Best way to raise humidity? Urgent!

[GermanKennhuhn]

Hi folks, we're on day 19 of incubating chicken eggs, and one pipped this morning. Last night, I put a hot, wet paper towel in the incubator in attempt to raise the humidity, but it didn't work. I'm doing a dry hatch, keeping the humidity between 18% and 25%(I know thats low, but the air cells have been looking good). I've tried hot, wet sponges, hot wet cloths, and I even tried filling all the water trays, but nothing is raising it more than 2%! The incubator is a still air Little Giant, and the hygrometer is a Goabroa Mini Hygrometer Thermometer Digital Indoor Humidity Gauge Monitor with Temperature Meter Sensor Fahrenheit (℉).Thanks in advance!

 

[MGG]

Hi folks, we're on day 19 of incubating chicken eggs, and one pipped this morning. Last night, I put a hot, wet paper towel in the incubator in attempt to raise the humidity, but it didn't work. I'm doing a dry hatch, keeping the humidity between 18% and 25%(I know thats low, but the air cells have been looking good). I've tried hot, wet sponges, hot wet cloths, and I even tried filling all the water trays, but nothing is raising it more than 2%! The incubator is a still air Little Giant, and the hygrometer is a Goabroa Mini Hygrometer Thermometer Digital Indoor Humidity Gauge Monitor with Temperature Meter Sensor Fahrenheit (℉).Thanks in advance!

Hm. Where is your incubator located in the house? Maybe try periodically misting them with warm (almost hot) water. I would put in some dishes of hot water with sponges in them.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I can't help with the thermometer and hygrometer if they haven't been calibrated.
However, as you know, that humidity is way too low for the last couple days.
What you have to do is fill the reservoirs and use sponges.

A wet paper towel or wet sponge without a full reservoir of water won't raise the humidity long enough or significantly enough to help.

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

Hm. Where is your incubator located in the house? Maybe try periodically misting them with warm (almost hot) water. I would put in some dishes of hot water with sponges in them.

Thanks for replying! The incubator is in the kitchen. Just to be clear, should I try misting the incubator or the eggs? I'll try the bowls again, but they didn't seem to work

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

I can't help with the thermometer and hygrometer if they haven't been calibrated.
However, as you know, that humidity is way too low for the last couple days.
What you have to do is fill the reservoirs and use sponges.

A wet paper towel or wet sponge without a full reservoir of water won't raise the humidity long enough or significantly enough to help.

Thanks for replying! The reservoirs are full now, hopefully that helps! I'll try the sponge as well.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The key to raising humidity is surface area rather than volume. However, without a reservoir to draw from, the sponge, rag or whatever won't stay moist long at all.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You may also want to lower the temperature a bit. Pipping on day 19 indicates the temp was high throughout.

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

You may also want to lower the temperature a bit. Pipping on day 19 indicates the temp was high throughout.

Yeah I lowered it to about 99F. I was surprised it pipped early, because the temperature was about 100F throughout incubation. It occasionally got higher than that, but was corrected almost immediately because I used a probe thermometer that I could set to beep when it got too hot for most of incubation. Thanks!

 

[MGG]

Yeah, the humidity is really low. I incubate at 40 until lockdown usually. I know there is no "right humidity" but that just seems too low.

 

[MGG]

Somehow my post just posted, I'm a little late, lol