How to maintain humidy when I'm asleep?

[Maddison]

Ok, so usually the humidity in my incubator is at around 65%, but when I go to sleep I'm usually woken up 10-ish hours later by my incubator beeping telling me its low, and it usually goes from 65% to 35% in less than 10 hours. I'm worried that this will drastically decrease my hatch rate, so how do I keep the humidity going no lower than at least 50% during the night?

 

[Chicken Chat]

10 hours with low indoor humidity this time of year if you are running heat will drop your humidity inside the incubator, so not surprised. What day are you on in the incubation cycle? I'm guessing you are at lockdown. Also, what are your eggs, chickens, ducks? How are you adding water? Does your incubator have channels inside that you are filling? I add a sponge inside to increase humidity at lockdown to keep it up.

 

[Pyxis]

Are you in lockdown? Because 65% is very high unless you're in lockdown.

 

[Maddison]

10 hours with low indoor humidity this time of year if you are running heat will drop your humidity inside the incubator, so not surprised. What day are you on in the incubation cycle? I'm guessing you are on lockdown. Also, what are your eggs, chickens, ducks? How are you adding water? Does your incubator have channels inside that you are filling? I add a sponge inside to increase humidity at lockdown to keep it up.

I'm not in lockdown yet, on day 6. it might also be worth mentioning I live in Australia, its been a bit hot as summer is approaching here. And eggs are chicken. I use a little water container dripper thing, much like a plastic syringe, and add a squirt of water on the sides where the holes are. theres not really any channels inside, just a semi-flat surface.

 

[Maddison]

Are you in lockdown? Because 65% is very high unless you're in lockdown.

is it? I read online and in my book that Ideal humidity is 65% and then increase to 70% at day 18? I've candeled the eggs and the air cell is the size they should be for day 6.. ?

 

[WVduckchick]

Humidity is based on surface area of the water, so to get it higher and keep it there, you will have to stretch it out.

 

[Pyxis]

is it? I read online and in my book that Ideal humidity is 65% and then increase to 70% at day 18? I've candeled the eggs and the air cell is the size they should be for day 6.. ?

For me it definitely would be. If mine is above 35%, then my eggs don't lose enough moisture and the embryos die. 65% is usually only used for lockdown. Maybe you should try lowering it to 40% and see how the air cells do with it at that level.

Here's a good air cell chart:

 

[Chicken Chat]

I run 35-40% humidity until lockdown and then bump it to 70% for hatch. That is what works best for me. The books that come with the incubators recommend humidity that is way to high in my opinion. The egg needs to lose about 12% of it's weight at hatch so with a high incubation humidity, the chicks can grow too large, the air cell doesn't grow, and extra water can be trapped in the air cell causing chicks to drown when they pip, so I like the "dry incubation method" or "low humidity incubation method". Did you calibrate your hygrometer to make sure it is accurate in case the readings are wrong?

 

[WVduckchick]

She is in Australia and already said the air cells are on track. No matter how much "we" disagree, and do things differently in the States, her conditions are what matters for her eggs. JMHO

 

[Maddison]

I run 35-40% humidity until lockdown and then bump it to 70% for hatch. That is what works best for me. The books that come with the incubators recommend humidity that is way to high in my opinion. The egg needs to lose about 12% of it's weight at hatch so with a high incubation humidity, the chicks can grow too large, the air cell doesn't grow, and extra water can be trapped in the air cell causing chicks to drown when they pip, so I like the "dry incubation method" or "low humidity incubation method". Did you calibrate your hygrometer to make sure it is accurate in case the readings are wrong?

I have a digital incubator that measures the humidity, and it actually won't let me set it any lower than 65%, it just has settings like P1 PP etc. the lowest is %65. And actually, my incubator didn't come with any accurate instructions or even assembly. it's a cheap Chinese incubator so I had to piece everything together without guidelines.. I just hope I'm doing everything right, they are valuable eggs and my roo has only been interested in one hen lately so I won't get many fertile eggs after this until my roo's other hens have finished raising there one chick. and yes, 2 hens are raising the one chick together, they didn't know who's it was so they are just raising it together I guess...