How many people use the dry incubation method?

[shelleyd2008]

Oh, and I always have them start pipping in the turner. So far no problems with that, but I have been lucky I think.

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

This is what I do. Most of my eggs hatched the three times I tried. If the room is stable all is good.

My basement humidity is always 35-50% so I never add water until day 17-18.

 

[snowydiamonds]

I'm trying it for the first time with an electric skillet pan that has a cover, its large enough to bake something in it and is advertised as such. I put a small bowl of water in just cause I don't know how to measure room humidity. I've got two fifty gallon, one fifty-five gallon, one 20 gallon acrylic freshwater aquariums in the main part of the house and a 75 gallon and a 100 gallon in each of the two bedrooms so I think humidity should be okay, along w/a lot of house plants, too?

(Its very dry, to the point of static electricity at my work office and I only have a 20 gallon right next to my desk there, I wish I had more humidity at work!)

 

[Guitartists]

As long as it doesn't get below 30% humidity.. I don;t worry about it until day 18.... unless it looks like my eggs are loosing too much from their shells (LARGER air cells than they should be) but, so far this has not happened except with a couple of banty eggs.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Temps are ideal at 99.5 - 100.5 BUT...I've had plenty of chicks hatch with temps as low as 94 for a while and up to 107 for a short while.

The less humidity...the higher the hatch. I only have a hygrometer in the bator because it's part of my thermometer. The humidity in my bator ranges between 25% and 35%. I don't typically add any water during the first 18-19 days. Occasionally, on a very dry day, I'll add some that will bring it up to 45% and then it tapers down as the water evaporates. I don't start bringing up the humidity until I see the first pip. Then I bring it up to around 60%.

OK...here's what I've discovered. The problem with hatching is SHIPPED EGGS. Now I know we all have to get shipped eggs, but when I incubated my own eggs I've had 100% hatches (bantam cochins) using the method above. I artificially inseminate my cochins, so I KNOW they are fertile. You just have to know that it's possible to have a dismal hatch...or you could get lucky (PO didn't drop kick the box, etc.) and have a very good hatch. I absolutely believe the biggest factor in hatching is shipping.

For me, I've decided to buy young adult to adult birds and hatch my own eggs. I get tempted every now and then, but so far I've been able to resist!

 

[hatchaholic]

shelleyd - how high do you up your humidity to days 19-21?

I'm trying dry incubation with my first hatch because I read about so many chicks drowning with the higher humidity levels on days 1-18. But I also read that they get sticky and have a tendency for the membranes to stick to them if you don't up your humidity high enough the last 3 days. Do you think you should raise it a little more at the end?

 

[shelleyd2008]

I can get it to go up pretty high, but it won't stay there. I think the highest it stays is about 55%. But I was thinking they were hatching early because of the low humidity.

 

[hatchaholic]

Maybe if you can get the humidity up a little more, you won't have the problems with the sticky membranes. And, it sounds like you've had some really succesful hatch rates.

Have you had any health problems because they hatched early? I'm not sure what that can cause...

 

[shelleyd2008]

I haven't had any that I know of, but that's what I worry about. I think I've just been lucky so far! I have only lost 4 chicks, 3 to accidents, and the other was incubated most of the way by a hen that left the nest. It lived about a day, cried all the time, couldn't hardly walk, the list goes on. But that one was messed up when I put it in the bator. Iwas surprised it hatched at all. The air sac on it was about half the egg, at 14 days!! I usually go by the size of the air sac to know if the humidity is ok, but like I said, I read that early hatching can be caused by low humidity too. That's why I was asking. I know it's not the temps!!

 

[lotzahenz]

Hi Shelley!

I am just finishing my first hatch in my new 'bator. My stats are: 41 eggs set (all from my laying flock) 6 infertile. I kept my humidity too high between day 10 and day 17 (was 70%, who knew till I bought that hygrometer), so my air sacs were rather small. No one drowned, all have hatched except 8, and I'm still waiting just in case. Today is day 21. They started early on day 19, most hatched day 20 and 2 hatched today. Any ideas why the long hatching time? I believe one has a hernia, one was deformed and the rest seem great. I was thinking that I should have a dry bator those first 18 days, then up my humidity to 70% for hatching. My basement runs about 40 to 50%, and just adding a small amount of water raises the humidity up to 70's in a hurry. No water and the fan running it dropped to 35%. I guess we'll have to keep hatching and see what works best.

Think they will have the Saano sale tomorrow night with it being Halloween?

Tammy