First time hatching. .....help!

[farmchix88]

I got a LG 9300 incubator. My eggs are due to arrive late next week. I've set up the incubator to play with it and fine tune before I actually attempt to hatch something since this is my first time. I can't get the humidity stable. I have a digital thermometer plus the one that's attached to the incubator. The temps are fairly close, like by a degree. But the humidity is all over the place. Right now one is saying 75 (on incubator) and the other is saying 30 (the separate hygrometer). I have a sponge in a bowl with water. Both vents are open. What am I doing wrong??

 

[Rooster14250]

You don't seem to be doing anything wrong. I am not experienced with your model of incubator, but my incubator's built in hygrometer DOES NOT MOVE. It was very irritating. The company didn't even send an external one. I bought a new hygrometer, and it worked fine. Your extra hygrometer seems to be on-point. Also, the humidity is hard to control for the first few days, but after a while it just settles in. It has done this for about every one of my hatches for the first day or two. Its normal.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I got a LG 9300 incubator. My eggs are due to arrive late next week. I've set up the incubator to play with it and fine tune before I actually attempt to hatch something since this is my first time. I can't get the humidity stable. I have a digital thermometer plus the one that's attached to the incubator. The temps are fairly close, like by a degree. But the humidity is all over the place. Right now one is saying 75 (on incubator) and the other is saying 30 (the separate hygrometer). I have a sponge in a bowl with water. Both vents are open. What am I doing wrong??

The gages on the incubators are often wrong (though 75 sounds more precise if you have water in the wells and sponges in the bator. I suggest testing the separate hygrometer to see if it's accurate, (then you can compare that to the bator gages.) Humidity is not a set number. I personally prefer dry incubating and keeping my bator around 30% and checking air cell growth for direction on how to adjust it. This thread tells you how to check your hygrometer for accuracy: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/285284/calibrate-your-hygrometer-two-methods

 

[farmchix88]

Hmmmmm a lot to think about. Glad I set it up a week ahead of time instead of just 24 hours like they say

 

[Cynthia12]

Do NOT even pay attention to the thermometer on that bator. Trust your bought one. Is your bator a still..or an air? Humidity is not a big issue right now, in fact, most folks don't put water in at all the first week. I do, I only keep the humidity around the low 30's to mid 30's. Filling one..one..of those water wells is plenty. If you do this, you won't have to worry about humidity readings until lock down..day 18..then I go to 60% to mid 60's%. I have the still air hova. The Styrofoam bators all seem to work about the same...still air..temps around 101...fans..99.5. If your thermometer doesn't read the points..then I go with 100 with the still, and 99 with the fan. I have both running right now..at those temps..Temps, are the most important thing right now...you have to be careful when you try and change the temp while the eggs are in there. Just the tiniest turn of that knob can change it dramatically, so, don't leave the house if you decide to change the temp. Remember also, when you first put those eggs in there, the humidity will go higher than what your hygrometer has been reading because the eggs are losing moister..a good thing..then, also, the temp will change..don't worry about that..the eggs will cause it to more than likely go lower.
You will get to know your bator...I love mine.

 

[farmchix88]

It's a still air. I only just set it up last night so I'm still trying to get to know it lol. I filled a well on each side about half full each. I'm gonna wait a few hours and see what it does.the temps are pretty close. Only off by about a degree so I'm pretty happy about that.

 

[Cynthia12]

It's a still air. I only just set it up last night so I'm still trying to get to know it lol. I filled a well on each side about half full each. I'm gonna wait a few hours and see what it does.the temps are pretty close. Only off by about a degree so I'm pretty happy about that.

Remember also, if you have water in both..even though it's half full, it will produce more humidity. The length of the well, whether full or half full will be the same. Can't remember what that is called...lol...but two half full will cause more humidity. Just one well filled will do.

 

[Cynthia12]

Temp is most important now! Get that steady, then don't worry about it falling the first day once eggs are in.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Remember also, if you have water in both..even though it's half full, it will produce more humidity. The length of the well, whether full or half full will be the same. Can't remember what that is called...lol...but two half full will cause more humidity. Just one well filled will do.

Surface area. It's not the depth, but the surface area is what Cynthia is trying to say. You can fill one well half full or full full and it will produce the same amount of humidity.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Two half filled wells are going to give you more humidity than one full filled well. And yes, temp is the most important. You have plenty of time to average out humidity, but temp will make you or break you.