Brinsea Mini II Advance - Humidity Issue

[birds4c]

So if the humidity isn't getting high enough with water alone then adding a dish or a sponge could do the trick. Make sure that the sponge is in the water well but sticking out into the air slightly. This will allow it to draw up water and increase the water surface area. Let us know if you have any other questions!

Thank you! I will try this for my next hatch. I’ll let you know if I have any questions.

 

[birds4c]

I found that using warm water helped with getting the temperature back up quickly and the humidity also increases and stabilizes quickly. I'll take a picture of my sponge and tray that I use whenever I get finished up with work.
Hatching issues arise from so many factors, in my experience. Did you use eggs that shipped to you? What about the turner? Did you stop turning in time for them to get into proper position before hatching? What were you hatching? Did you keep an alternate calibrated thermometer and hydrometer in the incubator? These questions are just some of the possibilities. How did your hatch end up? Did you have to do any assisting? Hopefully your next clutch will go better for you.

Thank you! You brought up some good questions. The incubator I have is supposed to stop the turning automatically but I’ll just need to double check that it does. I read about how to calibrate my hydrometer from the document WVduckchick told me about. I need to do that now. I don’t know how to calibrate the thermometer I have or the one on my incubator though. The problems I’ve been having have been from multiple batches of eggs. Almost every batch had one of the problems WVduckchick mentioned though. The overall problem I saw was the issue of them having trouble hatching which seemed to me to be shrink wrapping. In my last batch one hatched normally (the one by the extra bottle cap of water). I had to assist two that had pipped and thankfully they’re alive and doing well!! Sadly one other died in its shell after pipping but I don’t think he was ready.
I’m going to try all the tips/suggestions you all have mentioned and hope for a better hatch!!
We’ve been getting a lot of rain too and lost power for short periods of time (I ran and plugged them in to a battery right away). Maybe this affected the one batch. I think the temperature went down about a degree.

 

[birds4c]

Sometimes we just overthink it. I’d say it was a combination of some of the issues, or just plain ole bad luck. If it continues, I’d worry more, but a single bad hatch is bound to happen sometimes.

There’s a link in my signature block below that may help you with air cell development and humidity adjustments. Incubation Humidity Guide. (If you’re on a phone, you have to turn the phone sideways to see signature blocks)

Thank you so much for all the information in the guide! So helpful! I’m confused about how to do the dry humidity. Also, it’s been raining a lot where I live so does that mean I would need less water the first weeks of incubation? I want to try watching the air cells next time I incubate chicken eggs. I can’t see when I candle the button quail eggs (that’s what I have in now) so I’ll have to wait. In the meantime I need to calibrate my hydrometer so I can see what’s going on. After I calibrate it, is it ok to leave it in the incubator all the time or will it get too hot? Thank you for the info on how to do calibrate it!

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I apologize for the delay but as promised, this is what I use. It's a tray that was in a lunchbox container. This part sat inside and above a larger part. I just cut the sponge to fit. To begin with, I just wet the sponge with warm water thoroughly and squeeze out any excess water. Then I'll place it in the incubator at lock down or during lock down. I use a bulb syringe to add water. This keeps me from having to open the incubator completely. I just lift the lid a tiny bit to fit the syringe in and squirt warm water as needed. If you have the ventilation fully opened, I find it easier to stabilize. Once you get external pips and hatches, the humidity will spike so watch it carefully.
To calibrate my alternate thermometers, I use the method that has you placing the thermometer in a ziploc bag and then submerging it into a cup of ice with a little bit of water. To calibrate hydrometers, I use the salt test method. I admit that my Brinsea has been pretty accurate so far. It's other incubators that have had issues that now cause me to always use an alternate calibrated thermometer and hydrometer, just in case.

Edited to add that my hatchlings always enjoy climbing on the sponge for some reason. It never fails

 

[birds4c]

I apologize for the delay but as promised, this is what I use. It's a tray that was in a lunchbox container. This part sat inside and above a larger part. I just cut the sponge to fit. To begin with, I just wet the sponge with warm water thoroughly and squeeze out any excess water. Then I'll place it in the incubator at lock down or during lock down. I use a bulb syringe to add water. This keeps me from having to open the incubator completely. I just lift the lid a tiny bit to fit the syringe in and squirt warm water as needed. If you have the ventilation fully opened, I find it easier to stabilize. Once you get external pips and hatches, the humidity will spike so watch it carefully.
To calibrate my alternate thermometers, I use the method that has you placing the thermometer in a ziploc bag and then submerging it into a cup of ice with a little bit of water. To calibrate hydrometers, I use the salt test method. I admit that my Brinsea has been pretty accurate so far. It's other incubators that have had issues that now cause me to always use an alternate calibrated thermometer and hydrometer, just in case.
View attachment 2699559
Edited to add that my hatchlings always enjoy climbing on the sponge for some reason. It never fails

No worries! Thank you for getting back to me. Ok perfect! Now I know how to do the sponge right! I’ll have to use the syringe. Great idea! Can I use sink water or do I need to use distilled water for the sponge and for the incubator? Does it matter?
Also, what do you mean when you say about the ventilation being fully opened?
I’m hoping to calibrate my hydrometer tomorrow and will research about the thermometer so I can do that one too.
Edited to add: I’ll have to see if my hatchlings like the sponge too!

 

[birds4c]

@HeatherKellyB, @WVduckchick, @BrinseaUS

I’m going to set some button quail eggs in my incubator but had a question. I’m using the Brinsea Mini II Advance. I calibrated the hygrometer I use and when I put its probe in the incubator it is showing 37% humidity. The incubator is at 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Is this right? Can I put in the eggs? Do I need to put a bottle cap of water or a sponge of water in now or wait until lockdown?

I don’t know how to do the dry humidity incubation. Should I use that? I live in a humid climate and it has been raining a lot here. However I seemed to be having trouble with shrink wrapping on past batches.

I can’t watch the air cells on these because I have trouble candling button quail eggs.

I’m attaching a picture of the probe going into the incubator so you can see what it’s like. I’ve had it in there for hours. Do I need to take it out (is it lowering the humidity?), or should I leave it in for accurate reading.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Does the probe allow you to close the lid completely? If the lid is ajar in any way, that will change the humidity and temperature

 

[birds4c]

Does the probe allow you to close the lid completely? If the lid is ajar in any way, that will change the humidity and temperature

The lid looks like it is down but I can’t tell if it might be very slightly ajar. When I check humidity, should I just put the probe in for like 30 seconds?

 

[HeatherKellyB]

The lid looks like it is down but I can’t tell if it might be very slightly ajar. When I check humidity, should I just put the probe in for like 30 seconds?

Hmmm...... I'm not sure to be completely honest with you. I don't know if it can get an accurate reading in that amount of time. Any chance you're able to just leave the entire device inside the incubator? If the lid isn't closed completely, I'm not sure if the turner will work properly. I also worry about the heating element in the incubator because it will be trying to work overtime in it's attempts to keep the temperature up. Let's see what @WVduckchick thinks. She has a Brinsea.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

As for your other questions, if the humidity in your home is normally on the higher side, you may be fine incubating without adding any water until lock down. 99.5°F is the correct temperature. Are these eggs from your own quail or did you have them shipped to you through the postal service? If they are yours and the incubator has been stable with the accurate temp, you're ready to set the eggs at any time. If these eggs were shipped to you, it's generally advised to let them rest with the air cell pointed towards the sky for some time. Different folks advise different times. I like to let eggs that have shipped to me for 24 hours, especially if the air cells are perfect.