Dry incubation does not work for me :(

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Well, I had decided to try the dry incubation method twice. Turned out I ended up with crooked toes (lots of them) and many did not hatch. I think I had about a 25 % hatch rate the first time and only 20 the next time. The first time I hatched eggs I went normal...(humidity levels at 45 and 65 (last three days)) I had 100 percent hatch rate. Second time I went dry (it was hanging out about 30-33 %) and I got a 25 % rate. Third time I went normal again (45 and 65) and got a 92% hatch rate...again, NO crooked toes

Then I decided that maybe it was the eggs (since they were shipped) so I tried dry again and ended up with a 20 % rate and more cooked toes *SIGH*. Decided that I would not try dry again. And this time (humidity at 45 and 65) so far it's going good (hatching right now) and have many pips and chicks running around. Set 13 and so far I have all but 4 pipping and zipping

So it goes to show ya...dry does not work for everyone. However I can see trying it again if I were to move to FL. Just not in WI

 

[sjarvis00]

I dont know how you were doing yours but I do dry incubation....... for the first 18 days between 25 - 45 and then on the 18 day I raise between 65 - 85. works great for me.

 

[Elite Silkies]

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Just noticed your name. My last name is Jarvis. Are you kin to anyone in Missouri?

 

[sjarvis00]

Quote:
Just noticed your name. My last name is Jarvis. Are you kin to anyone in Missouri?

Not for sure. It is my husbands last name and most of his family isnt that close............ His dad has several brothers and sisters.

 

[EAST TEXAROO]

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Same here in east texas. Mayby the climate you live in is the reason dry incubating is not working here in east texas trhe relitive humidity is fairly high.

 

[dancingbear]

Your climate is very important in the humidity issue.

My ambient humidity in the summer runs around 70% or higher, so "dry incubating" for me, means around 45% humidity.

In a dryer climate, that just won't work. The real key is keeping the humidity at the correct levels, whether you need to add water or not.

You have to take your individual environment into account. there is no "one size fits all" answer.

 

[chickenlittle32]

I have a question. How do I stabilize humidity levels ? Right now one hygrometer is reading 32(in the middle of a cabinet incubator) at the top the hygrometer is reading almost 40.

Sorry if I am hijacking?

 

[walkswithdog]

I live in TN, also huge humidity for a good chunk of the year. So dry hatch works here. I don't even pay attention to it unless they start candling with too much aircell too early. Then I put some water in there.

Crooked toes and other foot trouble are often a problem of a cooler bator run.

Are you using a water wiggler and temp probe? Have you calibrated it?

Since you did have the higher hatch rates intermittently, it may just be that where you live you cannot dry hatch.

I can't run my bator at "normal" humid hatch settings - they all die. It all depends on your state, city, house, and micro-climate.

While rules are "nice". Hatching isn't a one-size-fits-all kind of thing.

Micro-climates determine success.

You also have to consider that some shipped eggs are going to be more problematic than others. Got hotter, got drier, shaken more, any of those.

Some eggs lose quite a bit of moisture in a bad shipping episode and some don't, some are more porous. So while you do have several sets of data, if you're using eggs from several sources - you are going to get variable results and since you're varying two or more criteria - you don't actually know for sure, which was the culprit. Bad shipping or porous eggs or dry hatching.

Now if you run three or four sets of eggs from the same source, parents/handling/storing and change only the humidity settings - then you'll have sound, useful proof of what works.

 

[2txmedics]

dry works for me....1-18 days 35-38%, and then pop it up to 60-70% last few...have an LG. and in Texas

 

[chickenlittle32]

I can't get the humidity low enough to do a dry hatch...even without water...