HELP! Have they lost enough moisture?!?!? EDIT: pics added!!!

[ChickenPeep]

Everyone says that eggs need to lose enough moisture before they hatch. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!? How do i check it? How do i change it? HELP!!

PICS!!
These are pics of 4 eggs out of 14 that we have in the bator. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THESE AIR CELLS ARE GOOD!!! They are on day 16.
Sorry, the pics arent the best!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You'll know by candling the eggs and seeing the air sac growing to sufficient size by day 18. It will get to be 1/4 to 1/3 the egg size. I'm an advocate of a dry hatch and many here will tell you it's what they do. Traditional humidity states 60% to day 18 then up to 80%, I tried this and am convinced the chicks drowned in those conditions. A dry hatch would be running 30 to 40% humidity to day 18 then up to 60%.

Hope that helps and do a search for previous threads using "dry hatch" as key word.

 

[Gypsy07]

Chicken eggs need to lose about 13% of their starting weight by the time they reach lockdown. You get them to the right weight by either raising or lowering the humidity to get them to lose weight slower or faster as required. If you haven't been weighing yours from the start, of course, this information is useless to you mid-incubation! You can check moisture loss by candling and looking at the air cell, as it is supposed to grow bigger throughout the incubation. I don't have a copy of the diagram to post up for you, but I'm sure someone else will do it...

 

[ChickenPeep]

My air cells are fairly large and im on day 16.

 

[Gypsy07]

Here's the diagram. I just lifted it from another thread about humidity I commented on today...

 

[ChickenPeep]

Ahh! Mine look like day 7!! What do i do!!?!?!??!!?!

 

[rarely bored]

You are on day 16 with air cells the size of day 7. OY.
First, take all water out of the incubator to help dry them out.
You may want to consider delaying lockdown until day 20 or if you can check the eggs frequently, delay until you see the first pip.
I think I read something by Pete on quick methods to reduce moisture in the egg. Maybe he will pop in and give you some ideas.

 

[reereechickens]

I would candle them and use a pencil or marker and mark your air cells. What is your humidity at now? Did you calibrate your hygrometer? Still air incubator or forced air? What is the Temp? What type of thermometer? Calibrated?

With my last hatch I noticed on day 19 is when they lost alot of fluid and the air cell dipped a lot. Once they internally pipped then watch for the external pip, then go into lockdown 70%. I would keep them in the incubator with a humidity no lower than 40%.

BYC member pete55, look on his BYC page and he has all of his links stickied. Here is his latest thread and it is now stickied

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=7493364#p7493364

 

[cmom]

Here is the thread on humidity by pete55. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=577310&p=1

 

[ChickenPeep]

My hygrometer is calibrated. My humidity has been from 40-50%