Humidity at lockdown should be.........(fill in the blank)

[A.T. Hagan]

I try to keep mine at 65% as well.

 

[seminolewind]

65-70%, no chick problems at all

 

[andalusn]

I too get confused regarding the importance of the humidity level at lockdown. I recently hatched eggs in a Incu-Cube incubator and maybe it was the tidy size of the unit but I went by the numbers on the digital readers for temp / humidity. I had two temp readings and they stayed constant to each other. One reader was the humidity one. These both had the temp unit inside the bator with the reader located outside. There were two bowls for water in the bottom that took up all space. Filled them as directed and then let it sit and monitored. For first 18 days it was 100 and 48 - 50% humidity. No flux. At day 18 I opened it and both bowls were dry. I was not surprised at this but as I said I was going by the numbers. Removed the turner, placed the eggs on the mesh over the refilled bowls. Placed the top and it came back up to 100 w/in the hour and and humidity settled again back at 50% and stayed there. That was a Tues evening. Peep started to hatch on Wed evening and first one out of the shell was Thurs am which would be day 20. Of the 11 placed 8 hatched, 3 did nothing. One is my runt and I did have to help it hatch. I would call this chick a wet one simply by the fact it was glued to the shell for over 24 hours and I eventually helped it. All others hatched and I found the shells to be cleaner than I expected them to be. I have never hatched eggs so I have to track record just reading and crossing fingers.