Does the humidity rise when you put the eggs in?

[PunkinPeep]

I'm trying to get my incubator set up, and since i haven't ever done this, i'm trying to get everything level and right before putting actual little lives in there.

I'm having a hard time getting the humidity above 40 -ish. Will the humidity automatically rise with the presence of the eggs?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Mine did not. What type of incubator do you have? It might help someone give good advice if they knew your specific model and type.

For my first hatch in the Genesis Hovabator 1588 with turner, my humidity stayed around 41 to 43% with the middle tray filled with water. I hatched 17 of 23 that started to develop. The ones that did not hatch showed signs of too much humidity during lockdown, not a problem with lack of humidity during incubation.

This may sound harsh, but I suggest you follow the instructions that came with your incubator your first try. Calibrate your thermometer and hygrometer and keep accurate records, then check the eggs that do not hatch and make changes to your next hatch as necessary. I'm confident you will be hatching again. By being consistent during the first hatch, I know of two things I will do differently during my second hatch which I plan to start in a few weeks.

Good luck!!!

 

[Keri78]

yup! You'll want to wait 24hrs. after putting the eggs in for the humidity to adjust. You want it to be around 50% (don't freak out if i fluctuates between 45-65%) but ideally 50% will be best until "Lockdown" at that point 65% is ideal. As the chicks hatch out it will jump to the 80's but should settle back down. Scotch tape(for the vent holes) and a medicine dropper to add extra water(after "lockdown" and during hatching) will be a great help!

This will allow you to adjust the humidity as needed. I usually leave my chicks in the bator for the first 48hrs. from the time the first chick hatches out and then transfer them to a brooder. If you go to the BYC homepage and click on hatching eggs there's a great(very detailed article about "Dry Hatch Method"...if you follow that you can't go wrong. I also have had great success with letting them hatch out in an egg carton...seems to hold to egg still in one spot which is what would be happening naturally under a Mama hen. The chicks seem to hatch out MUCH quicker! Hope this was helpful!!! Hatching is soooo much fun! Blessings, Keri

 

[PunkinPeep]

My incubator is a hova-bator 1602N, thermal air. I don't have the automatic turner, but i am planning to use cardboard egg cartons.

Ridgerunner, as far as following, the directions, maybe you can help me with something i can't seem to figure out. The directions say to file the outer maze trough at lock down. How am i supposed to do that with eggs in the incubator without taking forever and messing up the temps, etc. of all my eggs? How did you do it?

Keri, I did fashion a straw thing so i can add water to the center trough without opening it up, but i don't know how to handle the maze trough. Did that make sense? I will go find that dry hatch method article. I guess i didn't see it before. Thanks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The directions say to file the outer maze trough at lock down. How am i supposed to do that with eggs in the incubator without taking forever and messing up the temps, etc. of all my eggs? How did you do it?

Mine was a different incubator but I think the same principle. I had a turner so I took the turner out, filled both troughs I was supposed to at lockdown, and laid the eggs on the wire mesh that covered the troughs. I did not worry about keeping the temperature or humidity up while I did this. One, I could not do anything about that anyway, but more importantly, I was finished a lot faster than the hen would have been off the nest taking her last constitutional before the hatch. Don't overthink it but do what you have to.

Keri, I did fashion a straw thing so i can add water to the center trough without opening it up, but i don't know how to handle the maze trough. Did that make sense?

I took a few straws with the accordian bend in them, cut them a bit short so I had mostly the accordian bend, split the end of a straw piece so I could insert it in the end of another straw piece, then used tape to help hold them together. I fashioned a straw that can reach every trough in the bottom of the incubator, though it had a few bends in it. If you try it, it is not really that hard. You can bend it as you push it in to get to the area you want to reach. I only needed to reach the middle two troughs so a lot of that effort was wasted, but I could have reached the outside ones if I had needed to. I got a syringe at TSC to insert the water in the straw. I probably made that sound harder or more confusing than it actually was.

 

[PunkinPeep]

hehe

i think i get the idea.

thanks.

i do have the accordion straws, so i will probably experiment with it tomorrow. i have a few days before i'll have enough eggs to set.