Humidity, argh!

[whytedragon]

We bought 2 cabinet size incubators this past weekend, and i've been trying to calibrate them. The temp is the easy part, it fluctuates between 99.7 and 100.2.
The hard part is the humidity. One we are going to use as a hatcher, it's a bit smaller, but completely plexi.
I read the hatcher should be at about 80% humidity. I've got sponges and socks and pans in these things, and cannot get the humidity to rise that high, it's stuck between 50 and 60 %.
Not sure why I would have to have that many sponges and stuff in there, when they come with pans already! sooo frustrating!
Both have fans, 2 fans per bator.

Here are the 2 I have.
The incubator

The Hatcher (need to get pans)

 

[Paganbird]

The hatcher looks like it would work better as a brooder.

 

[halo]

What??? 80%?? who told you that??? no no no no, keep it around 60%, or else you'll drown everything. A little low is much better than a little high.

 

[Paganbird]

Are you hatching chickens, ducks, geese, or something else?
60% - 65% is what I hatch chicken eggs at, but other eggs (like peafowl) really need higher humidity.

 

[whytedragon]

Chicken eggs, and hopefully some Bobwhite Quail eggs.

I read here http://shilala.com/incubating.html that the last 3 days the humidity should be 80%.

The clear one I was thinking would be the hatcher so that I didn't have to mess with the incubator temperatures, considering I might have other eggs in there that aren't on "lock down" yet. So should I hatch them in the same incubator? Not sure how i'd do that if I have other eggs in there that still need to be turned.
Why do you think it would make a better brooder? Just curious...

 

[chickenma]

Try this site

http://www.djquaileggs.com/tips.html

I have try there method and I have hatch 70 quails out of 90 eggs. just follow the steps and you are good to go.

good luck

O, yes something else. As soon as the chicks hatch your humidity will go up because of all the wet chicks in there that pops out like popcorn. You can sprinkle the eggs to on the last day before lock down if you don't have enough humidity. Don't put to much water other wise you will drown them.

 

[whytedragon]

Thanks so much for the link. I am getting a little boggled though. Turn the turner off for the first 3 days, AND the last 3 days? Humidity between 75-85 last 3 days?
Also, my turners turn automatically every 2 hours, is that too much? I don't think I can adjust it though.

 

[chicken_angler]

Quote:
Are you really supposed to not turn the eggs for the first three days?

I turned mine for the first threee days, bceause I have never heard that? Are my chicks going to be messed up now?

Thanks

(sorry for getting a little off topic)

 

[panner123]

Do you want to hatch eggs or drown the baby chicks? Think about it, if they humidity is 85% outside you are wet, the eggs are the same. If you can't do anything but keep the humidity between 30 and 50% for the first 18 days, Mother Nature will handle the rest.

Just look at it like this, put your hand under a hen that has been setting for awhile. How wet is it? Do you think it feels like the humidity is 85% or 40%?

Incubating eggs is really not that hard. Everyone would like to hatch a 100% every time, not even a hen can do that. With all our modern technical emprovements on the bators of today, we will never improve on Mother Nature, so keep it simple.

Incubating techniques is like a part of the human body, everyone has one. Me included. Some are better than others. Just try to think like a hen and you will do O K.

If I or anyone tells you to keep the temps and humidity at X and you think It should be at Y, check the hen. Use the temps and humidity that the vast majority agree on and you will find this is as close to Mother Nature as you can get. Using your sense of feeling, does the hen feel like the temp under her is 105 degrees or 80 degrees? No, but maybe 100 degrees. Now about the humidity, do the same thing.

But I said keep it simple, so here goes, keep the temp at 100 degrees, the humidity at 40% for the first 18 days. As the eggs hatch the humidity will go up naturally. Turner you eggs at least three times per day, using odd numbers, 3, 5, 7.

Don't let it get to you keep it simple and have fun.

 

[whytedragon]

Ok, that sounds like a plan.

One question though, my turner automatically turns every 2 hours, is that extreme? I don't think I can change it...