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

[dancingbear]

I still have a few more pages of this thread to finish reading, it's like a novel, at this point. But worth it, the info here is wonderful. I upped my humidity from 27% to just over 30, I'm aiming for 30-35%. Started with 26 Delaware eggs, I'm not going to candle until day 10. I usually candle before setting, to check air cells and porosity/shell defects, but I didn't this time. I was just tired and stressed at the time, and didn't do it.

I'll post results after I candle.

I wonder if I should start a new thread, or just keep this one rolling?

ETA: After reading the info about increased oxygen flow being needed for the hatch, I wonder if some of my problems in the past were because the vents weren't all open, the last three days. I couldn't keep humidity up with the vents open. I closed one, and that got the humidity up.

I'm wondering if, instead of buying a humidifier and raising humidity in the whole room, it might work to cut a hole in a thick sponge, and place the wet sponge on top of the incubator, over the vent hole? You know, so the hole is completely open, surrounded by a donut of wet sponge? And, maybe, placing the 'bator propped over a tray of water, so the air coming in the bottom vent holes would be more humid, as well? Anybody try that, or something similar?

 

[Jamie821]

I do know that straight comb birds are more fertile then rose comb and pea comb. I also know from experience that aracaunas are the toughest because of the lethal gene. Production birds like rirs, ba, brs are very fertile and hatch easier then marans because of fertility, diversity in blood lines and thinner eggs shells. Ameracaunas have always hatched easily and usually early pippers. I dont know about others but my hatch % is calculated byany fertile egg that I set. The only ones that dont count are inferlile ones. Most of my 100% percent hatches have been from wyandottes. Wheaton marans have a tendecy to pip wrong end of egg due to the shape of the egg. Set Leghorns and you could just about forget to turn the bator on and they would hatch..

 

[tamatik]

good lord..
what a pile of reading.. BUT WELL WORTH the read.. I want to thank all who particpated.. You have my mind absorbing.. knowledge never is wasted.
Still havent read the whole thread but enjoyed the experiments and the debates and just the differentces of operating experiences.. I do not believe that there is the ONE WAY.. unless you are the chicken..
We have too many variables..altitude, humidity,nagging wife..(oops sry..did I say that out loud? don,t tell..)

 

[Mahonri]

I've read almost the entire thread and I've decided that much of how well a hatch does depends upon where you live.

If you live in a humid climate, then you have humidities in the bator that are lower. If you live a drier climate, you use humidities that are higher.

For my 2nd hatch I've kept it between 35 and 40% for the first 18 days. Air cells look good.
I'm now upping it to 60%.

Wish me luck. (Last time I had it at 65% and I think maybe I drowned some... After day 18 I only got 12 of 22 to hatch.

This time I've got 25 chicken eggs still in there so I'm praying for 15 to 20 chicks!

 

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Hi Mahonri!

I dunno...I don't see how the humidity in the area is related to what you need to run inside the 'bator. I think it only makes it easier to maintain a steady RH inside the 'bator if you have a higher ambient RH.

I think the altitude is what dictates the need for any given RH inside the 'bator. At higher altitude, the egg "wants" to lose more weight. Too much, in fact, and so a higher humidity keeps that in check. At lower altitude, use a lower humidity.

That's my current hypothesis anyways.

 

[Intheswamp]

I've been wondering about folks talking about needing different humidity levels at different locations around the country.

To me, simple-minded as I am

, it seems that 40% humidity in an incubator in south Alabama and 40% humidity in an incubator in Phoenix, Arizona is, well....40% humdity in both places. What's the difference?

With Alabama being more humid than Arizona I can see where folks in Arizona would have to work a bit harder...maybe provide more water surface, sponges, humidifier in room, etc., to get the humidity level up to 40% in the incubator...but, the end result is still that the gauges read 40% and the eggs see 40% humidity...right?

As for the altitude factor... Doing a brief search the only thing I found out that I can repeat is that "dry air is more dense than moist air". Now what that means I'll let some of you smart people figure out.

But...going back to the beginning of the message....isn't 40% of something in Phoenix 40% of something in Alabama??

Expiring minds want to know.

Ed

 

[emvickrey]

I have gotten so many different instructions on hatching. I read taht the humidity should be between 70 and 80% on the last 3 day, so I was in a panic on my first hatch becuase I couldn't get the humidity up. So this time around I got it up to between 55 and 62% and now I hear they may drown? May be why I only have 1 chick hatch on time. That one I cracked the shell when I was getting ready for the 3 day wait. It is the only one that has hatched so far. That was Sunday.

With my bator I have to open it to do anything. I plan to buy a newer model so I don't have to do so much with it.

Mine doesn't have a fan or a turner so I have to open the bator to turn the eggs. I do have an egg carton that I use so I don't have to keep the lid off no onger than I have to. I make sure my humidity doesn't go to low.

I am only going to try this one more time with this bator. If my luck doesn't change next time. It is new bator time.

 

[nhnanna]

Mine doesn't have a fan or a turner so I have to open the bator to turn the eggs. I do have an egg carton that I use so I don't have to keep the lid off no onger than I have to. I make sure my humidity doesn't go to low.


Keep the eggs in cartons and don't open the bator to turn. Just prop up the bator on one side and then the other. That way you don't lose the humidity.

 

[danielnv]

I had some awful hatches too, until this last one where 30 of 34 that made it to 18 hatched and are healthy. I assisted the last one (a breach baby) and she is doing good too!

Anyway, I am thinking we need a higher humidity in the desert to compensate for the eggs drying out prior to being put in the incubator, and when the incubator is open for various things. Also the ventilation factor is really important. Previously I had been keeping the vents closed to help keep humidity high enough, but this time I used a wet sponge over the vent hole above my fan, which I resoak at least twice a day. I am using a 60ml syringe to add water through a tube and have been doing that every day or two as needed. My target range was 50-60% from day 1-18, and then 60-70% during hatch. There were some departures down to 35% and up to 65, but most of the time it was 50-60.

The previous batch I ran at 35-45% day 1-18 and then 45-55. I was adding much less water and closed vents to keep humidity up. I had 5 hatch and 5 were fully developed but dead in shell (at least one was stuck to the shell) so I assumed I needed higher humidity. Then I came across another thread focusing more on ventilation and added my wet sponge to open vents, so I am not 100% sure if both things helped or only the ventilation, but I'm keeping humidity higher. Of course it is almost swamp cooler weather here and that would change everything- I imagine i could go completely dry and leave vents wide open with no sponges.

 

[emvickrey]

nhnanna - wouldn't propping up the bator spill the water?

I have 2 more days then i'm going to change a few things and start over again.