Humidity for Black Copper Marans and other breeds... Help please

[mattsinger]

I think he is talking 12% weight loss...

Nope . 12% humidity. House is real dry in the winter. I tried a couple hatches keeping it around 25 - 30% and both times ended up with a lot of fully developed and dead chicks that never hatched.

 

[Alaskan]

Quote: really? wow!

Have you fiddled with the feed you give your breeders?

 

[mattsinger]

really? wow!

Have you fiddled with the feed you give your breeders?

no...never messed with their feed.

 

[mattsinger]

Just wanted to give you an update. I just hatched 11 of 11. Very happy! The dry method seems to work.

 

[Alaskan]

Just wanted to give you an update. I just hatched 11 of 11. Very happy! The dry method seems to work.

total rock!!!

 

[phishless13]

Just wanted to give you an update. I just hatched 11 of 11. Very happy! The dry method seems to work.

When you say dry merhod i would like to know exactly what you mean. What was your humidity for first 18 days and then for lockdown. Also what temp did you run your incubator at. I had a horrible hatch. Internal pips and then they died from what appears to be drowning. I am getting more BCM eggs this weekend and i don't want this to happen again...

 

[mattsinger]

First off, Im no expert. But I had very little luck following the normal guidelines for hatching. I know this varies for everyone...but for me, I have a cheap LG bator from Tractor Supply, with a fan and a egg turner. I fill the center water reservoir with water on day 1. This puts my humidity around 30 % for about 2 days, I let it dry up and never touch it again as far as adding water until lockdown. In my house, this usually puts the bator humidity around 10 - 12%. I keep the temps right around 100... low may be 99.3, high 100.5. With this foam bator, I never get a rock solid temp, its always fluctuating. I modified the bottom of the LG per someones post on this site. I enlarged the air holes in the bottom and used hot glue to insert pieces of drinking straws. This way at lockdown, I can fill the entire bottom of the bator with water, not just the center water reservoir. see the attached pic. Like I say, Im not an expert, but after a few failed attempts like you had, fully developed and never hatched, I started trying different things. This is what I have had the best luck with.

What do you use to hatch?

 

[mattsinger]

sorry, with the entire bottom filled with water, it keeps the humidity in the low 70s

 

[phishless13]

First off, Im no expert. But I had very little luck following the normal guidelines for hatching. I know this varies for everyone...but for me, I have a cheap LG bator from Tractor Supply, with a fan and a egg turner. I fill the center water reservoir with water on day 1. This puts my humidity around 30 % for about 2 days, I let it dry up and never touch it again as far as adding water until lockdown. In my house, this usually puts the bator humidity around 10 - 12%. I keep the temps right around 100... low may be 99.3, high 100.5. With this foam bator, I never get a rock solid temp, its always fluctuating. I modified the bottom of the LG per someones post on this site. I enlarged the air holes in the bottom and used hot glue to insert pieces of drinking straws. This way at lockdown, I can fill the entire bottom of the bator with water, not just the center water reservoir. see the attached pic. Like I say, Im not an expert, but after a few failed attempts like you had, fully developed and never hatched, I started trying different things. This is what I have had the best luck with. What do you use to hatch?

I have a Hovabator and two LG's. I added a computer fan to one of the LG's to circulate the air. I appreciate the pic with the modification. I was under the impression that 70% was high for lockdown with these types of eggs based on what i read. The person selling me the eggs told me 35-40% for days 1-18 and then bump it up to 45% but not to go over 50%. So many conflicting methods on the internet. I guess i just need to find what works best for me as you found what works best for you. I also agree that the temp on the LG is hard to control so I try to find an average resting place...

 

[mattsinger]

well, for lockdown humidity, what I have seen with mine is.... if it drops much below 65, the inner membrane of the eggs start getting pretty tough. If you have one that has pip hole, but has not zipped out, and they are slow about it, they seem to get trapped. if they are real slow, the tough membrane will start to shrink around them. When I keep it closer to 70, they dont have the issue. I did once try high humidity, and that made a real sticky mess.