Humidity of an incubator

[Gituto farm]

Which is the ideal incubator humidity settings should one set for maximum hatchińg?
Mine is operating at PV RH% 86
--------------------
Sv RH% 60
Regards,
Reuben.

 

[Chicken-lovebirdchihuahua]

Wich day you start out 40-60 then raise it up

 

[Egghead_Jr]

What is PV and SV?

I like RH of 30% for incubation and 70%+ for hatching.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Instead of worrying about an almost meaningless number like relative humidity use an instrument like the one pictured in this post and keep track of the dry & wet bulb temperature.

How do Hygrometers Work?
Wet and dry bulb hygrometers or psychrometers are the most simple and common way of measuring humidity. This type of hygrometer uses two basic mercury thermometers, one with a wet bulb one with a dry bulb. Evaporation from the water soaked sock on the wet bulb thermometer causes its temperature reading to drop, causing it to show a lower temperature than the dry bulb.

Relative humidity is calculated by comparing the readings using a calculation table that compares the ambient temperature (the temperature given by the dry bulb) to the difference in temperatures between the two thermometers.

A mechanical hygrometer uses a slightly more complex system, based on one of the first hygrometers designed in 1783 by Horace Bénédict de Saussure. This system uses an organic material (usually hair) that expands and contracts as a result of the surrounding humidity (that also explains why you always seem to have a bad hair day when it’s hot and humid!).

One problem with a mechanical hydrometer is that the temperature can affect the tension of the sensitive spring that attaches the needle to the hair or other organic material that expands or contracts with the moisture in the air.

I don't now, nor will I ever trust any hydrometer reading taken in a still-air incubator.

 

[WVduckchick]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/incubation-humidity.73386/

 

[nicky5]

I have a question??? I have a brinsea maxi2 advanced egg turner incubator and I’m trying to test it after 12 silkie eggs in and only 2 hatched. So I decided to test it out with nothing in it except my thermo/hygrometer from incubator warehouse. Now the the brinsea says to put water in the outside pot and keep water in just below the mark. And then day 19 fill up both pots with water and your good. When I had the pot filled up just below the line my hygrometer read 70% humidity and that is just so darn high. But putting no water in at all the temp is slowly dropping 27% now but will keep dropping I’m guessing with no water in it!! So confused

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I have a question??? I have a brinsea maxi2 advanced egg turner incubator and I’m trying to test it after 12 silkie eggs in and only 2 hatched. So I decided to test it out with nothing in it except my thermo/hygrometer from incubator warehouse. Now the the brinsea says to put water in the outside pot and keep water in just below the mark. And then day 19 fill up both pots with water and your good. When I had the pot filled up just below the line my hygrometer read 70% humidity and that is just so darn high. But putting no water in at all the temp is slowly dropping 27% now but will keep dropping I’m guessing with no water in it!! So confused

When all else fails, follow the instructions.
IMHO, when one has a poor hatch rate, it is most likely temperature and not humidity.
Incubator thermometers/hygrometers are notoriously inaccurate. In fact, almost all thermometers are only supposed to be accurate to plus/minus 2F and are usually off by more than that. They need to be calibrated or buy one guaranteed accurate out of the box.
Were your hatchlings early or late?

 

[WVduckchick]

I have a question??? I have a brinsea maxi2 advanced egg turner incubator and I’m trying to test it after 12 silkie eggs in and only 2 hatched. So I decided to test it out with nothing in it except my thermo/hygrometer from incubator warehouse. Now the the brinsea says to put water in the outside pot and keep water in just below the mark. And then day 19 fill up both pots with water and your good. When I had the pot filled up just below the line my hygrometer read 70% humidity and that is just so darn high. But putting no water in at all the temp is slowly dropping 27% now but will keep dropping I’m guessing with no water in it!! So confused

Have you done the salt test to check the accuracy of your hygrometer? I'd do that first, then play with some other water options in the bator. Small dishes in the trough, sponges, etc. Also remember, things will change with eggs included, as opposed to empty, but you should be able to get some useful data with it empty too.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/incubation-humidity.73386/

 

[nicky5]

I have a question??? I have a brinsea maxi2 advanced egg turner incubator and I’m trying to test it after 12 silkie eggs in and only 2 hatched. So I decided to test it out with nothing in it except my thermo/hygrometer from incubator warehouse. Now the the brinsea says to put water in the outside pot and keep water in just below the mark. And then day 19 fill up both pots with water and your good. When I had the pot filled up just below the line my hygrometer read 70% humidity and that is just so darn high. But putting no water in at all the temp is slowly dropping 27% now but will keep dropping I’m guessing with no water in it!! So confused

Now I have put less then half water in the pot and humidity on hygrometer is staying at 40%

 

[nicky5]

Have you done the salt test to check the accuracy of your hygrometer? I'd do that first, then play with some other water options in the bator. Small dishes in the trough, sponges, etc. Also remember, things will change with eggs included, as opposed to empty, but you should be able to get some useful data with it empty too.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/incubation-humidity.73386/

I just did it so now I will wait and see what it says!!! Does it matter if you put to much salt in or not enough or if the bowl is bigger or smaller?