How to best manage humidity in lock down

[Clucking Lovely]

So, i have a tiny problem with my incubator, the lid is not transparent.... stupid conception.... i will have to peek in it and thus lose considerable amounts of humidity. Whats the best way to bring it back up, or find a way to keep it stable while doing this? Just started lockdown and have 38 eggs to be hatched Sunday. Ill attach a picture of my incubator, if anyone else has one like this maybe you can offer me some tips. This seems to be my machine, except mine has a yellow lid.

Sidenote, my bf built me an insulated box that the incubator sits in to help with any potential temp fluctuations and it seems to work wonders! But, i still cant see too great into the incubator lol.

 

[BYCforlife]

I have no suggestions as to keeping the humidity consistent, but I do have to say that the lid of your incubator looks easy to modify! Do you have access to plexiglass? If so, you could cut some squares out of the incubator and glue plexiglass windows to the top.

 

[Clucking Lovely]

I may try that! The problem seems to be though that there is a plastic grid between the lid and where the eggs are that separates the fan and heater from the eggs.

 

[Fairview01]

If they aren't due to hatch till Sunday theres not much to see. Generally speaking the less human involvement there is the more successful the hatch. Add enough water on Saturday to get you through Monday. Shut the incubator until Monday. If you must have a look after the hatch begin be fast about it and have a water spritzer handy. Give the incubator a few spritz and humidity will recover instaneously.

 

[Clucking Lovely]

If I bring the humidity up high to like, 80 saturday and dont open until Monday, do you think that would be ok? or do i risk drowning my babies? Im reading it should be between 65-70, some sites say higher... a lot of confusing information online.

 

[Fairview01]

If I bring the humidity up high to like, 80 saturday and dont open until Monday, do you think that would be ok? or do i risk drowning my babies? Im reading it should be between 65-70, some sites say higher... a lot of confusing information online.

Unless there's standing water for them to fall into how would they drown? It takes 21 days for the aircell to grow. 2 even 3 days of maxed out humidity will not add water to the egg. If a chick drowns after internally but prior to externally pipping it drowned because there was too much albumin remaining in the egg and the internal pip was on the low side of the aircell or one of the early hatches played kickball with it and rotated the pip on the low side. This is the advantage to hatching vertically.

Good luck. It's not as complicated as many like to make it put to be

 

[Clucking Lovely]

Thank you, you've put my mind at ease I appreciate it.
Now we wait! As patiently as possible lol.

 

[Fairview01]

Keep your hands out of the incubator. I wish I could practice what I preach.

I put some wet mash on a paper towel in the incubator immediately after hatch and leave the chicks in there for another day. When I thought the hatch was over i removed 2 unhatched eggs and large shell fragments. I tossed the two unhatched ones into the garbage can from the 3 point line and then I heard it. Chirp, chirp, chirp. I retrieved the egg, chipped the shell off and carefully peeled the inner membrane off with the help of the water spritzer. I'm 61 and I made myself late for work. He's the different one in the pic. The silver yellow one, not that big old

 

[cmom]

If I bring the humidity up high to like, 80 saturday and dont open until Monday, do you think that would be ok? or do i risk drowning my babies? Im reading it should be between 65-70, some sites say higher... a lot of confusing information online.

I get my humidity up to around 80% during the last 3 days. There is more risk of the chicks drowning during the incubation period if the humidity is too high. Condensation builds up in the air sack and when the chicks pip the air sack they drown so they are fully formed but never hatch. I have been hatching weekly lately. So far all of the eggs that are viable have hatched. I have had a few blanks (infertile) eggs.

 

[cmom]

When the chicks hatch I put them in the brooder and for the first few days I put paper towels down and put some crumbles on it. They peck at the crumbles until they are inquisitive enough to discover their feed dish.