First timer - starting my first batch Sept 15

[blueeyeddemon]

Quote: Pekin?

 

[cynthia12573]

Good question Seventreefarm! I would like to know where everyone is sitting also with humidity. I am also at day ten and my humidity hangs at about 43%.Well, I keep it there since my house is so dry here in California. Let's do a humidity survey, what people prefer and what they have had good luck with and also on what day they increase and to what percentage. I have found alot of this info online, but I am currently using an incubator I am not familiar with and to get others opinions, may help me to feel more confident in what I am doing with mine!

 

[cchardwick]

Well my RCom 20 Pro is set at 45% until the last three days. It stays dead on accurate at exactly 45%. I believe that's the recommended humidity. I'm not sure what the program does on the last three days, I think it's 60% or 65%. I'd have to check next time I'm home. It's all automatic and super accurate on this incubator!

 

[gladahmae]

My hygrometer stays around 40-43%, which translates to 37-40% in reality. I'm more concerned with maintaining RH over 60% during lockdown than with RH now. I'm somewhere between what the incubator companies recommend, and the recommendation for the 'dry hatch' method.

We moved our incubator to our master closet and are running a humidifier in there to help stabilized the humidity (it was all over the place last time) and have succeeded tremendously by doing so. I'm nervous about moving it back to the basement for hatching (gotta sleep, and chicks are LOUD) since we had a more difficult time maintaining it down there.

 

[LuvinChickens]

Guineas are in lockdown. The temp and humidity have been perfect the whole time.

 

[seventreesfarm]

My hygrometer stays around 40-43%, which translates to 37-40% in reality. I'm more concerned with maintaining RH over 60% during lockdown than with RH now. I'm somewhere between what the incubator companies recommend, and the recommendation for the 'dry hatch' method.

We moved our incubator to our master closet and are running a humidifier in there to help stabilized the humidity (it was all over the place last time) and have succeeded tremendously by doing so. I'm nervous about moving it back to the basement for hatching (gotta sleep, and chicks are LOUD) since we had a more difficult time maintaining it down there.

That's what I was thinking. Since this is my first time, it will be a nice test run. I'm pondering a wrap of saran around the bator seam at lockdown. That should help with humidity retention

 

[4hchickmama]

Pekin?

Yes...two more just hatched tonight. 3 little pekins. Well 2 little pekins and this BIG one.

 

[CamNorth]

Good question Seventreefarm! I would like to know where everyone is sitting also with humidity. I am also at day ten and my humidity hangs at about 43%.Well, I keep it there since my house is so dry here in California. Let's do a humidity survey, what people prefer and what they have had good luck with and also on what day they increase and to what percentage. I have found alot of this info online, but I am currently using an incubator I am not familiar with and to get others opinions, may help me to feel more confident in what I am doing with mine!

I am trying to keep my humidity above 35% I am happiest when I see it at 45-50% which isn't too often at the 50%. It is very dry here in Northern North Dakota, haven't see rain since July, but I am keeping the incubator on my counter next to a small nano size aquarium (2 gallon) I know that there is lots of evaporation from the aquarium so I think that helps me. But I haven't been recording my humidity or anything, this is an experiment batch just to try to hatch any chicks. Nothing fancy.

I got to candle eggs last night (finally) as we have been in a tough battle against a fox who likes my hen house. The candling went really smoothly, my temp had spiked to 101.4 so I didn't feel bad about having the incubator open. Boy was I excited to see the embryo's moving around. There were a few dead ones, like my cool looking speckled eggs, I did write 'dead' on the shells with pencil. The duds will be removed before lock down when I remove the turner.

Lock down will be tought dealing with humidity, I have aquarium tubing and sponges so hopefully I can be diligent with filling to keep the humidity high like 60 -80% That is my goal anyway.

 

[gladahmae]

That's what I was thinking. Since this is my first time, it will be a nice test run. I'm pondering a wrap of saran around the bator seam at lockdown. That should help with humidity retention

we already have tape around the seam for the lid and bottom of ours.

it helped everything stabilize since our incubator is used andwas a bit beat up.

 

[cynthia12573]

Wow Cchardwick, that put them in and walk away incubator sure sounds appealing! I am finding myself having to put at least 15 cc's in my incubator daily with a napkin to wick also just to maintain 43%. Odd number I know but for me it's close enough to 45 that I don't mess and that is just a number that my hygrometer seems to find a lot.....hmmmm. Lol I do keep it in check with another one though. Upon lockdown I also intend to raise it to 60-65%. I purchased a used thermal incubator the other day for lockdown, that's a whole new learning curve. It's up and going to be ready , but it came with no instructions thank god for the Internet. According to the web these thermals are supposed to be pretty reliable. Camnorth I also have tubing since as much as I have to put in everyday opening it that much may be detrimental! I don't know. All in all Candling has proven we must be doing something right and that my 4H kids will be pleasantly surprised with their choices!