Can't figure out humidity issue...

[SarahF]

DH and I are trying to get our incubator going and we can't seem to level out the temp/humidity.

He has water in the bottom and the temp is 97 and humidity is 61%. We need temp 99 and 45-50% humidity.

DH said he just increased the temp a bit. What else should we do?

Thanks!

SarahF

 

[Akane]

Pull a vent plug. The humidity will go down a little. Less effort than taking out water and the increase in air flow is only beneficial.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

What kind of incubator?

 

[klf73]

Quote:
I second this, also did you check your humidity before you added the water?

 

[SarahF]

We have a styrafoam Hovabator (Turbo Fan/Circulated air) with egg turners.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=136295

The humidity before the water was really high for some reason.

Which vent plug do I pull? The red one above the orange sticker??

Thanks again. We have eggs we want to start tonight, so the sooner I get this figured out the better!!!!!

 

[Akane]

Usually there are 2 orange-red plugs. That looks like an older model and I don't know if the 2nd hole is hidden under that tape by the cord or what but generally there are 2. You can pull one, doesn't matter which, or both if you need to. Put them back if you notice the humidity dropping too low and then you can keep a little water in one section of the tray without worrying about adjusting the amount.

 

[SarahF]

DH had already pulled the one and only plug out a little while ago ( he didnt tell me that detal :S) and it was reading 97 degrees and 60%.

I just took some water out and the % is starting to go down...will keep you posted

 

[SarahF]

Ok, so after some adjusting of the temperature and taking some water out, we have reached 98.5 degrees and 46% humidity. DH put the eggs in last night (even though I said not to)...so hopefully we'll have good success!

Which holes do I put the water through? I never got a chance to really look at the bottom of the contraption to see where water sits...DH was in too much of a rush (ofcourse here I am doing the research!).

Thanks again everyone!

 

[klf73]

I, personally, would not worry about adding water unless your humidity goes real low (I don't add till it gets under 30%) until the last 3 days. You can open the bator to add water, don't worry about it, it really isn't a big deal. Too much emphasis is placed on not opening it (IMO). Relax and enjoy the experience

 

[Akane]

Just open it to put water in until the 18th day. On that day try to add enough water that you don't have to open before hatch is done. Short term humidity and temp drops are only a danger during hatching when the chicks are trying to break the membrane.

I disagree with the people who let humidity get real low. I've had problems when incubating eggs below 40%. We seem to have come to the conclusion on here that it depends on the person's incubator and climate as to what humidity levels work. For a first time incubating I would suggest following the basic guides that list 50% humidity (give or take 5%) as the correct incubating humidity and 60-65% for hatching and then alter the numbers based on your results.

Here is a good picture of how large the air cell should be at different days.
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/pics/aircells.gif
Too high of humidity will result in a smaller air cell and too low will result in a larger air cell. Both can have a negative impact on hatching rates.