How much humidty is too much?

[peruvian_princess]

Ok so my hygrometer is reading about 52-53% humidty. Is that too much? The temp is a steady 101.1 should I take water out of the bator or is that still low enough for a good hatch?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I like mine to read between 40 to 50%...for the first 18 days...

60 to 70% the last three days...I always have clean hatches...

 

[peruvian_princess]

So I should remove some water from the resevoir? So that the reading goes down or just remove the vent plug? Removing the plug it reads 50% will that work?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

What day are you on?....if you just started you can removed some of the water or just let it go down and not fill for a day or two til you get the reading you want...

Thats really not a bad range but I like mine in the middle of 40 to 50...

 

[peruvian_princess]

I think I will leave it its only day one so maybe I am being paranoid LOL! It will probably regulate more by tomorrow.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Your fine then...sit on your hands !!!.... LOL

 

[peruvian_princess]

I know LOL! I should breathe more LOL!

 

[SusanJoM]

Breathing is GOOD !!!!

Susan

 

[Davaroo]

Anything around 50-60% is adequate, for most hatching, with a bump in the last three days.

I have rarely been able to maintain textbook humidities and I have hatched a LOT of chicks.
The fact that you actually have a hygrometer and are monitoring humidities is a wonderful thing.
It's been my experience that you'll do much better at hatching if you understand Rh and then select good eggs from vigorous stock.

Technology is not the end-all answer to successful hatching, much as we like to think so. That is actually the easy part. This is evidenced by those who make functional incubators out of cardboard boxes and electric skillets and use no hygrometers.

Breed stock that is purposefully developed to produce strong, vigorous chicks is much more important, IMHO, than techno wizardry - and harder to come by.
I can only sudder when I hear about people who simply can't bear to cull, keep their yards overloaded with a watered down menagerie of stock and have no plan for the breeding that goes on in their flock.

Like the tuffold hen says, as far as humidity goes you sound fine.

 

[SterlingAcres]

I'm not overly concerned about humidity since I doubt a hen could change the weather herself...

My redwood incubator runs 60-70% by itself, even without water, regardless of what vents are open or anything else... and I've always had great hatches. This time around, well let's just say that I hate shipped eggs from Meyer... I'm at less than half viable, if those babies even hatch. How depressing.

Good luck!