Dry Method Incubating

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Awesome to hear!!

I'm testing out the Dry Incubation method this time...I will know how it goes in 17 days!

~ Aspen

 

[Wyogirl]

Quote:
I have a Brinsea Eco also, and use the dry hatching method. I think the HovaBator has a tendancy to hang on to moisture more than the Brinsea because of the material it is constructed with, (someone correct me if I'm wrong!) so they can go the full 18 days and not add water, but in the Brinsea you should keep an eye on the moisture and keep it above 20%. Using the dry method I always get a little more weight loss than the Brinsea paperworks recommends, but my hatches have been very succesful, I tend to add water about 3 times during the first 18 days. Thankfully the Brinsea is a pretty hands off incubator. You can stress if you like, or you can check it occasionally and not worry and your hatches turn out about the same.

Question rarely bored, how much water do you put in ??? when you do add it and how high humidity do you let it go to days 1-18?
Ayda

 

[CatDaddyAlbert]

The last for batches in my 1588 have been at 35% until day 17 and then up to 85% for the hatch. Out of 42 eggs in the last batch 36 were fertile and forming at day 10 and out of that I had 32 hatch. It does not get much better than that. I for one will never go back to wet incubation.

 

[JD4570]

I tried the dry method for the first time and learned a few things. I discovered my hovabator does have a bad tendency to hang on to moisture. The humidity started at 64% during the beginning of the day of the hatch and by the sixth chick it shot up to99% and lost 10 out of 26. From now on I'll split the hatch between the hovabator and the little giant bator to cut down on the humidity gain.

 

[Delaney Birds]

Quote:
WOW not even if it went below 20?? I have a humidity of 40 in our basement , using a Brinsea Octagon 20, and am being very diligent about temps and humidity, trying to keep it between 30-40??? It's only day 3, should I just not add any water???!!!!
What other methods had you used before?? Just curious?
And I'm jealous LOL
Congratulations

Ayda

I have a Hovabator and a Little Giant, but only used the LG one time because the temp adjustment is so sensitive and it doesn't have a plastic liner to hold the water. I had 4 hatches last spring in the HB and kept the humidity up. I thought I lost some birds due to drowning at hatching because they would pip then die, so I decided to try the dry method. I don't think the RH went below 20. This time I only lost one that had pipped. I don't know anything about the Binsea equipment.

We just put in 10 BCM eggs in the HB last night and we're going it dry again!!

Hope this helps!!

Delaney Birds

 

[rarely bored]

Quote:
Oh dear, should have kept better notes. I think I fill one of the water chambers when I see the humidity is in the low 20s. Right now my humidity claims to be 26% but, I didn't calibrate it (eggs got shipped faster than I expected!!) so I'll calibrate it now and recheck it. The goal of using the dry method of incubation is not to stress over the humidity level, but to allow the eggs to lose enough moisture so the chick has an easy time hatching when that day comes. When I add water, the humidity may jump to 40%, but within a day or two, should be back in the 30% range and a couple of days past that, in the 20% range. No big deal! If you can weigh your eggs with a postal scale and keep track of the weight loss, you will feel more confident and understand why you are adding water or leaving it dry.

The Brinsea thermometer is very hard to see, even in an unscratched, brand new Brinsea. When you wipe the plexiglass never use paper products - paper will scratch it! and be careful of the chemical compounds - some can make it cloudy. For me, I went crazy when I had two or three thermometers, never knowing which one to trust. So, pick one to use, and use it well.

If you are off by a degree, there is no hardship - they may hatch a little quicker or slower.

My boys are 6 and 10... lol I'm old enough to have a 21 year old, but can't imagine what that would be like! (aside from busy!)

I'll be hanging out in the Set 8/22 thread, why don't you join us there?