First time incubating questions

[FlowerDragon]

You're over 80% humidity when there is a lot of condensation on the lid like that. In the future if you raise humidity for hatch 70% RH is good, 80% is too high. Most that incubate at 50-55 RH keep it at that for hatch. I incubate 30% and hatch 70%. Incubating RH is about how much the air cells grow. If older or more porous eggs you'd incubate higher humidity. If fresh and good shells you'd want to incubate drier.

The chicks won't dry out in there, take them out and put in the brooder as they hatch. I wouldn't change anything at this point. Next hatch calibrate a hygrometer with a salt test and keep in mind that RH is based on the surface area of water. If you don't have smaller trays for water in incubator then use a container size that hits the humidity you want. Fiddle with it after this hatch is done and you'll get it dialed in.

Thanks for the good information. I have a new thermometer-hygrometer coming, so we'll have that for next hatch. We've had 17 of 23 hatch and more working on it, so it turned out good in spite of it.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Yeah, your temperatures are good. I'd not fiddle with that much. Temp is the most important part. Humidity has to hit extremes to cause harm- under 20% and over 80%, Though once you dial in your process after monitoring the air sac for a hatch or two you'll be able to get all of them to hatch.

As for temp, if they hatched a tad late then try 0.5 to 1 degree F less next time. Think you said they started a day late. Small eggs will hatch earlier but in general you can dial in your temp on the unit just by how early or late they hatch. If I set at noon then I want them to pip at midnight 20.5 days later and be hatching full tilt at noon, finishing up hatch by late afternoon. When that happens I know my temp is spot on.

 

[FlowerDragon]

Yeah, your temperatures are good. I'd not fiddle with that much. Temp is the most important part. Humidity has to hit extremes to cause harm- under 20% and over 80%, Though once you dial in your process after monitoring the air sac for a hatch or two you'll be able to get all of them to hatch.

As for temp, if they hatched a tad late then try 0.5 to 1 degree F less next time. Think you said they started a day late. Small eggs will hatch earlier but in general you can dial in your temp on the unit just by how early or late they hatch. If I set at noon then I want them to pip at midnight 20.5 days later and be hatching full tilt at noon, finishing up hatch by late afternoon. When that happens I know my temp is spot on.

Cool stuff to know. Thanks! 19 hatched of 23 that developed.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Cool stuff to know. Thanks! 19 hatched of 23 that developed.

That's great! 83% hatch rate is outstanding.

I recommend that before you use this incubator again, I'd test that hygrometer in the unit. I think you could do it this way: Make sure the unit is completely dry. Put your new hygrometers inside the unit. Mix a tablespoon or two of salt with little water in a dish, so that it's like a slurry. Place the dish inside the incubator and close it up, sealing it so it's airtight. After several hours, the humidity level should read 75% on all of the gauges. If your unit reads higher or lower, you'll know how much to calculate up or down when you run it the next time.

Then, drill a 1/2-inch hole in that lid for ventilation, and run several tests to figure out how to control the humidity level. Like someone said above, it's the surface area of water that determines humidity level. So if your incubator has channels in the bottom, experiment with how filling one, two or three channels (etc.) affects humidity - and how often to add water, and how MUCH water, to maintain the desired level.

My brand-new incubator tested poorly on both temperature (2.3-deg too low) and humidity (13% too high). The unit's gauge allows me to set calibration for temperature, so that part was easy. But I had to drill two holes in the lid and run several days of tests to find how to control humidity with the separate hygrometers I'd bought. I discovered that when the water level ran too low, the temperature spiked - so temp and humidity are related. I made notes of the new settings I needed to run the unit, and taped it to the lid. My first batch of eggs had 100% hatch rate (I admit, though, it might have been pure dumb luck). I've got batch #2 in there now, so we'll see.

 

[FlowerDragon]

That's great! 83% hatch rate is outstanding.

I recommend that before you use this incubator again, I'd test that hygrometer in the unit. I think you could do it this way: Make sure the unit is completely dry. Put your new hygrometers inside the unit. Mix a tablespoon or two of salt with little water in a dish, so that it's like a slurry. Place the dish inside the incubator and close it up, sealing it so it's airtight. After several hours, the humidity level should read 75% on all of the gauges. If your unit reads higher or lower, you'll know how much to calculate up or down when you run it the next time.

Then, drill a 1/2-inch hole in that lid for ventilation, and run several tests to figure out how to control the humidity level. Like someone said above, it's the surface area of water that determines humidity level. So if your incubator has channels in the bottom, experiment with how filling one, two or three channels (etc.) affects humidity - and how often to add water, and how MUCH water, to maintain the desired level.

My brand-new incubator tested poorly on both temperature (2.3-deg too low) and humidity (13% too high). The unit's gauge allows me to set calibration for temperature, so that part was easy. But I had to drill two holes in the lid and run several days of tests to find how to control humidity with the separate hygrometers I'd bought. I discovered that when the water level ran too low, the temperature spiked - so temp and humidity are related. I made notes of the new settings I needed to run the unit, and taped it to the lid. My first batch of eggs had 100% hatch rate (I admit, though, it might have been pure dumb luck). I've got batch #2 in there now, so we'll see.

One more hatched during the night, so that's 20 of the 23! I will run those tests before next hatch. I did put the holes the first day that you mentioned it, and I think it helped. I hope your hatch goes well. Thank you so much for all of your information.