Dry Incubation?

[BGCNVLA]

When is using the dry incubation method appropriate? Is it only with certain breeds?

 

[debilorrah]

Geez I hope not because I am doing it now.

 

[BirdBrain]

I guess I call it "drier incubation". Works with all breeds.

 

[aprophet]

I read that article and was wondering if local climatic conditions might figure in a little i.e. might work better where I am on the coast 60% ++ most days then in arizona or new mexico

 

[Luke0987654321]

i'm using it right now, every night i put a table spoonfull of water in the water container, and on day eighteen you fill the container up to the top.
it is used for all breeds, and it can be used in any climate.
luke

 

[Ridgerunner]

I am by far not an expert on incubation. I bought one but can't even start my first hatch for a few more weeks due travel commitments. From trying to read up on it, it looks like different people get widely different results even if they use what they think is identical procedures, such as keeping the temperature and the relative humidity inside the incubator the same. There has to be other things at work here that are not obvious. Two that make sense to me, one much more so than the other:

1. Altitude: Some of the moisture inside the egg has to get out to increase the size of the air sac so the chick can pip. Either too much or too little moisture loss can cause problems. In a standard physics formula, pressure, temperature, and volume are related. It may not be correct at all, but from other threads on here, I tend to think that at higher altitudes, which gives you less atmospheric pressure, you need to use higher humidity to get the same evaporation rate.

2. Local conditions: The theory is they automatically adjust the porosity of their shells based on altitude and other local conditions, whatever they may be. This is the one I feel less sure about but nature moves in mysterious ways. By this you should try to hatch eggs that are laid in similar conditions to where you are incubating them. I think it may be more important to get your eggs locally to minimize shipping damage, but I don't know.

Hope this helps keep the debate going so I can learn something from it before I start. I am interested.

I think we all have to find what works for us, that no one answer will fit everyone. I plan on starting with 40% during incubation and 65% during lockdown and use this guide to adjust as I learn.

Mississippi State Incubation Troubleshooting
http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/extension/pdf/troubleshooting_incubation.pdf

 

[DANNY]

Dry incubation is just not adding water if you don't need to. Yes the climate has a lot to do with it. I just don't understand why people try to go out on a limb and change everything that has been done a certain way for years. It is just not that much trouble to put water in. Here is some food for thought.

All incubators come with places for water and it is recommended.
Why do you check your humidity if your not going to do anything about it?
Commercial hatcheries use water so why shouldn't we?

 

[pfmoore17]

Quote:
I just got a Brinsea20 ECO. I made sure to order all hatching days 3 DAYS after I got the bator, so I could set it up and calibrate it.

Boring yes, but how else can I try the 3 different thermometers/hygrometers to make sure this bad boy works!

Local climatic conditions are an important thing to consider when calibrating and in particular, the "micro-climate"
where the bator is located is important. If the room has a stable temperature and humidity, regulating the bator
will be that much easier. That is tough here in CT this time of year because of the use of heat in the house. The hotter
the room is, the lower the humidity is. I myself have a small heater and humidifier on stand by to set up in the room.

But I have been blessed and the bator is rock hard at 100F on the Brinsea glass thermometer, 99.5F and 42-46% on the Walmart special
and fluctuating between 98.5 and 100.5 on a digital thermometer for terrariums.

To stabilize the humidity, as suggested at this forum, I put a small washcloth in the bottom of the bator. I experimented with this for a while
as the humidity shot up to 65 at one point. It appears it isn't the amount of water in the bator but rather the surface area exposed that controls humidity.
So I rolled the washcloth up, soaked it in water and lightly rung it out and place it in a dry channel and spread the top inch or so of the cloth across the bottom of the bator.
Temps and humidity have been solid for over 24 hours and the turner is working fine. Bring on the eggs!

 

[brendapa]

pfmoore17,

I'm also finding those exact results with my Brinsea 20 Eco .
In theory, perfect. Let's see if it can get the job done.
When will you be setting eggs? What will you be hatching?

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
"Dry" incubation means lower levels of water, not none at all. Mine is at about 30% consistently, which is what I was shooting for after drowning two hatches.