I have a thin piece of foam that came either in a shoebox or package or frame that I put over the glass at the top of my stryrofoam incubator when first started using it. It seemed to help stabalize the temp & humidity and I lift it when I want to look in. I also have my incubator inside a fuzzy cat bed at the bottom and a canvas box with foam peanuts to get the temp to 100 or sometimes 101 with only a 5 watt bulb from a jack-o-lantern. From the prior advice on this thread, it does not sound like I need to turn the temp down for lockdown. It might drop a little anyway with extra humidity and I can leave the foam over glass open more if needed. Some people online were saying to drop temp to 98.5 for duck lockdown but I am not sure why. I should be able to keep humidity 60 to 65% during lockdown since it got up that high in past and I had to manually fan it out (still air incubator).
Tonight I washed off the mesh shelf liner and it made the humidity too high since it was still damp so I am letting it dry outside incubator and will put back in before lockdown. I saw earlier someone said a syringe or rubbercapped dropper could be used to add water without opening the lid. I added water in past by running hot water to fill up a thin straw with a bend and then insert that in the vent hole. I was practicing for lockdown and it would raise humidity, but I might see if I have a dropper to make sure more of the water goes in during lockdown. I ordered some plant based no dye sponges online that are not here yet so I might have to use a new ocelo pink sponge - that hopefully doesn't cause probablems. Tonight for the first time I tried floating the egg in glass of warm water quickly and it would move when I would talk to it. It also moved when I candled it with a flashlight and talked to it. The humidity goes down quickly in my incubator when the top is off so I try to make openings quick; it usually goes back up slowly afterward.
I know some people will tell you to drop the temp and I have NO CLUE why either, I have NEVER EVER touched my temp. I have only made adjustments to the humidity. To me it doesn't make sense to drop the temp, because as we all know, lowering the temp will cause late hatchings, so why do it? Doesn't make any sense, but I think people will say that because perhaps it works for them, everyone has there own way of hatching so it's just advice to consider, doesn't mean we have to use it, just there to be considered.
Opening the bator to add water isn't going to hurt those eggs. I know, I have tested this theory, I treated my eggs just as if I was hand turning them, I didn't change not ONE single thing. Left temp the same, humidity was at 50-55, yes, I did not raise it for lock down, treated all the eggs as if I was still in the process, Opened the bator three times a day as if I was hand turning them and guess, what no affect what so ever. Eggs didn't shrink wrap, they didn't get to cold and delay and hatched perfectly FINE. So if you need to add water during Lockdown and understand Lockdown was invented for US, not chickens or ducks. It's a way to keep us from bothering the eggs nothing more. But if you need to add water during lockdown, Do it, It's OK, it's not going to affect those eggs. The only thing I would suggest before doing so it turn everything off. Turn the bator completely off, open the lid, add your water and turn everything back on when your done.
Why would you do the Float test? The float test from what I understand is usually done AFTER the due date to see if they are still alive or not. Personally. I am not a huge fan of the float test and just can't see dunking Live birds in water, doesn't sound logic to me. I have candle, with a good candler you can really get the full affect as to where your at. I have never kept track of my chicken eggs and now I don't even keep track of my duck eggs unless they are shipped. I can tell when they are three days before hatching because the eggs will start to dip..
