Help! Need advice on climbing hatch humidity.

[mkr]

This is my second time hatching. I started with 24 eggs. Lockdown started Sunday and the humidity was at the upper range of what I've heard is acceptable--80%. 7 have hatched so far and with each that hatches the humidity climbs. It's at 90% now and I'm starting to worry about the eggs that haven't pipped yet. Right now I have 7 chicks (still pretty wet) and 5 pipped eggs. Is there anything I can/should do? Or do I just need to let it be and hope for the best?

 

[mondotomhead]

Are the vents in the incubator open? That would release some humidity.

Also, what you could do, is open the incubator a little and let some of the humidity out. I did this myself and it didn't harm any of my unhatched chicks. I just opened the top for about 15 seconds.

 

[mkr]

I did open the vent and the humidity dropped down to 85%. I also suppose I should have searched the forum a little longer before posting bc I just found a very informative and reassuring thread. Still 7 chicks but counting 8 pips now. I'm going to run some errands so I don't succumb to the temptation to mess with them.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

When it hits 70% take the lid off for about ten seconds as mondo suggested. This will let a lot of the excess humidity escape. Then put the lid back on and the temperature come back up.

I have to do this for my county fair hatching display. Still managed to hatch 28 out of 32.

 

[mkr]

Thanks! Seems like the humidity is averaging around 85% even with the vent open. I know that's still kind of high but they keep hatching and they don't seem too wet. Their feathers are all matted down but it's not like they are dripping. And there is no moisture 'beading on the viewing window,' which is when the incubator instructions said to open the vents.

There is one little guy who pipped and was moving/chirping a lot and now I just see his/her beak sticking out...no movement for a couple hours now. I'm a little worried but there's not much I can do I guess. Fingers crossed.

 

[mkr]

Ha, just checked and the chicks have pushed a bunch of egg shells over the hygrometer. I can't see the display anymore. Probably for the best so I stop obsessing. Thank you chickens!

 

[mondotomhead]

I, too, had and egg that pipped and nothing happened for about 16 hours. I noticed the membrane was dry but I could see movement inside the little hole. I couldn't stand it and took the egg out and put a drop of water on the membrane to make it wet again. (I know you shouldn't do this but I thought it would die).

Anyways, the little guy eventually made it out

 

[mkr]

Thanks for the replies. Update 17 out of 23 hatched. I do think that the really high humidity ended up messing with some of them. Two of them zipped halfway and got totally stuck. I could see their feathers all glued to the hole in the shell. I left them be for a full 24 hours till I was pretty sure that none of the other eggs were going to go and that the two chicks were well and truly stuck. So I decided to go for it and help them.

So far they are all still alive and doing well in the brooder. They started pasting up on Friday but I figured out that it was too hot in the brooder. Cleaned them, adjusted the heat lamp, and gave them molasses in their water. I'm so grateful for all the wisdom on this forum!. Elmer and Krazyglue are still covered with dried up gunk and Krazyglue's foot is all twisty...not sure what that is about. Thoughts?

One more question. Two of the eggs I eggtopsied had fully formed chicks in them. One had pipped the shell and one had broken into the air space but neither had fully absorbed the yolk. I thought that they absorbed the yolk before pipping. Is this indicative of a problem I could fix next time of is this just a random thing that happens sometimes? The other eggs had stopped developing at various points along the way and I didn't realize.