Can the chick drown in the egg if humidity is too high

[Peter4190]

Just read on the Internet that if the humidity is too high the chick can drown in the egg, also what does everyone think the humidity should be in the last 3 days?

 

[igorsMistress]

Yes the chick can drown. You'll get different answers from everyone as to what it should be, but I run mine around 65 to 70%. It depends on the size of the air cells at lockdown.

 

[Peter4190]

That's what mine is now 68 but read on the Internet it should be between 55 - 60 but mine was like that from day 1 then Increased it

 

[JaeG]

Humidity is a complicated matter because it is different in every set up. What works for one person would be a disaster for another. If the humidity isn't at the correct level during the first 18 days (for chicken eggs) it causes problems. If the humidity is too low the air cell becomes too large and the chick too small and weak to hatch (if they make it to hatching at all). If the humidity is too high the air cell doesn't grow large enough to provide enough oxygen for the chick between internal pip and external pip, and the chick grows too large to rotate in the egg to hatch.

An easy way to monitor your humidity, to keep in mind for next time, is by weighing the eggs. You can weigh them together or individually but you want to concentrate on the average.

This explains it well: https://poultrykeeper.com/incubating-and-hatching-eggs/weight-loss-method-forl-incubation/

You can plot the weigh on a graph. Put the days along the bottom 0-21 and weight up the side (just the weight range for your eggs over the course of incubation). On day 0 before they are set weigh your eggs and work out the average. Plot that point on the graph. Work out what that number is minus 14% (which is what you are aiming for) - there are 'percentage calculators' online which make this super simple. Plot that point on day 21 and draw a line between them. Then at any point during incubation you can take the average weight, plot it on the appropriate day, and see if you are deviating too far from that line.

 

[Peter4190]

That sounds complicated I'll give it ago as I am on day 23 toady and no pipping or anything so might give them until day 25 then candel them again see what's going on

 

[Peter4190]

I've got one egg that's started pipping now on day 23 hopefully the rest will follow

 

[JaeG]

That sounds complicated I'll give it ago as I am on day 23 toady and no pipping or anything so might give them until day 25 then candel them again see what's going on

It sounds complicated but it really isn't.

Awesome news about one pipping.