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

[Hennypen]

I must have messed something up during my last hatch to have gotten as many bloody umbilicals as I did. The humidity level was at 70% the whole time dropping down to 65% a few times when the water level got low.

So, what SHOULD it be?

 

[ChickenCop]

80% min

 

[crazy chook]

Mine has been 35% - 40% till day 18 then only 50%-60% for the last three days with out a problem, 18 of 19 hatched and are all great!

 

[incubatingisfun]

i have also have had problems with the umbilicals too thats why i like to incubate at 30-50% till 18 and 65-70 at lockdown

 

[abooth]

65%

 

[Peep_Show]

in the 40% range for incubation; 65-72% for lockdown....and the lockdown humidity can get as high as 80+% as the eggs hatch and add their own moisture to the mix.

 

[Hennypen]

I'll try for 65% during the next lockdown instead of 70%. My hydrometer was calibrated so it wasn't off. I'm pretty sure the humidity level in my first batch was the same as the bloody umbilical hatch and the first ones were fine. I'm not 100% convinced it was humidity levels. I had several different variations of Wheaten Ameraucana chicks. Wheaten/blue wheaten/splash and the ones with the blood umbilicals were all yellow chicks. The white and splash were all fine. SO....... I'll try again. So far the chicks are doing fine.

 

[Serina81]

What does humidity have to do with bloody umbilical cords?

 

[tammyd57]

Quote:
Bloody umbilical cords are a sign of 'mushy chick' and is due to high humidity during hatch.

 

[Serina81]

Oh got it. Well here's my dilemma. I had a chick this evening that I had to help hatch because the egg shell got stuck to it, but it had a bloody umbilical cord. So is the humidity too high or too low? I'm confused