Humidity

[AmyLynn2374]

Amy, if you weigh them, when do you weigh them? Just after they are laid or just before they go in the incubator? If they are stored very long before incubation in low humidity, they may have already lost a lot of moisture before incubation starts. I’m just teasing. I know you go for an average and it’s not exactly a precise science, more of getting in the right ballpark. It is a good indication of how it is going. But it shows how imprecise all this can be.

I know you are in New York and I’m in balmy Arkansas, but I occasionally hatch in the fall and winter, probably will next January/February, and brood outside. There have been times the temperature was below freezing when the chicks came out of the incubator and went in that brooder. You have to have pretty reliable electricity (I have a generator just in case) and you have to build your brooder so one area can be kept warm but the rest can cool down so you can handle outside temperature fluctuations. They will self-regulate if given a chance, even fresh out of the incubator. But you have to keep one area warm.

I want to stay married. I’d never try to brood in the house. I totally understand that part.

I personally don't weigh. I am a candle addict though so I monitor my air cells. From what I understand with weighing, they should be weighed as they are collected. Too much for my short attention span...lol

Last year I hatched in November and of course we had an awful winter. I had chickens in our play room the entire winter. I am still cleaning out chicken dust from stored toys and boxes that were in there. Never again....lol I don't have proper winter brooding facilities outside, so I resigned to not incubating after July....lol I don't mind brooding inside the first 4-6 weeks, but after that it's just ridiculous the upkeep and cleaning.

ok, by dry, I am referring to a very long article I read by someone who has hatched out 10's of thousands of eggs...I did add water as I live in a high desert anyway...I think it is too high right now, and may remove some.

I just candled, my first time, removed 3 eggs of the 36, they had no air sac, were not fertile...the rest show signs of air sacs and veining.

This is only my 2nd time doing this...I believe my first time I was too low, as some of the membranes glued themselves to the chicks...there was bleeding...I got 5 out of the 12 eggs I had.

I guess there is no real guide then...lol...I'll lower it down for a week or so and see how it goes...what do I look for if its too high or low? I don't have a scale to weigh them.

I have an air cell chart in here: http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity

 

[TawnyH]

I just started in an older cabinet incubator. Before setting eggs I got temps set & the humidity was 75%, so I removed the pads, that brought it to 70%. Then I opened vents and have gotten it down to 65%. Then I covered the water pan and now its down to consistent 60%. I am on day 4.
For some reason I am thinking I read somewhere that 60% during incubation and 80% at lock down. But now after reading these post, I can not find where the previous information I had came from...
Will they be drowned before they get started?

Should I wait for 7 day or 14 day candle and it is not developing air sack then maybe remove the pan all together? Seems like a big adjustment after being under way?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I just started in an older cabinet incubator. Before setting eggs I got temps set & the humidity was 75%, so I removed the pads, that brought it to 70%. Then I opened vents and have gotten it down to 65%. Then I covered the water pan and now its down to consistent 60%. I am on day 4.
For some reason I am thinking I read somewhere that 60% during incubation and 80% at lock down. But now after reading these post, I can not find where the previous information I had came from...
Will they be drowned before they get started?

Should I wait for 7 day or 14 day candle and it is not developing air sack then maybe remove the pan all together? Seems like a big adjustment after being under way?

I would candle at day 7 and then make any needed adjustments and agai at day 14. The cabinet incubators tend to hatch better at 50% + where the styros are more 30-40%. So I would run it at that for a week and then if you need to you can go down more.

 

[Aysam]

Hi, a related question: I just candled my eggs on day 7 and the air sacks are all vey large. I have upped the humidity, but is it too late? Will the moisture go back in? The air sacks look like the diagrams say they should be at hatch...

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Hi, a related question: I just candled my eggs on day 7 and the air sacks are all vey large. I have upped the humidity, but is it too late? Will the moisture go back in? The air sacks look like the diagrams say they should be at hatch...

Moisture won't "go back in in" but upping the humidity will stop/slow down the growth so that it will even out so that when they go into lockdown they should be appropriet size providing the humidity is highered enough to stop the growth.