How do I keep chicks from drowning?

[KalikoFarms]

I have heard so many storys about to high of humidity in lockdown and when they are piping of drowning chicks, I am panicking. How do I keep the chicks from drowning with the high humidity?
Thanks
Rita

 

[RachaelS]

I am not an expert but I think the drowning happens when the humidity is too high during the entire incubation period. When that happens the air cell stays smaller. I kept my humidty at around 70% during lockdown but when they started to hatch it spiked way up and that was okay. I had really bad hatches my first 3 but on my 4 I did low humidity during the incubation period (35%) then did what I said above and 8 out of 10 hatched perfectly none need assistance. Next time I hatch I will do the same thing !

 

[yinepu]

the high humidity is an issue during incubation


high humidity during lockdown and hatch is beneficial since it helps to keep the membrane moist


i usually incubate chickens in the 40 to 45% range give or take a bit
at lockdown I bump it to 60%+

you need to experiment with it though and see what works for you.. here where I live I can't do a dry incubation since my home relative humidity is much too low

 

[KalikoFarms]

Thanks I feel better now. I had the humidity at 35-40% during the first 18 days and now its at 60%. Maybe this one will do alot better. Practice makes almost perfect
Thanks
rita

 

[RachaelS]

Keep us posted!

 

[KalikoFarms]

Will post pictures as soon as things happen.
Rita

 

[Gypsy07]

Yup, pretty much what's already been said. Drowning is really nothing to do with high humidity at lockdown. It's due to the chick being over-humidified throughout the first 18 days of the incubation. But because the chick doesn't actually die till lockdown (when it starts breathing air and inhales the excess fluid in the egg) people blame it on the lockdown humidity, which is almost never to blame. I always run my lockdowns at 70%+, sometimes as high as 80% and I've never had a drowned chick. One lockdown the humidity got up to 90% and sat there for a whole day, and they still all made it out fine and dried off no problem.

 

[Ducklvr]

Yes! please keep us posted!

Loving all the pictures of hatching chicks/new chicks on BYC!