Does raising the humidity in your incubator cause the temperature to drop?

[FlomatonsFlocks]

Lockdown humidity doesn't cause problems unless it's too low. Not that you want to see condensation in your bator either. I generally strive for 75% for hatch and it often shoots past 85% during chicks breaking out. Can you get a pic of the one you say has intestines hanging out? Yolk, if it doesn't get ruptured can absorb over a day or two, intestines, not usually much you can do. I've seen people talk about putting them back and using a butterfly bandage over it, but never saw much great success with that. You are sure it's intestine and not cord?

Two out of six so far have this yolk sac issue. The first one absolutely has a small part of intestines out. The second one has yolk sac out for sure. I thought about cutting it off so the chick doesn't pull out its own intestines as well...But I'm scared that I don't know where to stop. If this one pulls out intestines and another is born like this I will most certainly risk cutting it. I keep trying to upload photos and it's not letting me as my connection decides when it wants to work being out here in the woods. How bad is condensation because I do see that on my lower half window of incubator. :/ I'm so exhausted.

 

[Finnie]

In my opinion, I would not risk cutting it. I would wait and see if it absorbs on its own. If you do feel you have to cut it, then I would make sure to tie it off tight first, to prevent it from bleeding to death. Good luck, let us know how it turns out!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Two out of six so far have this yolk sac issue. The first one absolutely has a small part of intestines out. The second one has yolk sac out for sure. I thought about cutting it off so the chick doesn't pull out its own intestines as well...But I'm scared that I don't know where to stop. If this one pulls out intestines and another is born like this I will most certainly risk cutting it. I keep trying to upload photos and it's not letting me as my connection decides when it wants to work being out here in the woods. How bad is condensation because I do see that on my lower half window of incubator. :/ I'm so exhausted.

You don't want to be cutting yolk. You need to place them in a cup with a damp paper towel to keep them from moving too much and rupturing the yolk. If the yolk doesn't get ruptured and has time to absorb it has a decent chance of making it. Once the yolk is ruptured they have very little chance, especially if it's a large portion of yolk. Intestine on the outside does not go hand in hand with unabsorbed yolk.
If these guys are hatching on their own with these problems like this, I would start with looking at your temp and consistency there and the humidity the first 17 days.

 

[FlomatonsFlocks]

Thank you very much

You don't want to be cutting yolk. You need to place them in a cup with a damp paper towel to keep them from moving too much and rupturing the yolk. If the yolk doesn't get ruptured and has time to absorb it has a decent chance of making it. Once the yolk is ruptured they have very little chance, especially if it's a large portion of yolk. Intestine on the outside does not go hand in hand with unabsorbed yolk.
If these guys are hatching on their own with these problems like this, I would start with looking at your temp and consistency there and the humidity the first 17 days.

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DAY 21-Thank you very much. The yellow yolk sac one died today. If one of the next ones have it, then I'll do what you said about the cup for sure! Woke up this morning to four more that look healthy! I appreciate everyone's advice very much so.

 

[Finnie]

I'm glad you are getting some healthy ones, and they don't all have this issue.

 

[FlomatonsFlocks]

I'm glad you are getting some healthy ones, and they don't all have this issue.

Thank you!

 

[Sylver Queen]

Yes, adding water can drop temps, but it should come back up. One way to offset that is to add warm water. It's ok at lockdown/hatch to drop a couple degrees though, so don't worry. Good luck.

I know this is an older thread, but today is lockdown for my first incubation attempt and when I added water to my Nurture Right 360 to up the humidity to 70%, it dropped the temp by like 3° and stayed there the whole time I was in town, four and a half hours. I was quite concerned that being in the 97s at times was going to kill my hatch, so I upped the bator to 101 and my independent thermometer is now saying I'm finally above 99 again. Any advice from the humidity queen?

 

[Finnie]

I know this is an older thread, but today is lockdown for my first incubation attempt and when I added water to my Nurture Right 360 to up the humidity to 70%, it dropped the temp by like 3° and stayed there the whole time I was in town, four and a half hours. I was quite concerned that being in the 97s at times was going to kill my hatch, so I upped the bator to 101 and my independent thermometer is now saying I'm finally above 99 again. Any advice from the humidity queen?

@AmyLynn2374 hasn’t been on the forum in 6 years. I don’t think she will respond.

Funny to look back at my first year of hatching after 8 years of doing it. After thousands of chicks, I have grown a lot more chill about the whole thing. They are not all going to live, and that can occur at any stage from blood rings in the first week to dying during lockdown or even dying after hatching up to the first week.

Lower temps don’t usually kill embryos. Just delay/slow things down a bit. Unless it’s very low for a long enough period. 4 or 5 hours at 3 degrees low isn’t going to hurt them.

Great that you are using an independent thermometer! I “never” go by the display temp on any of my incubators, except for my Sportsman. (That one is amazing!) As long as the independent thermometer you are using is ACCURATE, go by that.

Here is how I handle humidity now: No added water at all until lockdown, and then I put a sponge in. Still no water until I see a pip, or until day 20. Then I use a squeeze bottle with fish tank tubing through the vent hole to squeeze a bunch of water onto the sponge. (Some will drip down into the bottom tray- I don’t care about the bottom tray, just the sponge.)

After that, I just look at the independent hygrometer a couple few times a day, and squeeze more water in if it’s not in the 60s. Once the chicks start hatching, their own moisture ups the humidity plenty, so I don’t usually have to add any more water unless there is a huge gap between chicks.(My hatching is done in an Incuview incubator.)

They say you can lower the temp to 98 for lockdown. I only remember trying that once. The chicks didn’t hatch as quickly as they usually do, so I decided I just prefer to keep the hatcher at about 99-100.

Good luck with your hatch! Let us know how it goes. Or if you are posting about it in another thread, come back here and post a link.

 

[Sylver Queen]

@AmyLynn2374 hasn’t been on the forum in 6 years. I don’t think she will respond.

Funny to look back at my first year of hatching after 8 years of doing it. After thousands of chicks, I have grown a lot more chill about the whole thing. They are not all going to live, and that can occur at any stage from blood rings in the first week to dying during lockdown or even dying after hatching up to the first week.

Lower temps don’t usually kill embryos. Just delay/slow things down a bit. Unless it’s very low for a long enough period. 4 or 5 hours at 3 degrees low isn’t going to hurt them.

Great that you are using an independent thermometer! I “never” go by the display temp on any of my incubators, except for my Sportsman. (That one is amazing!) As long as the independent thermometer you are using is ACCURATE, go by that.

Here is how I handle humidity now: No added water at all until lockdown, and then I put a sponge in. Still no water until I see a pip, or until day 20. Then I use a squeeze bottle with fish tank tubing through the vent hole to squeeze a bunch of water onto the sponge. (Some will drip down into the bottom tray- I don’t care about the bottom tray, just the sponge.)

After that, I just look at the independent hygrometer a couple few times a day, and squeeze more water in if it’s not in the 60s. Once the chicks start hatching, their own moisture ups the humidity plenty, so I don’t usually have to add any more water unless there is a huge gap between chicks.(My hatching is done in an Incuview incubator.)

They say you can lower the temp to 98 for lockdown. I only remember trying that once. The chicks didn’t hatch as quickly as they usually do, so I decided I just prefer to keep the hatcher at about 99-100.

Good luck with your hatch! Let us know how it goes. Or if you are posting about it in another thread, come back here and post a link.

Thank you so much, I for sure will! Three eggs were rocking last night and this morning, but I just noticed condensation on one of my eggs and I'm disappointed that I can't get it below 74% humidity. Ambient is only about 50 but I'm concerned if I join the big reservoir I will drop too low. Thinking I need to get some humidity out of there though!

Thank you for the tips, I do know losses are a reality but there's life in them there eggs and I'm hoping to keep it that way avoiding user error!

 

[Finnie]

Thank you so much, I for sure will! Three eggs were rocking last night and this morning, but I just noticed condensation on one of my eggs and I'm disappointed that I can't get it below 74% humidity. Ambient is only about 50 but I'm concerned if I join the big reservoir I will drop too low. Thinking I need to get some humidity out of there though!

Thank you for the tips, I do know losses are a reality but there's life in them there eggs and I'm hoping to keep it that way avoiding user error!

Don’t worry. You don’t have to drain the reservoir. Just don’t add any new water, and eventually it will come down a little.

If your ambient is 50%, then you should be fine with no water added, or just a little added. Your reservoir will eventually evaporate, and then only add more water if it dips below 50. If dipping below 60 makes you nervous, then add a little bit at 60%.

But with 50% ambient humidity, it might be pretty slow to evaporate, so I think you will be fine.