Dry (low humidity ) Incubation Testimony

[FOGELLY]

I am just about finished with my first run using Bill Worrell's incubation method. I am now a new convert, never going back.Today is the 21st day and of the 25 eggs that went into lockdown I had 20 chicks hatch last night with 3 pipping and 2 rocking when I left for work this morning!
I started with 30 RIR eggs and only opened my my bator 3 times after I set them.
Day 7 had 2 clear, 1 blood ring, and 1 that I missed read and culled by mistake.
Day 14 had 1 quitter.
Day 18 had 25 into lockdown.
I followed the method as close as possible. This included running my 1588 Hovabator with turner at a steady temp of 100.5 and 35% for several days prior to setting the eggs. I also checked and found the room I used for the incubator only had 23% humidity, so I ran a humidifier to bring the room to 45-50% during the whole incubation.
I ran the humidity in the bator at an average of 35% and used a straw and a 3cc syringe to add small amounts of water when it fell to 25%. Then brought it up to 65% during the lockdown. Never covered the vent until lockdown.
One thing I really fought with myself and finally won was the urge to open the bator. I only opened it on day 7, day 14 and day 18. I did not open it to remove or help any of the chicks that hatched last night even though I was convinced that two of them surely needed help, having already pipped when I left for work yesterday. They still only had their beak out when I returned twelve hours later. Both of those chicks hatched somtime last night none the worse for wear.
So tonight I hope the other 5 have hatched and I will open my bator for the fourth and final time on this run to move them to the brooder and finish my most successful hatch yet!

 

[jaimie44]

I am also a believer! If you read my thread here https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=480761&p=1 you will see I had MAJOR problems during lockdown. I think my success was partially due to a dry incubation. During lockdown I had a temp spike, a power outage with low temps for hours and one day humidity was up to 99%. The biggest surprise for me was that I hatched 23 out of 27 eggs even tho I opened the bator probably 10-15 times! Shocking I know but I opened it after every 2-3 hatches and brought those babies out because it was so humid they werent drying. Then I had one with an un-absorbed yolk sac that I had to tend to, inside the bator. Honestly, Im not sure I would have had AS successful a hatch if I had done anything other than a dry incubation or if I went by the "Do Not Open" rule!

Congrats on your hatch!

 

[youngbiddy]

After doing a dry incubation followed by a "normal" humidity incubation, I'm a firm believer in the dry method. Much, much better results the first time.

 

[artathart]

I am attempting my first incubation and I am also doing a dry incubation because of a wonderful page I found on BYC. I have a LG still air and I intially added water to the center ring, no others on day one then I found out about dry incubation. I am on day 12 and I have never added a ounce of water. Because I live on the east coast, its always humid. I tried to keep the humidity around 35% but its been raining for about 4 days so the humidity has raised to 45-55% with no water. Its at 52% right now. I will likely never need to add water until lockdown. Even then I dont anticipate adding more then a few tablespoons. I hear countless people saying they have to put cups of water and sponges in to bring the humidity up to 65-70%. I will not need to be doing that. I really think its location, location, location! If anything, I would like to know how I can bring my humidity down????

I will let everyone know how my hatch goes!

 

[aveca]

First time I tried it, it worked so well..25 eggs set, 17 were fertile..they hatched like pop corn ..one after another and 2 at a time..it was the easiest hatch ever and has been that way ever since..
I could never figure out why our broodies had such clean neat hatches and mine were sticky and messy and dying befor breaking throu and after sometimes , probably so exhausted from the effort. I checked the broodies eggs air cells and they were huge next to mine..the air cells in my incubator were very small and it was causing issues with sticky chicks , dying chicks , shrink wrapping, I have had none of that since..once in a while an anomoly but its a good feeling to see those chicks hop out of those shells.

 

[youngbiddy]

Right now, the humidity in my bathroom is about 65%. The humidity in my bator is 29%. When the humidity is too high I take out the plug above the fan. Since the fan blows upward, it pushes the moist air out of the bator. Presto, low humidity!
I don't know how you'd do it in a still-air without using a de-humidifier in the room you have the bator in. The fan is simpler. But you're getting a Brinsea this week, right?

 

[DFCottage]

My first 2 hatches this year were around 50%, and after doing extensive and tiring research, and seeing that there was certainly an acceptable range for humidity during the first 18 days, I had decided to try those hatches at around 45-55%. Not great results (I have a HB 2362n). For the third hatch, I tried the dry humidity method, and kept it between 35-40%. MUCH better results! In the hatches since I've started using the dry method, I've hatched (of what was developed and locked, in hatch order): 10/13, 10/14, 12/15. I'm no expert, but at least there is an improvement here. Of note, these are all of shipped eggs. I have 2 bators full right now, one due 4/24 the other 4/22. So far so good!

I have a friend with a sportsman who swears by 55% (1-18) and 65% (lock). He has great results. I'm more of a 75% for lockdown kinda person. But each bator is different, areas of the country are different, where the bators sit, how often the cats sit on it.. so many factors

 

[artathart]

Quote:
I have my Brinsea! It arrived today and it is all set up. I am letting it run for 24 hours. Also since I have Wyandotte eggs coming either tomorrow or Thursday so I think instead of doing a staggered hatch, I may just put only the Wyandotte eggs in. I havent decided. I have 3 incuabators now. The room where I keep the incubators is a loft so I really cannot run a dehumidifier because it wouldn't really help. I have one plug in so I guess I will remove that one and hope it helps. Not much else I can do.

 

[youngbiddy]

If you have enough room, you could put them all in the Brinsea and use the LG as a hatcher. The Brinsea seals better so you shouldn't have a problem keeping your humidity low in it.

Long day, I make typos when I'm tired. *sigh*

 

[snazzyboots]

i have been reading a lot about the dry method. my first hatch ever just finished on saturday. i had humidity around 35% for 18 days and then for lockdown it was around 60%. i'm getting ready for another hatch. should i do the same? my hatch was about 40% but most were shipped eggs