Day 19 chicken eggs on wet paper towel and humidity is 72% should I remove the eggs and put a dry pa

[Mrd513]

Help! This is my first time hatching eggs. Last night at the end of day 18 I removed the egg turner, filled the water troughs in my hovabator genesis 1588 and lined the wire floor with paper towel. The humidity was at 45% so I folded up a wet paper towel and put it on the side which was touching the dry paper towels. The humidity increased to 63% and stayed that way till this morning. I just checked and the humidity is up to 72% and the entire paper towel that the eggs are sitting on is wet! Should I remove the eggs and put a dry paper towel down or should I leave it? Should I prop open the bator to decrease the humidity? The temp is ranging between 99.5-100.1, should I decrease the temp for the hatch?

 

[kelck22]

That humidity is a little to high. keep it at 60-65%, I would take out the paper towel. I only put a paper towel in if the humidity is way to low. Keep the temp where it is. If the humidity is to high it causes just as many problems as it being to low does.

When you get eggs hatching you will get spikes of up to 80% or more. Just leave it and it will correct itself as the chick dries.

Also does you incubator have air plugs? You could try opening those as that will cause the humidity to drop some.

Do you have any eggs pipped? The humidity increase could be due to that also.

 

[Mrd513]

Ok thanks! I removed the wet paper towel and the humidity went down to 63%. None have pipped yet. Thanks for letting me know about the possible humidity spike when they pip and hatch, that would've freaked me out!