Humidity??

[silkiechick05]

I have a 1588 Genesis Hovabator I am trying to figure out. I am trying to do a "dry hatch" and want the humidity down to about 30-40%.

I filled only the center well and it was at about 52%. I covered part of the well up (because humidity deals with surface area, right?) but the humidity is still at 48%.

How do I get it lower??

 

[debilorrah]

Once you add the water you need to wait a couple hours for it to stabilize. If it is still too high, open the vents all the way. Does the Genesis have vents? I have a Brinsea so I am not familiar with the Genesis.

 

[silkiechick05]

It has one little red vent I think...

I'll see what it's at in the morning and try opening the vent.

 

[dak]

I have the 1588 and have to cover 1/2 of the center well to keep the humidity in the high 40's with the red vent plug in. Taking it out puts me in the high 30's, so I take it out, turn it upside down and cover 1/2 the vent hole. This puts me in the 42-43 range. I have 3 calibrated hygrometers to keep track of all this. Yes, I know, I'm obsessive

Did I mention the 4 thermometers. dak

Loving how steady my temps are in the genesis!

 

[FrenchToast]

Quote:
Can I ask the reason you want to hatch at a lower humidity? I have the genesis also and followed the instructions that came with it which called for 50% while incubating and 60% at lockdown and hatch.

What are you going to raise it to at lockdown and hatch or are you going to keep it a steady 42-43 as well?

My first hatch with the genesis with the 50% incubating was nearly 100%.

Just curious. I may learn something here.

 

[dak]

I'm fairly new to this but the wisdom of the masses on BYC call for a dry hatch, and only bumping up the humidity at lockdown to 60-65%. Apparently, for the egg weight to decrease roughly 12-14%, and the air sac to be large enough at hatching, humidity should be in about that range. The concern is chicks drowning at hatch. Some go as far as periodically weighing their eggs. A 100% hatch is fantastic! If I were you I wouldn't mess with success! I have some eggs going into lockdown later today, and their air sacs seem to be appropriate size.

 

[jophoto]

Quote:
Yep - I have two of them, and for my first hatch, everything was VERY stable. I found if I only put water in the two center wells (not the outside one) during hatch, the humidity stays right at 65% and goes to 70% when there are little bodies running around (with the plug out the whole time). So far, I have hatched 13/14 in my first batch (the 14th one, I haven't given up on, yesterday was due date, so I will give him another day or two as he was alive when I moved him to the second 'bator due to the hatch being pretty finished and it's stinkin bad!

I expected to get a 50% hatch rate, so I put in 14 eggs, thinking 7 would be great... ummm... go figure, my first hatch ever, I get almost 100% hatch! I really like this incubator!

Oh yeah, I did the dry incubation as well.

 

[silkiechick05]

Quote:
Is your Genesis calibrated to the fourth switch thing??

Mine is and the temp is only 99.1˚

 

[dak]

Have you tried retoggling the swith. (See instructions).

but....

When I got mine in the mail, the heating unit worked but the fan didn't, and it hovered around 92 deg. I called GQF and they sent a new fan and heating unit and power cord priority N/C.

Do you have a second thermometer. I've heard it said the plastic one it comes with is not to be trusted. Mine, however, is spot on (compared with the other 3 I have in there).

 

[silkiechick05]

Yeah I have another thermometer. I just put the eggs in so we'll how it stabilizes...