The following is not a recommendation nor a suggestion. In anyway shape or form. Merely an example of our practices, day in and day out.
Kids-"Don't try this at home"..
I know the temptation to interfere is great.
I keep humidity at 70 percent for hatching.
Messing with the incubator just now will only result is less not more successful hatches. It is what it is at this point.
I'm in the middle for another hatch. I just had a Humidity spike up into the 70's. Here in Florida it is caused by the RH in our local atmosphere. Very rainy day so my RH levels were about to "goo" up my hatch. I'm a hands on hatcher. Meaning I open and close my lids on my multi ovens when necessary.
Losing a little air water is not a problem in my hatch room. Zero drafts are going to effect my temperature as well. My hatch room is not climate controlled. Multi brooders heat the draft free room. All incubators should have a room thermometer as well.
My room is currently at 98*/99* F.
If I snatch out a couple wet ones with speedy precision w/o opening the lid fully, 98*-99* room temps are not going to effect my ovens set at 100.5* (still air). As well as a quick and effective way to get 75% RH back down to 65% RH post haste. When massive condensation builds up on the viewing windows, I cracking that baby open. Wiping the windows and sucking H2O out, again-with speedy precision.
I have 2 choices on adding and subtracting H2O.
Our little modified poultry baster has an aquarium tube fashioned into the end of it. I have the choice of threading the tiny tube down thru a vent hole in the lid or slightly tilting the lid back and thread the tube thru the grate. I elected to tilt the lid because there was a significant amount of duty to perform. Addition of more water here in Florida after the top off on day 18, is almost unheard of. As a matter of fact, I run dry until the final 72 hours.
So initially I am hands on the almost until the so called lock down period. I hand turn eggs and change orientation before/during/after candlings. I have touched eggs countless times up until water fill in the last stage towards the end of the incubation period. I'm currently running 4 incubators side by side and have a hatch about every 6 days. Every 6 days during a hatch, I remove my chicks about an hour after shell departure to keep them from rolling over eggs. I have excellent hatch rates.
Part of my high ratios comes from removing rambunctious early chicks who are rolling over and drowning late hatchers in their own bloody juices.
We are currently building a homemade oven. We have all the components and the box. Just got to busy from the current hatches and swine breeding season.
So opening the lid is not taboo for everyone. Geographically and atmospherically speaking.
I am not recommending anyone to follow our procedures. It's best to learn how to tweak your own conditions and learn from your own mistakes and experiences.
This by far is our most profitable chick season. The annual spring chick fever has doubled since last year. These hatching today are going to a local Mom & Pop feed store. Right now I can't keep up with the demand. If I was effecting my hatch ratio by a 3 second open and close, I surly wouldn't be at such a high ratio right now.
