Humidity question

[cbourbeau32]

I recently purchased an almost new Hovabator Genesis and an automatic egg turner so I decided to put 20 eggs in it and have a go at incubating. Yesterday was day 10 and I can clearly see very defined veins in 18 of 20 (actually most of the 18 when candled seem to be developing right on schedule) so I think I've got a pretty good batch going. Anyway my question is regarding humidity. I filled the tray that the Hovabator instructions said to fill (keep water in) days 1-17 and I've ran 65% humidity consistently so far. I'm reading that this may be slightly high but I trusted that the incubator company would know what they were talking about when saying in their instructions to fill and keep water in the tray. Anyone else have this same experience and if so what results did you have?

Thanks, Charlie

 

[Ridgerunner]

They also say don’t trust expensive eggs the first go-around with the incubator. There are reasons.

I have not had humidity that high during incubation in my Hovabator 1588 with one tray filled. There are times I can get that humidity with two trays filled but not always. Sometimes I have to fill three or four during lockdown. The temperature and the humidity of the air going in has a big effect on how much humidity the incubator shows. You must have tremendous background humidity.

There are times mine has 17% humidity with no water added at all. There are times I can get over 35% humidity with no water added. Background humidity and temperature of the air going in can have that kind of effect.

Another possibility is that your hygrometer is reading wrong. Have you calibrated it so you are sure it is reading properly?

If that reading is correct it is probably way too high. Different humidities work for different ones of us but at that high a humidity I’d expect the eggs to make it to internal pip but then die before hatch. They will not have lost enough moisture so the chick cannot position itself to pip and hatch. What is important during incubation is that the chick lose enough moisture but not so much that it dries up. You don’t have to be real precise on this but you need to be in the ballpark. It’s the average humidity that is important.

Normally I suggest you be consistent your first incubation and analyze the results to see how you need to tweak it. If you can confirm the readings right I’d suggest you not add any more water to that incubator until you go into lockdown, then add water. Try to balance the humidity over the hatch.

Another approach (a better one) is to candle the eggs and see how the air cell is growing. There are charts that show what the air cell should look like at different stages of incubation. I think one is in the Learning Center at the top of this page. If the air cell is growing the way it is supposed to keep doing what you are doing. If not make some adjustments.

The first incubation with a new incubator is a learning experience. For most people filling one tray will give pretty good results but not for everyone.

I wish you luck!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

They also say don’t trust expensive eggs the first go-around with the incubator. There are reasons.

I have not had humidity that high during incubation in my Hovabator 1588 with one tray filled. There are times I can get that humidity with two trays filled but not always. Sometimes I have to fill three or four during lockdown. The temperature and the humidity of the air going in has a big effect on how much humidity the incubator shows. You must have tremendous background humidity.

There are times mine has 17% humidity with no water added at all. There are times I can get over 35% humidity with no water added. Background humidity and temperature of the air going in can have that kind of effect.

Another possibility is that your hygrometer is reading wrong. Have you calibrated it so you are sure it is reading properly?

If that reading is correct it is probably way too high. Different humidities work for different ones of us but at that high a humidity I’d expect the eggs to make it to internal pip but then die before hatch. They will not have lost enough moisture so the chick cannot position itself to pip and hatch. What is important during incubation is that the chick lose enough moisture but not so much that it dries up. You don’t have to be real precise on this but you need to be in the ballpark. It’s the average humidity that is important.

Normally I suggest you be consistent your first incubation and analyze the results to see how you need to tweak it. If you can confirm the readings right I’d suggest you not add any more water to that incubator until you go into lockdown, then add water. Try to balance the humidity over the hatch.

Another approach (a better one) is to candle the eggs and see how the air cell is growing. There are charts that show what the air cell should look like at different stages of incubation. I think one is in the Learning Center at the top of this page. If the air cell is growing the way it is supposed to keep doing what you are doing. If not make some adjustments.

The first incubation with a new incubator is a learning experience. For most people filling one tray will give pretty good results but not for everyone.

I wish you luck!

xs 2

There is a chart on this along with an explanation of why we control humidity and what it does: http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity

The incubator manuals do not take into consideration many variables that affect humidity in the individual's bators such as climate, elevation, porousity of the eggs, the individual's habits during hatch, the season, (and yes, it makes a difference), the egg quality and other aspects. There is no one number that is magic and works for everyone. I seldom hear of people using a styro bator having decent hatches above 45-50% (with the exception of high elevations). As Ridgerunner said, many develop and grow only to "drown" at hatch and never make it out. The best thing you can do, in my opinion, for you and your eggs is monitor the air cells and adjust according to their needs.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Amy, my hatches with the 1588 styrofoam incubator are normally much higher than 50%. My elevation is 1450 feet above sea level. I’ve only had two hatches below 50%. One was shipped eggs, 25%. The other was eggs that I mishandled, brought them home over a very rough country road without padding them so they were really shaken up. I have had 100% hatches. My percents are based on eggs into the incubator and chicks out, not eggs that started to develop like some people use.

It took a few hatches to get the settings right but now I basically put the eggs in, the temperature holds steady, and I watch the humidity and adjust as necessary. I know many people hate the Styrofoam incubators but I’m quite pleased with mine.

 

[MeepBeep]

It's FAR better to weigh the eggs regularly to track weight loss and/or monitor the airsack development then dread over any humidity gauge..

Proper airsack development is a result of the average humidity over the entire incubation period, spikes or drops or even whatever humidity it is for this or that day or hour are not all that relevant as long as the airsack is developing properly, and the egg is losing weight...

A chicken egg should lose about 13% of it's weight over the 21 days of incubation, so you can easily weigh the egg say every 3 days and know that you should be seeing a 1.9% weight drop every 3 days, if not adjust humidity up and down to compensate...

 

[FridayYet]

I'm guessing Amy meant above 45-50% humidity when she said "I seldom hear of people using a styro bator having decent hatches above 45-50% (with the exception of high elevations)"

She has awesome results with a LG!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm guessing Amy meant above 45-50% humidity when she said "[COLOR=333333]I seldom hear of people using a styro bator having decent hatches above 45-50% (with the exception of high elevations)"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]She has awesome results with a LG![/COLOR]

Yes, I think you are right, I misread her post. I've been known to do that.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'm guessing Amy meant above 45-50% humidity when she said "I seldom hear of people using a styro bator having decent hatches above 45-50% (with the exception of high elevations)"

She has awesome results with a LG!

Yes, lol, thank you for clarifying. Sometimes I forget just because I know what my mind is thinking it doesn't come out that way.

Amy, my hatches with the 1588 styrofoam incubator are normally much higher than 50%. My elevation is 1450 feet above sea level. I’ve only had two hatches below 50%. One was shipped eggs, 25%. The other was eggs that I mishandled, brought them home over a very rough country road without padding them so they were really shaken up. I have had 100% hatches. My percents are based on eggs into the incubator and chicks out, not eggs that started to develop like some people use.

It took a few hatches to get the settings right but now I basically put the eggs in, the temperature holds steady, and I watch the humidity and adjust as necessary. I know many people hate the Styrofoam incubators but I’m quite pleased with mine.

The 1588 is the one I'd really like to get.I love the viewing window. I use an LG 9200 (with the fan kit) my very first hatch was a disaster because I trusted an unchecked thermometer, after that I've never had less than 80%. My last hatch was 100% from lockdown. I set 21 had 1 quite practically as soon as it started day 4 ish, the other 20 made it all the way to lockdown and all hatched healthy and happy. I was so stoked. Of course in the LG it is a LOT of babysitting. I will probably end up settling for the 1583 though. I don't mind the styro bators, they just take time, any bator does, to get to know it and what works in them.

Yes, I think you are right, I misread her post. I've been known to do that.

I've done it too....lol

 

[Fentress]

Good discussion on humidity, passes the commons sense test. Thanks.