Getting scared am I doing this wrong? "humidity"

[silkies mama]

I have my first hatch started in my brand new incubator. (Birthday present for me from family, I turned "63")
I have a full incubator chicken eggs, silkies to be exact.

I`ll tell you about my incubator so you can help me better...........

The incubator is digital, its forced air, an automatic turner, (alarms for high and low temp and humidity)

I have read so many different humidity settings. I`m pulling out my hair. I have it currently set to alarm me if it goes down to 40% humidity. I keep it at usually 44% to 45%. But now the more I read the more I`m afraid I may have it too high... please give me your input. I have a lot of money riding on this hatch. Plus I plan on keeping a few for pets.
My temp is great so no worries there, just need help with the humidity please.

Thanks for any info you can share with me.

 

[Roxannemc]

I have my first hatch started in my brand new incubator. (Birthday present for me from family, I turned "63")
I have a full incubator chicken eggs, silkies to be exact.

I`ll tell you about my incubator so you can help me better...........

The incubator is digital, its forced air, an automatic turner, (alarms for high and low temp and humidity)

I have read so many different humidity settings. I`m pulling out my hair. I have it currently set to alarm me if it goes down to 40% humidity. I keep it at usually 44% to 45%. But now the more I read the more I`m afraid I may have it too high... please give me your input. I have a lot of money riding on this hatch. Plus I plan on keeping a few for pets.
My temp is great so no worries there, just need help with the humidity please.

Thanks for any info you can share with me.

Is yours a Brinsea?
Oh and Congrats on 63 by the way.

its hard to say what humidity ..every state town and house is different but i go with about 35-40 in Mo.
Well like me you didnt do waht is the best to do first time out. Get cheap but known to hatch locally eggs for trial and error until you know the settings are probably good.
Ones know to hatch well by others nearby friends have hatched use them as a control of your hatch.Put in with the others you are hatching.
If they are eggs you KNOW have hatched well before with someone nearby ...and they are in with other eggs you just bought and the local do well and the others dont then it WASNT your incubating, most probably If none hatch then it was something in incubating..

I go with 35 for my humidity
I dont seem to have good hatched over that but many do even here in MO.. and of course the last 4 days up it to 65 humidity.
If the chicks come out really wet then lower it next time.

Its really a trial and error thing for each person to get it right
Your hatch will tell but even there so many variables..I dont have one but if you have a Brinsea sounds like it ...then ppl seem to have a lot of luck hatching in them.Are your eggs local or shipped?
That makes a huge difference too on hatch as shipped dont do too well often.
So good luck and get on the Aug and Sept hatch thread and let us know how yours are doing. !
BY the way a more full incubator holds the humidity better than one with 6 eggs so you are doing good there already.

 

[silkies mama]

The eggs are from on line, but I have bought a lot of them from the same person and put them under broody hens and I had a great hatch rate considering they were mailed. I will lower the humidity alarm now. I was kind of thinking i had it too high. thanks for your input!!!!!!

 

[Roxannemc]

The eggs are from on line, but I have bought a lot of them from the same person and put them under broody hens and I had a great hatch rate considering they were mailed. I will lower the humidity alarm now. I was kind of thinking i had it too high. thanks for your input!!!!!!

Thats great you know what to expect from those eggs.
Most of my hatches were from shipped except when i set my own starting last Feb. The first 2 didnt ever get them before and my first 2 hatches i got Zero thought i would get 100% Boy was I innocent!! LOL

Luckily i was hard headed and persisted on trying as after that most were ok well to me 3 from shipped is a win...Still got some that didnt get a chick at all.
Cant even tell you how many shipped hatches ive set ...dont want to know but I bet my chickens each cost me $ 15 to $30 each LOL But ido have GREAT breedsandcolor that ilove b/c igot them shipped to me.Couldnt find them here.
Well as i said everyone is different Some ppl in Florida dont even use water to humidify the air in fact use dehumidifiers! I have met ppl that dont live far from me that use 50 and get great hatches
Mine drowned at 45-50 so ...hard to tell someone else.
Only can say what i do that works for me. Tried to raise mine a couple hatches ago to 45-50 to see... The chicks were very wet as they hatched and you could see wetness before they totally hatched way more wet than mine usually are and the hatch wasnt any better at all... Worse.I probably drowned some.
So again GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[silkies mama]

Right now without any water in my incubatro my humidity is 40%. Is that ok?????

We use the AC all day but we keep our house set between 77 and 78*. Just cool enough to keep out the hummidity. I am now wondering if this NEW humidity low setting for my bator is too low. I am worring my self sick over this...lol... I used a home made incubator before and I think we drowned the babies in the eggs. I see I am going to the other extreme now with low humidity. I hope that 40% humidity will be ok. I don`t mind adding water. Its just that everyone has their own ways and what works for them. And I don`t know whats best for me..... I have plans to take the extras to the Amish auction in November and December. So I am keeping my fingers crossed for a good hatch. The Amish love fancy birds and I bought all top winning show bird eggs.....

So does 34% sound too low????