but reading this, I'm getting some thin sponges to but underneath the area where the fan is.

I won't hatch again until sometime after Christmas.

 

[brijay2]

my homemade bator is made up of an igloo 54 legend. I had a aluminum baking dish (lasagna pan) with 4 sponges and had a hole drilled for tubing that was attached to a bottle. I didn't have to open to fill but my combination thermometer/hygrometer never read over 40 %. I did have them flat so maybe putting them on their side wicking out of the pan would have helped. The fan is a pc fan. It might be too high above the pan.