I have been hatching since 2007, in commercial foam incubators, handmade foam incubators, a wooden leahy, handmade mini fridge incubators, and a
Brinsea. I've done it in TN on my deck, in Virginia in the house, in MD in the house. Microclimates affect the need for humidity or not. In general I have in 9 years, had better hatches when I don't bother with humidity at all. Get your temps right, turn the eggs and go for it, is my general rule. To get temps right I use a reptile thermostat from Big Apple Herp, online. Their Reptitherm is incredibly reliable and stable in even damp and wet environments and you can plug up to three elements into it, so you wan tweak your incubator with any heat source or sources you choose. I like heat mats and or heat tape, over lightbulbs. But that's just me, I hate the way they over crowd the space in a homemade incubator. I am a clutz, the less I can bump into the better.
My next build will be wood, the Leahy built in the early 1900's vastly outperformed every commercial incubator I have ever used. So I'll be partially replicating it for my use here. It had six trays though. Lord I don't need that kind of temptation so I'm going to build this one for 12-24. The mini
Brinsea is accurate but it's so dang small, I swear larger chicks that hatch think they're still stuck in the egg. Lots of struggling and freaking out that I haven't seen in roomier incubators with better footing. Plastic flooring sucks. Wire or screen works out better and I'm more sure of proper air flow if I'm using a fan. I really don't even care about humidity unless there is frank build up on the bator. And in a properly vented incubator that doesn't happen. Since they hate the Brinea, I set up the brooder to dry chicks instead. So I'm snatching them after they've rested post hatch.
The brooder has both a heat mat and a reptile ceramic bulb in one corner. They dry there then they can move out to cooler regions. I stagger hatch. Yes, you'll notice I don't follow all the rules. The rules are for learning how to get to good production but they are actually just good guidelines. Follow the rules with expensive eggs and once you have free eggs, break some rules and see where the boundaries actually are. I have stagger hatched since my second year hatching and I rarely loose a chick or egg.
Chickens have a brain smaller than a walnut. They don't actually always do it right. In fact stupid and bad broodies is why I had to buy my first incubator. To save abandoned and damaged eggs, eggs in mud and ice water, eggs left when they didn't hatch with the rest of the clutch. They aren't brain surgeons. So I learned that a lot can be salvaged, and that perfection isn't necessary to still get it done. Heck, do everything, everything right and sometimes it will still go bad. Okay, especially with shipped eggs. Incubation is actually an ART, not just a science and not just a coloring book where you stay in the lines.
If you stick with the science and the coloring book you will get good results once you get a feel for things like your own microclimate, how often you open the incubator, whether when following the rules you always get stuck, or too wet chicks, malpositions or deformities. Many people slowly evolve to art and don't even notice that they've tweaked little things, How/if they add water, what materials they use in the incubator, sponges or paper towels, or cotton or glass, or a thousand little things they just do. Some set rigid rules and never vary. But that is in and of itself a choice and an art. Cubist versus Impressionist. Who's right? No right.
If you get good results, you are in the Zone and that's the only goal here. This is long winded but incubator building, and hatching are both fun and aggravating, easy and challenging by turns. Hunt around for cheap or free eggs, someone locally will have them. And go at it like you have canvas and paints and an idea of the result you want. Follow the rules but look for places where you make it specific to you and your region, your habits, your experience. Too much humidity built up says not enough ventilation, chicks chronically stuck in egg membranes who can't do more than pip and not shift, that's too dry. Bacteria are a sign of too much humidity often as much as the incubator needs cleaning. I never once had a bacteria problem in the wooden Leahy, I think that meant something. So my next one is going to be wood. Sportsman sells thermostats and fans they use in their incubators as replacement parts. Mini Fridges that have stopped working to cool, still have insulation, lights and usually a good working fan or two. Getting them ventilated properly is the challenge. Heat mats for reptiles, heat tape for reptiles, and reptile thermostats are generally much more reliable and water tight than garden thermometers. And heat mats and heat tape are flat aspect heating elements.
You can do it. You can learn it. You can build it. Remember to make notes so you can compare hatches, eventually they all blur together. Of course that is how this Mad Hatcher got started and I remain addicted to this day. My name is Cher and I'm a hatch-a - holic. Won't you join me in my happy insanity?
