Hatching without a hydrometer??

[BirdyGirl7198]

Hey guys and girls, I need some help. I have built an incubator and an egg turner and I have a thermometer in there that is measuring very accurately. But I don't have enough money, or the time, to go buy a hydrometer. Is this a problem? I'm going to hatch duck eggs, so I know that the humidity has to be slightly higher than with chicken eggs. But do you think if I measure the weight of the eggs and keep track of the air cells, that'll be fine? Has anyone ever done this before?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Go get a hygrometer. Seriously. It's pretty important and incubation costs electricity, takes a ton of your time and often involved fairly precious and sometimes, expensive eggs.

Perhaps someone in your area can point you in the right direction on where to get one and how much it will cost you. Sometimes, fairly accurate digital ones can be picked up at WalMart or hardware stores for just a few Loonies.

Happy hatching!

 

[sumi]

I agree with Fred. Monitoring the humidity in the incubator can save you a lot of trouble. I bought an inexpensive hygrometer at a pet shop and it's worked well for me. For duck eggs, I've read so many different suggestions on humidity, I ended up incubating them at 45% and locked down at 65%, same as I do with chickens. I had an excellent hatch at those levels. Best of luck and happy hatching!

 

[yinepu]

I hate to disagree with y'all.. but a hygrometer is NOT needed IF you are monitoring the eggs

MOST Hygrometers are notoriously inaccurate, need to be calibrated before every hatch and some are impossible to calibrate..

The eggs will be the best guide as to what the humidity needs to be for that particular hatch.. weight loss and air cell growth will tell you all you need to know to make sure the eggs are getting the perfect amount of humidity.. just adjust the humidity as the eggs call for it


For the record I do have hygrometers in my incubators (they are with the thermometers as an all- in-one unit.. so I can't take them out).. however I have NOT calibrated them in a year.. none of them read the same so I know they are inaccurate at the moment.. BUT I don't care since I do not use them as a guide to the humidity.. I go by the eggs only... and I have excellent hatch rates by doing that

Currently I am incubating AND hatching dry.. even for ducks
for the last batch of shipped duck eggs I had a 100% hatch rate.. so NO a hygrometer is NOT needed so long as you pay attention to the eggs weight loss of air cell growth

 

[smbanks80]

Hello!

I have a bunch of fertilized duck eggs that I'm taking a shot on hatching indoors in a cooler. I have a heating pad to put them on & a heat lamp, if needed. I also have grow lights, which don't get hot (then again, I'm hatching ducks, not plants, so that likely won't be useful ). I have a yellow square shaped brooder lamp to put over the eggs. I'd prefer to use that instead of the light because it distributed heat more evenly & safely than the heating lamp. I plan to get a hygrometer within the next week or so but don't want to mess anything up, as far as the humidity is concerned, until then. Would misting the eggs daily with warm water be an effective way of helping to maintain proper humidity? What signs do I look out for, as far as ensuring the eggs have proper humidity? I read that the risk of letting them dry out is that the air sac in the egg will get too big, leading to tiny weak birds that may not be strong enough to hatch. What observable signs should I look out for? This is my first time.
Thank you so much! I appreciate everyone's input.

- Stacie