Dry hatch compromise?

[Tiff A.]

Okay...thanks!

 

[cmom]

I live in Florida. I incubate at around 50% humidity and 70% during lock down. I used to use an LG but now I'm using a Sportsman. Two very different incubators. I think it's what ever works best for you and where you live. I have fans in both of my incubators. Now I use the LG as a hatcher.

 

[Tiff A.]

I'm using a LG

 

[WallTenters]

We incubate in a cabinet style incubator, and run around 37-45% humidity. I guess we aren't too scientific about it, and with the Dominiques I often get 100% hatches. With the other breeds, I'll get 90+% of the eggs that stay after day 7 to hatch. The Orps have little lower fertility- all that fluff! So that effects the final hatching % for them because I'll pull a few out at the 7 day mark.

I actually have no idea what the humidity is inside the hatchers when we hatch. We use the little table top styrofoam incubators as hatchers. They are in my spare bedroom, with a cool mist humidifyer going 24/7 those last three days. It gets the room humidity up to about 75% (feels wonderful in there!) and have not had any issues with drowned or dried chicks since doing it this way. The humidifyer we got I think at WalMart - looks like a frog (cute!) it's for our iguana, he also lives in the spare room, so he thinks he's in paradise when we're hatching because he gets the humidifyer 24/7

I've really thought about moving the big incubator to the basement, 60+% humidity down there (wood/dirt walls - old school basement/root cellar) so I don't have to add any water at all, but it's so heavy I really am afraid of dropping it on the stairs

.

 

[Tiff A.]

did you build the cabinet incubator?

 

[Griffin Nest]

i tried dry incubation and it didnt work too well for me when it came to hatching. the membranes were so dry i had to help them ALL out

 

[WallTenters]

No, sorry, it's a Sportsman.

 

[Tiff A.]

Oh...okay

 

[Christie Rhae]

Have you read this?
dry incubation

I am going to incubate some eggs for the first time soon and I think I am going to give this method a try. It is not really dry just dryer..lol I am going to try to keep mine about 30% or so because my house humidity is 50%. I had to add about a tablespoon of water to keep it at 35% on one of my test runs. Then the author of this article does recommend raising it at lockdown. Very interesting and not at all what I thought when I first heard "dry incubation".

 

[LuvMyBLR]

Quote:
Yes I did read that which is what started me really being interested in this lol. And that's what I thought we should do too. just keep it low (around 30%) and then raise it plenty in lockdown. I figure around 30% or in that area would probably be close to how a broody hen would have them when they're under her.