Humidity in Bator...EXCELLENT INFO HERE! EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS!

[Barnyard]

I agree with Shelley. It is not going to do much damage now.


kryptoniteqhs, you need to leave the vent plugs in. Only take them out when your humidity get's to high and the window's on the bator start fogging up. Alote of time's you can open the window just a bit and the humidity will come down that way, but you have to be carefull because of the temp. Remember when you add water not to add to much at one time. I add very little and I make sure it is warm when I add it. I usually keep my humidity between 40 and 50%, but a little higher will not hurt anything. On day 18 is when you want your humidity between 60 and 70%. Just remember a little high, or a little low is gonna happen from time to time....but as long as it straighten's back out it should be fine

 

[swtangel321]

What kind of bator do you have ?? Still air or fan ??

 

[Rufflemyfeathers]

I had to do that with my first batch got up once in 60's I took eggs out and sucked up part of water..but most of time on my first batch ever did I ran it around 55% give or take in the 50's now this time I am running in the 40's and if it gets into the 50's ok..I had good luck on my first hatch. Good Luck!!!

 

[Jamie821]

i agree it wont hurt it for a short time but as she said it was still rising and if she put a lot of water in there it would have stayed high for a longer time. It was easily fixed so why not get it down so the eggs can evaporate like they should. I also wonder how many chicks owe their lives to to high of humidity. I dry incubate which does make a little difference but how do you expect the fluid to evaporate in the egg at fifty five to sixty percent the first eighteen days and during hatch you dont really want to add much moisture just maintain. Too high at hatch causes wet chicks which means to much moisture in egg. This can and does lead to drowning at pip.

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

ok well im slightly confused because everyone has a different opinion and everyone has success stories to back them up...i think ill be fine...it went back down...its 33 now...i may add a tiny bit of water so i can hover around 40....normally i could add a gallon and it wont go up but 1 or 2%, so last time i added a good bit when it jumped up...i got sick and tired of adding a little here and a little there and then being up all night slowly adding more...but ill be more careful now....also why are some people saying leave the plugs in and some people say leave them out? should i just compromise and leave 1 in and 1 out lol?

 

[lds_horselover2005]

I have hatched eggs before (obviously or you wouldn't have that big old roo. lol) I just added water when ever it got low. I pretty much filled it up and then let it sit. After I added the water (it was warm), the humidity would jump up, but it would go back down after it set for a few hours. When I hatched the delawares, I had all but one hatch (if I remember right) and when I hatched my little RIR chicks ALL of the hatched. So don't be too worried about it. Oh, and the vent covers, I only leave one open. Then at about 18 days, I open the other one. The one thing I do have to say don't open the bator too much. Just do what you go to do then leave them alone. The very first time I hatched it didn't turn out to good. I had 1 out of 30 or so hatch. I was sooo excited and I was always messing with them and the temp was going up and down...yeah it wasn't too good for the eggs.

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

thanks! btw sent you a pm...but anywho...i dont mess with them at all unless its to turn them or add water....and the one time when the temp jumped up i took the lid off for a minute or two until it came down...ill go stick a plug in now...

edited to say: i wasnt able to get out of there until 7 tonight...yuk!....i had to wait for my bf to get off of work...because...well you know the whole stupid car thing!! errr point is me and the chickies got to spend a lot of time together!!

maybe too much for them lol...but i enjoyed it...the hen loved to sit up on my back seat behind me kind of on my neck lol

 

[swtangel321]

day 1 -18 leave one vent plug out. day 18-21 take other out and keep both open. This is what Ive always done (Its what the LG book said to do) Always had good hatches, air flow is very important during incubation so if you have a still air I would keep 1 open.

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

ok that makes sense! thanks!

 

[Wheaties]

NEVER! allow the humidity to rise above 55% between days 18-21! NOT EVEN FOR A MINUTE! It will hurt, it will drown your chicks! Been doing this a long time and I am here to tell you throw the instructions that came with the bator away and then listen to the old pros! Days 1-17, humidity at 42% to 48%. It can drop a bit lower than 42%, but never below 20% and not for a long period of time! Days 18-21 NEVER ABOVE 55%! On day 18 put the eggs in the hatcher and NEVER OPEN THE DOOR! DO NOT PASS GO!, DO NOT COLLECT $200.00, DO NOT TAKE CHICKS OUT! & DO NOT ALLOW HUMIDITY ABOVE 55%! Please for the sake of the chicks!