Eeek just started lockdown and the humidity won't stay up

[RollinWithTheStones]

What can I do? I put a metal pan filled with water and sponges over the light bulb to keep it warm, filled it with boiling water and it shot up to 78, but is now down to 44. What else can I do?

 

[Arielle]

Take a deep breath. All will be fine. Can you increase the surface area of the sponges. Like tipping them up on the edge and allowing the water to wick up thru the sponge. Having water over bulb is less effective than increasing the sponge surface area. Depending on your specific design, you can place cut sponges into cups of water the size of baby food jars. I have used wet, not dripping, sponges laid next to the eggs, but NOT touching an egg.

GL

 

[peepblessed]

If you don't have any sponges, you can use a coffee cup of hot water with a wash cloth half in and half out. This more you spread the cloth the higher the humidity will go.

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

I do have the sponges at an angle in both pans and the one pan is over the light bulb cause there isn't another place to put it LOL. I'll check it again in about an hour. Thanks for telling me to take deep breath, this is my first hatch and I'm freaked. Can ya tell?

 

[Busybee1]

Good luck with your hatch! I am new at this, and I was wondering if sponges above the water was the best plan. I get it now about being out of room, good problem to have I am having the opposite problem, my humidity is at 74% right now. I poured a little water in the bottom of the bater and have a small container wiht sponge. Tried to take sponge out and it dropped fast, too fast so i put it back in.

Happy Hatching

 

[Arielle]

Been there done that. First hatch is stressful.

Being over the light bulb is fine--only meant that heat from bulb is not enough to raise the RH. Can you add another sponge or 2 or 3? Increasing the surface area of the sponge is what will help. Can you stand the sponges up like a tower?

You have time to organize this. Until one pips. Deep breath.

 

[peepblessed]

I have done many hatches and I still stress every time!

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

I have 9 sponges so we'll see if it goes up any in the next hour. If not I'll try standing up sponges in some jars. I think that the last three days are 100x more stressful then anything else in the chicken process.

 

[BLRW]

Don't panic. I have hatched 10's of thousand's of eggs and I always hatch between 45-60% humidity. Your eggs should do fine at the state they are in now.

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

You guys are great, this forum is such a wonderful tool.