how do I increase humidity

[muddyhorse]

how do I increase the humidity the last 3 days. I am using a brower. I have some eggs hatching this week and some the next week in there, so it will be a staggered hatch. do I have to worry about "drowning" the younger eggs? this is my first time and I don't want to kill the babies

 

[El Naked Neck]

how do i decrease it it's at 80 and above

 

[bargain]

Hi, I don't know about the split hatch, but I have a very old metal brower and to increase humidity, I take out the small metal waterer and add a very large pie pan of water and it does the job.....

You could also roll up a t shirt with moisture and put just on the side by the ones you need moisture and then try a plexiglass to separate the chicks from each other....Otherwise, those you are hatching are going to walk on your others....

Maybe someone can help you on the split hatch issue.

Best of hatching.

 

[Apprentice_egger]

Quote:
Pull out a vent plug. Two if you have to.

 

[lotzahenz]

To decrease the humidity, a circulating fan seems to do that rather fast in mine. I know you can put in an old PC fan pretty easily. Lots of folks are using sponges to increase humidity, but with the fan, it will dry out rather fast though. Remember, surface area is the key to humidity, not depth. That made it make sense for me. Deeper does not increase the humidity, but keeps it stable longer as it takes longer to evaporate. I think keeping humidity constant and in a proper range is the hardest thing about hatching chicks. Search "dry" hatch for some great info. Lately I just add water as needed, keeping the lid on the last three days isn't that big of a deal, as long as it's off briefly. I am hatching chicks almost daily for the past month, 2 to 4 every couple of days and have lost two of 24 so far from drying out after zipping. They are dark Marans eggs and those are quite tough to get out of. I have perfected a simple rescue technique and haven't lost any since those first two. These chicks just wear out if the membrane dries out too soon and are hopelessly stuck. You can easily rescue them by carefully holding the dried out chick/shell under warm water and allow it to soak into the shell, keeping the beak clear. it will slowly release the stuck bird. Who can be dried off and placed back in the warm bator. The damp chick will increase your humidity for the next few that hatch. If the chick fails to dry in a reasonable time, it's too wet in there. I think hatching chicks is an art, but mostly luck. Good genetics plays a huge role too. Good luck, HenZ

 

[El Naked Neck]

Quote:
Pull out a vent plug. Two if you have to.

thanks it's droping how low should i let it go? eggs been there for 5 days

 

[bmbetsy]

I have a bower top hatch and I always have trouble with the humidity. Here in se Texas it is always about 40%. So I have found out the best way for me is not to add water until the three days before hatching. Then the humidity is still hard to get to stay at 50%. I am thinking about getting an Lg just for hatching. My friend says her hovabator stays at 50 -60 during the hatching process.

 

[shelleyb1969]

I have an old metal Brower, a new Brower Top Hatch, a Hovabator, and a Little Giant....the best way I've found to increase humidity in them all is to use sponges. Wet them with WARM water. You can cut the sponges to decrease the humidity....or add sponges to increase it. It's the most consistent way I've found to regulate it. Also, the incubators have vent holes in the top...the last 3 days, when I need to re-wet the sponges, I put a straw down through a vent hole to the sponge(s) and use a syringe to add water to them. Just my way, but it's always worked for me. Good luck!

 

[El Naked Neck]

Quote:
are the sponges on top of the eggs?? the bator is full where do u place them

 

[shelleyb1969]

Quote:
are the sponges on top of the eggs?? the bator is full where do u place them

No, you don't want to let the sponges touch the eggs. I've just made it a habit to leave a space for sponges in the 'bators. Normally, the space I leave empty is the size of 2 standard size eggs. It takes a bit of mental awareness when you set your eggs, but once you get used to having to do it, it's no biggie.