Humidity between 64 and 68, am I drowning the chicks

[Loveoursilkies]

I'm nervous now, I couldn't get the humidity above 45%, so I closed the hole over the fan (I left the fan going, it is keeping the temp. better). I closed that hole because the fan was blowing all of the humidity out. Now, the humidity is between 64 and 68%, some say that is too high, it could drown the chicks, I do not want to open the inclubator to remove any sponge or water now. I was thinking of just dealing with the lower humidity and taking the plug back out. I'm on day 20, I hear one chick peeping, no pip yet. I just got the humidity up today, after I did, I heard the chick. Now I'm thinking I probably shouldn't lower it, but, since I apparently drowned my entire last batch of chicks, I'm stressing. I have condensation on the plastic on the top of my LG. Should it be there. After I get a new incubator, this will be easier, but right now, I'm trying to save the few chicks that I have alive. The eggs are silkies. ARGH! Thanks,

 

[math ace]

BREATHE.... Calm down.... Here come the words you need to hear...

DROWNING of chicks, Humidity too high, is an issue for the first 18 days. During that time you want the humidity low.
During lockdown, days 19 - 21, you want the humidity high.
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Here is my concern... OXYGEN? ? ? The chicks will need the vents open to get air, so you shut the one vent are there others that are open?

If I need to add water during the crucial lockdown period, I use a clear hose that I stick down one of those vent holes in the lid of the incubators. Then I use a syringe to shoot water down the hose. I was having trouble getting the humidity up high enough during lockdown on my last hatch. I guess because we have been running the heat in the house... Anyways... I ended up putting a wet wash rag in the incubator on day 19. I positioned it right under the vent holes so that when I squirted water in it would land on the wash rag. I never had to do that before. Usually, I just filled all the channels in the water tray and I would be good to go.

HUMIDITY will rise as the chicks hatch. You may see it get into the 80% range. It will be OK.

 

[Loveoursilkies]

Yes, One hole is open, along with other little ones, also, I am able to easily get more water. The one little one has been peeping often, finally have a tiny pip, it is still peeping. Hope that is good. Hopeful for success tomorrow. Guess it would be best to sleep. Thanks

 

[Loveoursilkies]

2 hatched, out of 8, another got a tiny pip, this is day 22, hope it will hatch too, but the other 2 were yesterday

 

[Nimblefreckle]

I just hatched 3 fine with high humidity. It stayed between 60-70 the whole time except when I opened the lid to turn the eggs. The last days I put extra water in a bowl and it went up to 65--70 percent for hatching. I have happy healthy chicks. I also couldn't regulate the temp for a while into the incubating and they still developed normally.