Humidity effects the size of air cell?

[Riocotesei]

The past 2 incubations I've done have confused me. I'm hoping I can be enlightened.

Last 2 incubations I set were around 46 eggs each in my bators.
I've been trying out dry incubation and I thought I was getting decent hatches.

However, this last hatch was disapointing. I only candle once, and thats at day 12-14. 36 of the eggs were alive and well and looking great. I was super excited thinking I'd get a high hatch rate.
But hatch date came along and 11 hatched and 2 had pipped and died and another zipped and died. I opened some of the eggs to see what happened and it looked like alot of them died just few days before hatch. They looked large and squished in there. I believe that is why the pipped and zipped ones died because they couldn't move and rotate in the egg to get out.

Now to my question, does low humidity make the air cell small causing the chick to grow larger than it should?

If this isn't the case, what esle should I do?
Thanks

 

[Pumpkinpup]

What were your hatching conditions like? Temp/humidity on last 3 days? That is usually the most critical for the full term chicks.

 

[twigg]

Quote:
No, low humidity makes the air space large, not small.

The size of the air space is the point of the humidity setting.

Actually, it's about weight loss. I have a thread from yeaterday, or the day before, explaining it.

 

[erin0415]

I tried dry incubating on my last hatch and had very disappointing results, too. I had 3 that made it to the last couple of days and died. I also had one I had to help out of the shell because it's membrane was shrink-wrapped around it. I have never had either problem before. Reading closer about dry incubation I found you have to have the humidity in the room up higher than my house probably was. It was still cold enough that my heater was kicking in and drying the air in the room, and I think that combined with the lower humidity made it too dry for my eggs. My air cells seemed to develop to a correct size, but I had a few that were pretty large. I plan to keep the humidity a little higher on the hatch I am doing now.

 

[twigg]

Quote:
Dry incubating has been the subject of much debate.

It's a wacko theory, imo, whose only merit is to gain lots of attention to those who suggest it.

If you lived in the UK, with it's generally damp climate, about 50% hatch rates can be expected from incubators with no added water. This isn't Dry Incubating, it's incubating at low RH. Here in much of the US, 50% would not be achieved.

Measure the RH in the incubator, and manage it accordingly. Leave the idiot theories to those who will not learn.

People in these Forums are usually too sensible, and I'm sure you are no exception.

ps .... don't get mad ... I am just losing patience with those who will seek to persuade sensible folk like you that their latest diet is the best ever

 

[Riocotesei]

Oh no worries! I'm just testing everything out since my chickens make lots of eggs, I'm ok with trial and error. Dry incubating is not my friend...lol.

As for my haching conditions it was 35% for days 1-18
and on the last days it was 55-60%
Temp was consant 99.5-100.3 range
I'll throw in that I dont open the bator at all, and I have decided to not help chicks as well so i dont compromise the hatch. I have little contact with the eggs. I thought I was doing decent. Lol.
like I said things developed very well then died after that. Twigg I'll try to find your thread.

 

[twigg]

Quote:
Those humidity levels, while a little low, aren't bad.

I bumped my post, it's on the 1st page