humidity! too high!? HELP!!!

[77horses]

hi. i made my own homemade egg bator and the egg is on day 16. it is wiggling a little and the air bubble seems perfectly normal size.
I never had a chance to get a humidity gauge so I have been guessing on that. Temp. Is about 97-102 degrees F. and the chick has been growing well. But when i finally got a humidity gauge last night, the humidity was up to 80%!!!

I thought that it was messed up or something. So I quickly removed the bowl of water and wiped the bator down(since there was dew on the walls) and placed the egg back in(Temp. didn't really change that much) but it still was about 80%! I don't get why it's so high! I opened the extra air vents more and kept the bowl of water out, yet it wouldn't go down!

Will my chick be ok?

AND how do I get the humidty down to like 40-60%?
Thanks!

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Put some foil over part of the bowl.

Oops - just re-read and you said you took the bowl out. Opening the incubator a little for a short time should drop it back down.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
actually, the bator is practically made from tin foil. The insides are covered with it to restore heat. My bro told me that maybe it's because the humidity is trapped and that's why precipitation collects on the walls. that's why i let the bator open for a while(all the while keeping a close eye on temp!)

 

[77horses]

Quote:
ya that's what i thought was best to do; I'm a beginner in hatching eggs. this egg is my first one ever!

I really hope the chick isn't affected!

 

[77horses]

anyone know any other ways to make humidity drop? please?

 

[swtangel321]

Like you did open the extra holes you have and take the water out (maybe make a few extra holes), also opening the bator from time to time for a min or 2 can help drop it (not after day 18), can you still see the baby moving in the egg ??? 80% is high but I think you got a good chance !!!!! Try to get it down to 40ish till day 18 then up it to 60-65.... Good luck !!!

 

[twigg]

77horses .... depending on the humidity in the room, you might not need any water in the incubator.

When I lived in the UK, I usually only needed water in the incubator during the last 3 days.

That's why your shiny new meter is going to prove so useful

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Anytime I put paper towels on the wire of my bator before a hatch, I always have to put a bowl on top of the wire. Don't know if this is from the paper being in there or from it covering the bottom?

 

[SusanJoM]

Quote:
I've found throwing in a sheet of paper towel works pretty well....

Susan