Getting incubator ready for a dry hatch, but humidity is higher than recommended.

[temple1612]

I have a DIY incubator made from a refrigerator, and am wanting to try a dry hatch. I have the temp perfect, but I am having issues with the humidity. I have heard for a dry hatch you want to keep the humidity between 30%-40%. However, with adding no water at all the humidity is around 48%-50%. I have tried adding rice and/or silica gel packs to reduce the humidity, but have only been able to get it down to around 42%.

Should I not worry about the rice/silica and let it be whatever it will be without water, or is 42% okay. Or is their something else I should do like adjust the amount of ventilation.

I am trying a dry hatch because last hatch was horrible. Out of 17 viable eggs only 1 hatched. I used a humidifier and had it set to 50% humidity for days 1-18 and upped it to 60% during lock down, and I think they drowned.

 

[BantyChooks]

Candle the eggs and adjust humidity according to the air cells. 42% may well work, it varies place-to-place.

Chicken-and-Duck

• BantyChooks
• Dec 24, 2017

Geese-and-Quail

• BantyChooks
• Dec 24, 2017

Quail-and-Pigeon

• BantyChooks
• Dec 25, 2017

 

[lazy gardener]

What is your general location? Is it humid where you are? Is it summer or winter for you? Anything in your home that raises the humidity? Do you have access to a dehumidifier that could pull some air out of the room? Have you calibrated your hygrometer? You might be ok at 42%. Did you calibrate your hygrometer with last hatch and with this hatch? Does your bator have a fan? What are you running the temp at? Have you calibrated your thermometers, and if so, how did you calibrate? Does your bator have a thermostat? How well does it hold temp? Any warm/cool spots?

 

[temple1612]

What is your general location? Is it humid where you are? Is it summer or winter for you? Anything in your home that raises the humidity? Do you have access to a dehumidifier that could pull some air out of the room? Have you calibrated your hygrometer? You might be ok at 42%. Did you calibrate your hygrometer with last hatch and with this hatch? Does your bator have a fan? What are you running the temp at? Have you calibrated your thermometers, and if so, how did you calibrate? Does your bator have a thermostat? How well does it hold temp? Any warm/cool spots?

- I live in Northern California (near Sacramento).
- It is Winter.
- Nothing is raising the humidity.
- I calibrated the hygrometer using the salt method
- I calibrated the thermometer using ice water an then using boiling water.
- Yes there is a small fan on the bottom pointing to the right and a small fan on the top pointing to the left.
- It hold the temp well. It is pretty much always between 99-100 degrees. No warm or cool spots.

 

[lazy gardener]

How old are your eggs? Forgive all the questions, but sometimes a piece of the puzzle will fall into place if everything is assessed. How many vents and what size? Are they all open?

 

[temple1612]

How old are your eggs? Forgive all the questions, but sometimes a piece of the puzzle will fall into place if everything is assessed. How many vents and what size? Are they all open?

The eggs for the last hatch were 4 days old. The last hatch I didn't realize I needed vents (was not mentioned in the Youtube tutorial) so there were none. Now I have 6 1/4 inch holes near the top. I am not sure if they are the correct placement or the right number of vents though.

 

[lazy gardener]

IMO, you need much more ventilation. I think I had (4) 1/2" vents in my bator. Your hatch might be much better with increased ventilation. And, when my eggs go to lock down, I do not close vents! Those eggs/chicks need to breathe!

You can always put more vents in, and then seal them off with duct tape if you find that there are too many! My styrofoam bator, i simply used a pencil to punch ventilation holes here and there. Any where the temp seemed to build up, I'd stab an other hole.