Humidity spike during hatch...all is well now :)

[ChickieWoo]

I just had a chick hatch and my humidity shot up to 76 in my homemade incubator. I have all the air holes open. Is this normal or do I have to worry about it?? This is my first hatch and I'm so worried of losing them.

 

[cmom]

You are ok on the humidity. When they hatch the humidity can go up some from the moisture in the shell and from the chick. When it gets above 80% I would then try to lower it. My humidity at hatch usually is 70% to 75%. It has gone up to around 80% when I have several chicks hatching.

 

[peej]

Yeah 76% is okay! Just don't let it get past 80% and you'll be fine!

 

[DancingHen]

Quote:
I just wanted to say....What a cute little chick! Congrats! What type is it?

 

[Gypsy07]

By the time they're pipping and hatching you really don't need to worry about humidity spikes or even extended periods of high humidity. If your humidity has been good the first 18 days, you should be fine now. I sometimes hatch with 85%+ humidity and the chicks still pop out and dry off just fine. High humidity at hatching will NOT drown your chicks. It just doesn't happen that way. What causes chicks to drown is when not enough moisture has been lost from the egg throughout the entire incubation process, and the chick inhales the excess fluid that is still INSIDE the egg. It's nothing to do with high humidity at hatching time.

P.S. That is a really funny photo. Very cute chick!

 

[ChickieWoo]

Thanks everyone for the help. Well everything went well. Had 15 out of 17 hatch, so not too bad for my second time after failing miserably the first time with all dead.

Quote:
I'm really not sure. He is from a mixed breeding but the more that it's fluffed out it has a knot on it's head like a polish and feet like a silkie. I will just have to wait till he grows a little more to see for sure he takes after.

 

[Joyofchickens1]

By the time they're pipping and hatching you really don't need to worry about humidity spikes or even extended periods of high humidity. If your humidity has been good the first 18 days, you should be fine now. I sometimes hatch with 85%+ humidity and the chicks still pop out and dry off just fine. High humidity at hatching will NOT drown your chicks. It just doesn't happen that way. What causes chicks to drown is when not enough moisture has been lost from the egg throughout the entire incubation process, and the chick inhales the excess fluid that is still INSIDE the egg. It's nothing to do with high humidity at hatching time.

P.S. That is a really funny photo. Very cute chick!

So that’s the reason!!! Thank you!!!! I know this is an older post!! But I have been wondering about this!!