Dry incubation and lockdown humidity

[Smileybans]

I started dry hatching because trying to keep the humidity up in my big still air incubator was just too much. And I killed too many chicks doing the recommended humidity for the whole hatch. Well I’m running into an issue with lockdown. I do the dry hatch in my still air incubator. Then move the chicken eggs on day 18 to my forced air incubator. I keep the humidity above 60%. Sometimes it reaches 70%. I’ll have about 20 eggs go into the incubator and only 11 will hatch. The other 9 are fully formed and moving when I put them in on day 18. Is the sudden humidity change killing them? Is that even possible?

I’ve also had eggs hatch in my still air incubator with no water at all. These were eggs I didn’t realize were so far along and hatched while still turning and no high humidity. How can the eggs in my still air incubator make it with no humidity but the ones I put into lockdown, with the recommended humidity, die?

I know 11 is a good number but I’d like my numbers to be better. I’m also hatching eggs for a local farmer who is just starting out and the eggs aren’t hatching. Neither are some of mine so it isn’t totally his eggs.

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

That humidity change is fine. At what humidity do you incubate at before lockdown? What temperature is it in the still air and the forced air?

 

[Smileybans]

My still air incubator is at 20% humidity and kept at 99.5-100F. The forced air temps are the same.

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

My still air incubator is at 20% humidity and kept at 99.5-100F. The forced air temps are the same.

The still air is too cold.

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

The still air is too cold.

And for 20% I’d go with 50-60% humidity

 

[Smileybans]

I thought it was too hot. I had two thermometers in there and tried to keep it around 100. But now I remember still air has to be hotter. I can’t keep the still air incubator with that high a humidity. The chicks were drowning when I did. So that’s why I dry incubate them.

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

I thought it was too hot. I had two thermometers in there and tried to keep it around 100. But now I remember still air has to be hotter. I can’t keep the still air incubator with that high a humidity. The chicks were drowning when I did. So that’s why I dry incubate them.

The temp in a still air incubator is supposed to be 101.5 measures on top of the eggs.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

And for 20% I’d go with 50-60% humidity

They already tried 50% humidity, and were not having success so it was recommended to try a lower humidity.

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

They already tried 50% humidity, and were not having success so it was recommended to try a lower humidity.

Must’ve not read it right. It was late and I was tired lol.

 

[Smileybans]

I adjusted my still air incubator and tested my two forced air incubators with different calibrated thermometers. Turns out both my forced air ones were reading at 97F. Color me surprised. So I turned up the temp on both and switched out my thermometers. I guess the thermometer I had in there wasn’t calibrated anymore. Hopefully having the new thermometer in there will solve some of my problems and give me a better hatch rate.