Humidity wont stay up in lockdown...3 shrinkwrapped?

[kvmommy]

I can't get my incubator to get above 55% for an extended period of time. LG still air, all channels full, a pile of wet sopping papertowels, calibrated hygrometer. And theres no more room to put more papertowels. So I have a bend straw through the vent onto the papertowel, and using a dropper I drop in hot steaming water. It works for about 1 hour. So then I used coffee filters tented above all the air holes and get them wet and it'll stay up for about 2 hours, but then it plummets again. 3 out of 4 eggs that pipped yesterday haven't made any progress (thats when it was dry) and they appear to be shrink-wrapped and one I'm pretty sure is dead. Any advice? I don't want to shrink wrap the rest of them...2 hatched out after I started adding water every 2 hours. I have 2 new pips and the 3 stagnant pips. They are going on 22 hours or so with no progress. Oh and on one the membrane has pulled noicably away from shell. Hence shrinkwrapping? Help!

 

[jennifersmith326]

I think you can wrap the eggs in wet paper towels, just don't cover the pip.

 

[redhd077]

I have an lg still air also. I have 2 sponges i have cut up and put in there and i add water to them and the channels a few times a day and i am about 63%-64% and i only have 1 vent plug out, because if i do more than 1 it drops down. I don't know anything about shrink wrapping. I have one that pipped amost 48 hrs ago and has done nothing more.

 

[kvmommy]

I can only take one vent cover out too, this is so frustrating isn't it? I have 9 pips and 3 are the suspected shrinkwrapped ones so I don't want to risk the other six. *sigh...I think i'll wait til tonight and if I have to then I'll take it to the shower and work on the shrinkwrapped chicks...2 I can see the beaks but they seem very tired. I keep trying to wet the membrane using straws and qtips but its really hard to fanangle it in there through a vent. oh well. good luck with yours!

 

[gallatea]

I am a first time hatcher..ON the boards I've seen people say over and over - 'spray the eggs'....My humidity has been great with a forced air incubator, but I was still paranoid once I saw pipping as I keep seeing "shrink wrap" posts and it's horrifying even to hear about. I put warm (100 degree) water in a clean, new spray bottle, and lightly sprayed them a few times a day (only AFTER the pipping began). Maybe it's over kill. They are sitting also on lots of paper towel, so that acts as a damp sponge as well. I don't get them super soaked, just a spritz. So far the chicks are hatching well - one within 6 hours - I was shocked how quick he came out. Like the Incredible Hulk. Very healthy. Hope they keep going - this is nerve wracking!

Also, my humidity says about 70-80 - but I do not entirely trust my hydrometer as I have other ones that say other readings. I keep it on the high side though. My other hydrometer always reads lower, so I figure I will stick with a "middle" range of the incorrect crappy hydrometers.

Last resort, they have mini humidifiers at the drug store like Walgreens. Would have to figure out a hole into the incubator though.

 

[Emmalion]

Quote:
I have 3 hydrometers in my still air. two read the same and one is 10pts off.

But thats ok all the temps are good and it has been sitting around 65%. I am using a hot air humidifier in the room where the bator is. Actually I have my bator up a little from the table and pulled out some with the humidifier wafting up steam to the bottom of the bator. I have kept a nice stable RH with this going. I have the channels filled, a sponge, and a bowl of water filled with washcloths just to keep up the RH. My house is really dry due to the wood stove and fire place. But when I got up this am the windows in the room were all steamed up

Day 20 and still waiting for pips