Help What is the best humidity during Lockdown?

[LadiesAndJane]

I am on day 20 and I have only had a Light Brahma pip during the night last night. It hasn't done anything further.
No other pips from the other 5 eggs.
I am a little nervous, but I can't do anything anyway, so I guess I will just wait. My temp has been steady at 99.5° and humidity around 65% pretty steady.

Keep breathing! You are doing what you can, nature will do the rest. Remember it can go 24 hours from pip to zip (when the chick cracks the shell all the way around). Good luck!
Photo of one of the silkies that hatched yesterday next to an egg that is “unzipping”.

 

[Linda Dee]

Keep breathing! You are doing what you can, nature will do the rest. Remember it can go 24 hours from pip to zip (when the chick cracks the shell all the way around). Good luck!
Photo of one of the silkies that hatched yesterday next to an egg that is “unzipping”.View attachment 2528497

That is so sweet!

I am on day 20 and I have only had a Light Brahma pip during the night last night. It hasn't done anything further.
No other pips from the other 5 eggs.
I am a little nervous, but I can't do anything anyway, so I guess I will just wait. My temp has been steady at 99.5° and humidity around 65%

I have to say this being my 1st hatch I was nervous about letting the incubator go full dry hatch, I was desperate to get the Marans and the Easter Egger to get an adequate air cell. I first started with 48% after 7 days I candled and I was sick to see that those 2 eggs had hardly changed so I dropped the humidity to 30%. I candled again 3 days later and there was change, but barely a hairline. I dropped the percentage to 25%. when I candled at 14 days, the eggs were not even close to having a large enough air cell, so in desperation I went full dry.
When the incubator dropped after 2 days to 16%, I set up a small humidifier and added 1/4 teaspoon to my incubator, that brought it up to 18% and that's what I maintained with the help of the humidifier until this morning when I went into lockdown, but when I candled them this morning before I put them in lockdown, the air sells looked much better. I feel confident that they would have drowned at hatching had I not done something. Next time I will definitely weight the eggs.
I am not sure the chicks will be okay, but only the next couple of days will tell.
I couldn't just watch them come down to birth and not try to do something.
I will let you know.

Thank you,
Linda

The 18% worked great! I awakened to 5 chirping chicks this morning. I have 2 full bred Leghorn chicks, 1 Leghorn/Marans chick, 1 EE/Marans chick and 1 Brahma/Marans chick.
I am still hoping Full Marans egg hatches. Today is the 21st day.
Happy Valentines Day.

 

[Linda Dee]

Hey Linda, let us know how 18% works in your 360. It's interesting about the white and dark eggs losing different humidity, could be valid. My white eggs need 40-50% humdity or they dry too fast.
I've even read guides that say humidity is not that important and egg white absorbtion is controlled by temperature - not sure how valid that is but it is true that a forced air incubator with the same humidity as a still air incubator will lose more humidity.

So for still air I would suggest a dry run but for forced air I would always go a bit higher.

Thats just my preference. Think of drying your hair. If you let it air dry it will take a couple of hours if you use a hairdryer it will take 5 mins. Same with an egg, blow hot air over it and it will lose more moisture than in a still air environment.

So someone recommending a dry run (which some people avoid completely) might be using a still air incubator and someone using a forced air should maybe use comletely different parameters.

There is no, fixed rule and most guides know that specifying a humidity is not all there is to how fast an egg will transpire, temperature, air flow and humidity all play a role together in this.

As to what humidity in lockdown? Any humidity that does not dry the egg excessvely and does not suddently drop - what causes a dangerous drop? Opening the incubator...

The 18% worked great! I awakened to 5 chirping chicks this morning. I have 2 full bred Leghorn chicks, 1 Leghorn/Marans chick, 1 EE/Marans chick and 1 Brahma/Marans chick.
I am still hoping Full Marans egg hatches. Today is the 21st day.
Happy Valentines Day.

 

[Mellowmalt]

great result. Congrats.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

That is so sweet!



The 18% worked great! I awakened to 5 chirping chicks this morning. I have 2 full bred Leghorn chicks, 1 Leghorn/Marans chick, 1 EE/Marans chick and 1 Brahma/Marans chick.
I am still hoping Full Marans egg hatches. Today is the 21st day.
Happy Valentines Day.

Congratulations and Happy Valentine's Day to you, too!

 

[Linda Dee]

I have an eclectic group.
He knew I wanted some variety, so he gave me a Blue Plymouth Rock, an Easter Egger, a Light Brahma, a Leghorn- Legbar mix (which lays cream colored eggs) and Black and Silver Marans (Birchens). It should be interesting.....and my first hatch too!
I did notice what you said about the dark eggs. The Msrans egg and the Easter Egger eggs did not evaporate as much as I would have liked them too. That is why I took it down to 18 to 20% for like 10 days. I will certainly way them next time. I had forgotten I have a food scale that weighs in kilograms which would have been perfect, but I didn't start out laying them so I couldn't use it later on. Lesson learned!
Again, thank you so much for your input and I'm going to save your response along with the couple others in my documents file for future reference.

Well, I went with my gut feelings and I awakened this morning to 5 chirping chickens. I know one hatch at 2:00am because I came through to get a bottle of water and got to witness the baby flopping out of the shell, all wet down.
The rest were here when I woke up.
I still have one Marans egg I would love to hatch, but not sure it is going to make it.
I am not opening the bator until Tuesday morning. I now understand what you were talking about when you said the other ones will play soccer with the eggs. That poor egg has been spun several times today, so that is why I am losing hope for it's survival. It's only hope is that it keeps land with the same side up which I'm sure is because it was in position and the weight keeps the appropriate side up. Enjoy the balance of your weekend and thanks again for the words of incouragement.

 

[Wasducks]

I am as nervous as an expectant grandmother in waiting!

Just had the first little chick hatch and see the 2nd starting 18 More to go 2days left on the clock

 

[Jayson_Black]

It's all about the Air cell. This should guide your Humidity. Air cell getting too big, too fast, then need more Humidity. Air cells Not growing at all, or very slowly, need less Humidity. Much less.