Help with Incubator Humidity

[Ducks81]

Hello!!! So I made my own incubator from a video I found on YouTube. I posted photos of it below. Originally I had a plastic cover on one part to see through the box for convenience but it was getting too hot so I needed to open it up more. I now have a cover over that hole with vents (seen in picture) I have 2 eggs in there on day 6 that are thriving with beautiful veins and heartbeats! (Also attached photos) I need some suggestions with the humidity. I have been able to keep the temp between 99-100 but the humidity seems to keep staying between 30-40%. I added in a bigger dish with water and sponges (seen in pic) but it doesn’t seem to be rising yet. Any suggestions for me to increase the humidity? Would the embryos still be ok if I couldn’t get the humidity much higher? Any help would be much appreciated!!!! Also, do you suggest I start to spray them after day 7 once a day to bring them to room temp and back into incubator? I had one clutch that was abandoned by mama that I tried to save but I didn’t get to them in time and they all expired. However, like I said...the incubator seems to be working well as the two new eggs are doing great. Thanks so much for the help in advance everyone!!

 

[FarmInProgress]

I’d celebrate your hydrometer, and your thermometer just to be sure...and is it a still air incubator a forced air? My ducklings just hatched a week ago lol

 

[FarmInProgress]

Calibrate*

 

[DuckyDonna]

I didn't see a hydrometer in your pictures so I'm wondering how you know what the humidity is?

In order to raise your humidity you need to increase not the depth of your water dish but the surface area of it. If you could find a very shallow pan that was much larger like a cookie sheet with sides on it and then put a cookie cooling rack on top of it that it would greatly increase the surface area and raise your humidity. You could actually put the eggs right on top of the cooling rack on your towel which is much like the set up of my hovabator.

Very nice incubator by the way!

 

[Ducks81]

I didn't see a hydrometer in your pictures so I'm wondering how you know what the humidity is?

In order to raise your humidity you need to increase not the depth of your water dish but the surface area of it. If you could find a very shallow pan that was much larger like a cookie sheet with sides on it and then put a cookie cooling rack on top of it that it would greatly increase the surface area and raise your humidity. You could actually put the eggs right on top of the cooling rack on your towel which is much like the set up of my hovabator.

Very nice incubator by the way!

That’s a great idea!! And thank you!!! I don’t have a photo with the one that’s in there but it’s a fancy digital one with temp and humidity on it....I am going to try the dish and rack!

 

[Ratchnick]

I didnt see a fan, if you have no fan the temp is 102 not 99.5. Also install a lower wattage bulb then close the box more that will keep in more humidity. Also if you have problems controling temp you can use this, but check it agenst a calibrated thermometer.

https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Ther...r&sr=1-1-3f74d940-526b-436f-a83d-f486577edf4d

 

[Ducks81]

I didnt see a fan, if you have no fan the temp is 102 not 99.5. Also install a lower wattage bulb then close the box more that will keep in more humidity. Also if you have problems controling temp you can use this, but check it agenst a calibrated thermometer.

https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Ther...r&sr=1-1-3f74d940-526b-436f-a83d-f486577edf4d

That’s a great idea too! Well I also check the temp of each egg

I didnt see a fan, if you have no fan the temp is 102 not 99.5. Also install a lower wattage bulb then close the box more that will keep in more humidity. Also if you have problems controling temp you can use this, but check it agenst a calibrated thermometer.

https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Ther...r&sr=1-1-3f74d940-526b-436f-a83d-f486577edf4d

another great idea for heat...I do not have a fan. I have a 60 watt bulb in there. Maybe I can try a 40? Also I do check the eggs individually with one of those electrical laser thermometer guns. Do you think that’s a good idea too? What temp should the eggs themselves be reading??

 

[Ratchnick]

Yeah try a 40 watt. You need to calibrate a thermometer and stick with it.