Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 Incubator is AMAZING!

[CluckNDoodle]

What humidity did you maintain? Just curious....

No pips yet for me.... So I'm distracting myself by setting up the brooder for the MHP

View attachment 2492211

 

[TJAnonymous]

I would recommend that you fold the excess wee pads under rather than up.

The pads have adhesive on the back... They seem to be secure but you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men....

 

[CluckNDoodle]

The pads have adhesive on the back... They seem to be secure but you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men....

Fingers crossed! It should be ok for the first week. They start getting curious and WILL eventually try to tear it up if they can see it. lol

 

[TJAnonymous]

View attachment 2492222

Are those wood pellets? I have some of those in the barn. I put shavings under the puppy pad I'm using right now just to give it some lift under the MHP

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Are those wood pellets? I have some of those in the barn. I put shavings under the puppy pad I'm using right now just to give it some lift under the MHP

They're equine pine pellets, yes. They cut down on smell and dust.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

For me personally, the wee pads only purpose is for ease of cleaning. I put them under the equine pine pellets so that once it's time to clean I can just roll it up and put down fresh.

 

[TJAnonymous]

This might be a stupid question but, if an incubator is meant to mimic the natural hen's process, how does a hen increase the humidity during the last few days before a hatch? Does she basically stop turning the eggs and increase humidity with her body because she isn't moving around as much?

 

[CluckNDoodle]

This might be a stupid question but, if an incubator is meant to mimic the natural hen's process, how does a hen increase the humidity during the last few days before a hatch? Does she basically stop turning the eggs and increase humidity with her body because she isn't moving around as much?

It's a great question! It's naturally more humid under a hen but the water we add to our incubators has more to do with the heating element drying out the environment inside the incubator. Hen's don't have heating elements, lol. I have seen my broody hens dust bathing in moist soil but I think it may have more to do with temperature because it gets so hot in the summertime here.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

For example, the ambient humidity in the room where I was keeping my incubators was 45%. An empty incubator, with no eggs, dropped to as low as 9% without water.

 

[BenlynFarm]

What humidity did you maintain? Just curious....

No pips yet for me.... So I'm distracting myself by setting up the brooder for the MHP

View attachment 2492211

I was the same as you at first. I was at about 55 but after reading why everyone else said, I opened the vent about 3/4 of the way to maintain around 45-50 the whole time. When I added water to B and the chicks started pipping it’s been about 72. I haven’t really been able to get it lower. When I woke up it was 74 and I was nervous it had been that high all night. I read other posts and think it was ok but I still tried taking some water out to lower it to 69. I felt like I almost took all of the water out hope the rest of these little ones are ok! I think I just added too much water at lock down and should have done it slower.