Cabinet Incubator

[A1221taylor]

How do you guys keep humidity up in a cabinet incubator?
And how do you utilize the hatching tray located at the bottom of the incubator? * I am primarily hatching guineas*

This is my first season using a cabinet incubator. If I have the bottom vent hole closed completely and the water pan full I can maintain 40% humidity (according to the electronic hydrometer that came with the unit).

I did practice two practice runs with chicken eggs and got about a 68% hatch rate. With a few of the chicks clearly drying out at hatch.

Any advice, tricks, or tips would be appreciated!!

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I don't have a cabinet incubator but how I up my humidity is with shallow pans with sponges or rags in them with water. I also use small jars of warm water.

 

[A1221taylor]

That’s how I did it previously. But cabinet incubators are a totally different beast.

 

[RebekahTN]

I did practice two practice runs with chicken eggs and got about a 68% hatch rate. With a few of the chicks clearly drying out at hatch.

My hatch rate is quite a bit better than this, but I also have a few chicks drying out at lockdown. You can see there little feathers have dried and are fluffy that you can see from the pip, and the chicks have the inside mucusy layer dried to them... I have added water to the bottom with paper towels in so no one drowns but it isn't bringing it up enough... I think changing humidity so much also effects the eggs that aren't hatching yet.

I was hatching in my old tabletop incubators but they are all getting finicky on me and not consistently working properly. I don't want issues ANY time with my incubators, but especially not on lockdown.

Where you able to figure anything out to help with the issue?