Humidity way too high!

[TommieW]

It's best to test any hyGrometer using the salt method.
Just buying another one isn't going to cut it.
Still, humidity isn't as critical as temperature.
All therms should be tested too....or buy one that has already been calibrated with a tight tolerance range.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/testing-calibrating-incubator-thermometers-and-hygrometers.73634/

The temperature is always pretty steady it has gone up to 102° a couple of times. This newest hyGrometer (the analogue reptile one) is reading the same as the very first digital one they both say I’m at like 70% humidity. Should I just take all water out and dry the wells out and not even worry about the humidity anymore?

 

[aart]

The temperature is always pretty steady it has gone up to 102° a couple of times. This newest hyGrometer (the analogue reptile one) is reading the same as the very first digital one they both say I’m at like 70% humidity. Should I just take all water out and dry the wells out and not even worry about the humidity anymore?

"Steady" does not mean accurate.

I'll repeat, test both your hygrometers and your thermometers for a much less stressful incubation.

 

[Finnie]

The temperature is always pretty steady it has gone up to 102° a couple of times.

Steady at 102 would be bad news for your hatch.

 

[TommieW]

So I have an update…

As you know I have 3 hygrometers…
-The small black digital one with temperature
-The analog reptile one
-The AcuRite Digital hygrometer and thermometer

So I took all the eggs out of the incubator, and I completely dried out the wells. Then I put the analog and digital hygrometer inside, and the AcuRite digital hygrometer is in the room beside the incubator. They are all reading 55% humidity right now. Could be that my incubator doesn’t need water because of the humidity in the house?

 

[NoodlesTheLittleDuckie]

I tested my hygrometer with the towel method.

Wet a towel completely and wring it out so it's damp. Completely wrap the hygrometer inside it. Leave it in there for 30-45 minutes.
Once you ooen the towel read it immediately. It shoud be 100%

 

[TommieW]

I tested my hygrometer with the towel method.

Wet a towel completely and wring it out so it's damp. Completely wrap the hygrometer inside it. Leave it in there for 30-45 minutes.
Once you ooen the towel read it immediately. It shoud be 100%

Yeah, I posted about that here…

 

[raingarden]

I have that same $64 chinese incubator. "Enjoy Your Smart Life" it says. LOL. It's junk.

I drilled a hole in the cover to insert a thermometer and get a little ventilation in there.

It is also very humid here; seldom below 80%. I do dry incubation now and never measure humidity. The hatch rate is not great but it seems to be about the same as when a lot of effort was put into chasing a humidity number.

 

[TommieW]

I have that same $64 chinese incubator. "Enjoy Your Smart Life" it says. LOL. It's junk.

I drilled a hole in the cover to insert a thermometer and get a little ventilation in there.

It is also very humid here; seldom below 80%. I do dry incubation now and never measure humidity. The hatch rate is not great but it seems to be about the same as when a lot of effort was put into chasing a humidity number.

Oh don’t say that! This is my second hatch and I started it about three days after the end of my first. I was devastated by the first hatch… 12 eggs, 4 hatched, 1 was unfertilized, 1 must’ve died around the second week, 1 peeped upside down and didn’t make it, and the rest were fully developed and complete and I for the life of me cannot figure out why they didn’t hatch.

So I am in Mississippi it’s 5 AM, and the humidity outside is already at 99% so I’m guessing I really don’t even need to put water in the incubator don’t you think? It’s sitting at 50% right now with no water.

 

[Ridgerunner]

But your relative humidity outside will probably be in the 60's or 70's when it warms up. That's why I look at dewpoint instead of humidity to see how humid it is. My dewpoint is 75 right now on the Gulf South. Humidity is 86%. In a few hours the humidity will be in the 60's.

I would not be adding any water at all in that incubator with readings like that if the temperature were right. But look at the measured temperature. None of them are close to incubation temperature. Your humidity reading is dependent on temperature. What you are seeing is not a good representation of what you have.

I suspect you have a still air incubator. Warm air rises. The temperature may be correct at the level of the eggs, but maybe not. That may be why your previous hatch wasn't great. In a still air the recommended temperature is 101.5 F at the top of the eggs.

I suspect your hygrometers are on the bottom of your incubator where it is colder. Try putting your hygrometers at the level of the eggs and see what readings you get.

What you were seeing didn't make sense. Now maybe it does. Thanks for the photo of the hygrometers. You never know what clues a photo may give. Maybe this can end your frustration.

 

[TommieW]

But your relative humidity outside will probably be in the 60's or 70's when it warms up. That's why I look at dewpoint instead of humidity to see how humid it is. My dewpoint is 75 right now on the Gulf South. Humidity is 86%. In a few hours the humidity will be in the 60's.

I would not be adding any water at all in that incubator with readings like that if the temperature were right. But look at the measured temperature. None of them are close to incubation temperature. Your humidity reading is dependent on temperature. What you are seeing is not a good representation of what you have.

I suspect you have a still air incubator. Warm air rises. The temperature may be correct at the level of the eggs, but maybe not. That may be why your previous hatch wasn't great. In a still air the recommended temperature is 101.5 F at the top of the eggs.

I suspect your hygrometers are on the bottom of your incubator where it is colder. Try putting your hygrometers at the level of the eggs and see what readings you get.

What you were seeing didn't make sense. Now maybe it does. Thanks for the photo of the hygrometers. You never know what clues a photo may give. Maybe this can end your frustration.

Wow that’s a lot thank you! I don’t really know what still air means but it does have a fan in there. And I just have the hygrometer on top of the eggs here’s a picture…