How to raise humidity ASAP

[Enders Farms]

I can only keep my humidity at 50% and tomorrow is hatch day. No pips yet, should I open and add a sponge or something or am I too late???

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Yes quickly add a wet sponge. Do you have a hole in the bator that you can add water to the sponge without opening it? That would be best. Good luck.

 

[Enders Farms]

Yes I do. Thanks for the advice. This is my second attempt at hatching and it looks promising. My last hatch was a complete flop!

 

[77horses]

Good luck!

I agree with 4-H chicken mom...add warm water, either with a wet sponge, bowl of warm water, jar of warm water, etc. Anything that works. Watch the humditity gauge and I would keep it around 60-65%. No higher than 70% in my opinion.

 

[Akane]

Wet paper towels work in a pinch without having to open the bator much but have to be rewetted about every 12 hours. If you locate them near a vent hole you can add water that way. Small funnels work or airline tubing can get it exactly to the right spot. Just don't put sponges or paper towels near eggs and make sure any container of water is under the mesh or too high for a chick to get in to. Chicks have also stood on sponges and burnt themselves on the heating element of styrofoam bators. It's best to plan ahead and so you can fit these things under the mesh instead. Opening the bator for longer than a couple minutes and moving the eggs around would be more harmful than a bit low of humidity at this point.

 

[Enders Farms]

I put in a small tupperware container of warm water. I REALLY thought adding more water at the end would be enough. It isn't. Thanks everyone for the ideas.

 

[dieselgrl48]

Wet sponge's work great for humidity especialy in LG incubators.You can wet a large one with warm water good and quickly put it in.Akane is right about the burnt head's baaaaaa.And If I had to use LG for hatching duck or larger fowl you can get the skinny sponges that will fit under the wire bottom nicely.Ducks geese and turkeys big birds any way but most chicks after a day if left will hop on that sponge.ETC scorching or burnt head ond even eye sometime's.I have been hatching bantam's this time so haven't had much problem.You can try precutting them the fit around the sides before lock down.I got some guineas due in a week or so will most likey put some under wire for them they crazy birds to hatch anyway I have found.I only got the 2 LG's right now so missing my Sportsman:/.Good luck with your bird's.

 

[birdsNbeesNseeds]

I had a hard time raising the humidity, even with the sponge and water in the bottom of the incubator. I ended up placing the incubator in the spare bathroom and every now and then turning on the hot shower. It was the only thing that worked for me, even though I had to do it for a few minutes twice a day. Luckily I had a spare bathroom!

 

[msteresaann]

I run a humidifier in the room if the air is too dry. The right humidity level is good for people too.

 

[babsbag]

One of the things that people overlook when trying to raise humidity is that it is the surface area of the water that makes a difference, not the volume. If you add water containers large ones will work better, but they don't have to be deeper, just bigger in diameter. I also stuck rags in my pans when I ran out of sponges.