HELP! HUMIDITY!

[Goatmama123]

Today is day1.. I just put my eggs in today at noon. I am doing a dry incubation for the first 18 days... the humidity is reading 69%! I took out both plugs, only was was out originally... is it normal for humity to spike and then stabilize....what can I do to decrease it? Why is it so high?

 

[Goatmama123]

its gotten worse over the our 75%

 

[AmyLynn2374]

It is normal for readings to go wonky after putting eggs in. The good thing is humidity is important as an average and spikes/dives will not compromise your hatch. You have plenty of time to sort out humidity as long as your temps are good you can relax and work out the humidity.

Now, first things first. Did you check your hygrometer for accuracy? And you are completely dry in the bator?

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

What type of incubator are you using? Is it a still air, or circulating air unit? How long was the incubator running before you set your eggs? Where is you incubator located, and how high is the relative humidity where you live? Did you wash the eggs before setting them? Do you have another hydrometer to check the humidity? Sorry for all the questions, but without knowing how you set things up makes it difficult to identify the problem.

If you don't have another hydrometer to confirm the reading, you should get one as soon as possible. If both hydrometers read the same, they you will know for certain there is a problem. If the humidity is high on both meters, then opening the lid just a tiny bit to let the humidity escape may help. That should be a last resort, as you will also lose a bit of heat in the process. Another option would be to put some type of desiccant in the incubator to absorb some of the moisture. Rice works very well at absorbing moisture, so a nylon stocking or the end of some panty hose filled with rice should do the trick. I wouldn't use chemicals such as Damp-Rid.

While I'm sure some people have success with dry incubating, from everything I've found out, dry incubation can result in deformed chicks. The reason is that the air pocket will grow too big, and literally crush the developing chick.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

What type of incubator are you using? Is it a still air, or circulating air unit? How long was the incubator running before you set your eggs? Where is you incubator located, and how high is the relative humidity where you live? Did you wash the eggs before setting them? Do you have another hydrometer to check the humidity? Sorry for all the questions, but without knowing how you set things up makes it difficult to identify the problem.

If you don't have another hydrometer to confirm the reading, you should get one as soon as possible. If both hydrometers read the same, they you will know for certain there is a problem. If the humidity is high on both meters, then opening the lid just a tiny bit to let the humidity escape may help. That should be a last resort, as you will also lose a bit of heat in the process. Another option would be to put some type of desiccant in the incubator to absorb some of the moisture. Rice works very well at absorbing moisture, so a nylon stocking or the end of some panty hose filled with rice should do the trick. I wouldn't use chemicals such as Damp-Rid.

While I'm sure some people have success with dry incubating, from everything I've found out, dry incubation can result in deformed chicks. The reason is that the air pocket will grow too big, and literally crush the developing chick.

Actually dry or "low humidity incubation" has proven more successful, especially in styro bators than the standard high humidity that more times than not drowns chicks at hatch time due to not enough moisture loss leaving excess fluid in the egg and air cells that are too small. Air cells don't crush the chick, though in extreme cases they can shrink wrap a chick making it impossible for the chick to move and eventually suffocating the chick. It does not deform chicks. And if a person is monitoring the air cells correctly they will know when and how to adjust. "Dry" incubation is not always running completely dry. I personally don't like the term "dry" because so many people take it too literally. You still need some humidity, but often you can achieve that range without adding water to the bator. I run "dry incubations" very successfully at 90-100% with local eggs. VERY healthy chicks. I have NEVER had a deformed chick. Many people on here have switched to the dry or "low humidity incubations" after having uncessful or low rates to finally have decent hatches. I respect the right of opinions but not misleading info.

HYGROMETERS can be tested by the salt test to check accuracy.

 

[Goatmama123]

I am using a Styrofoam circulating air incubator- The temp is down to 50% this morning. I do not have a separate hydrometer. And honestly I thought this would be a fun process but now I am constantly freaking out over it. One side is still reading hotter... which I thought was the point of circulating air...to not have hot spots.

I am glad I went dry- imagine what the humidity would be if I added water.

 

[Goatmama123]

The incubator was running 2 days prior. One side reading 99 one side reading 96 with both plugs out. I did buy separate thermometers to calibrate and put in which are these readings- The digital on the incubator say 100.5. Again both plugs are out.

I mean I am new to this but seems almost silly to buy an incubator if none of them are accurate. I bought 2 incubators- the other one the reading where even more wonky and that was prior to eggs being involved

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I am using a Styrofoam circulating air incubator- The temp is down to 50% this morning. I do not have a separate hydrometer. And honestly I thought this would be a fun process but now I am constantly freaking out over it. One side is still reading hotter... which I thought was the point of circulating air...to not have hot spots.

I am glad I went dry- imagine what the humidity would be if I added water.

The incubator was running 2 days prior. One side reading 99 one side reading 96 with both plugs out. I did buy separate thermometers to calibrate and put in which are these readings- The digital on the incubator say 100.5. Again both plugs are out.

I mean I am new to this but seems almost silly to buy an incubator if none of them are accurate. I bought 2 incubators- the other one the reading where even more wonky and that was prior to eggs being involved

I highly suggest having a seperate HYGROMETER and thermometer in the bator, especially if you have the Little Giant 9300. Never trust the gages on the incubators unless they've been checked. They are often wrong. The 9300 has a rep for having to be set 1-3 degrees higher to actually get the right temp inside.

I have found with my LG 9200 that if I don't have my sides balanced out with the mass that one side will run hotter than the other. Try to keep the eggs balanced between the two sides for better mass distribution. Go by the therms that you have in the bator not the bator gage.

For humidity I would continue to run dry but check the air cells at 7 days, 14 days and 18 days so that if you find they are growing too fast you can adjust and add water. I don't know if I've given you this before, but here's some help with air cell size: http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Actually dry or "low humidity incubation" has proven more successful, especially in styro bators than the standard high humidity that more times than not drowns chicks at hatch time due to not enough moisture loss leaving excess fluid in the egg and air cells that are too small. Air cells don't crush the chick, though in extreme cases they can shrink wrap a chick making it impossible for the chick to move and eventually suffocating the chick. It does not deform chicks. And if a person is monitoring the air cells correctly they will know when and how to adjust. "Dry" incubation is not always running completely dry. I personally don't like the term "dry" because so many people take it too literally. You still need some humidity, but often you can achieve that range without adding water to the bator. I run "dry incubations" very successfully at 90-100% with local eggs. VERY healthy chicks. I have NEVER had a deformed chick. Many people on here have switched to the dry or "low humidity incubations" after having uncessful or low rates to finally have decent hatches. I respect the right of opinions but not misleading info.

HYGROMETERS can be tested by the salt test to check accuracy.

Thanks for the correction. You are correct in that dry incubation isn't completely "dry", and many chicks die due to too much moisture inside the shell causing drowning. I have read of cases where the chicks were deformed due to over-sized air cells, but those may have been rare cases. In my defense, not all novices know how to monitor air cell size, or use scales to measure weight loss during incubation. The Bill Worrell method has proven to be an efficient method of incubation, which as noted, isn't completely "dry". The issue here is too much humidity... which is the polar opposite of the spectrum... far worse than too little humidity. Yes, there is always going to be a spike in humidity when starting a new clutch of eggs. Naturally, if you live in a very humid part of the country, it poses a bit of a problem. De-humidification may be necessary.

Thank you for correcting me, and especially in my spelling of hygrometer. I've been in the saltwater hobby for several years, so the word "hydrometer" is part of my vocabulary. Perhaps one day I'll learn to differentiate hydrometer and hygrometer, depending which forum I'm posting in. But if we're going to critique each other's spelling, it's UNSUCCESSFUL... not uncessful.

 

[Goatmama123]

Where can I buy one besides a cigar shop? Is 40-50 too high still?