13-14% during incubation.
Humidity
- Thread starter happy ducks
- Start date
There is a difference between "dry incubation" which is only a little higher than ambient humidity to manage egg water loss, and "dry hatching" which, unless the environment is virtually sealed, I would see as a big challenge.
- Sep 13, 2013
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Ok, I didnt know the difference, we dont do dry so I would definitely not know the difference but I get it. Dry incubation vs hatching.
I was going to try the dry hatching but when I started off at 30% my egg weight dropped like a rock.
See pic of weight chart below. Went Back to 55%. I live in central Texas. Humidity has been high all week long (60-80% outside). And I did check all my gages before setting eggs.
You don't want to hatch dry, you want to incubate dry. At hatch you still want a standard amount of humidity. Even with "dry incubation methods" you sometimes need a small amount of water in your incubator to make sure that "dry" is not too dry. I won't incubate in less than 25% for the duration of the incubation. Even if I have to add a wet sponge to achhieve this, it's considered "dry" because of the low humidity.
Not everyone that uses the dry method weighs the eggs for confirmation of moisture loss. I myself use the air cell measurement for confirmation and to guide me as to how to adjust humidity. I use this method: http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity
Hatching Addict
In the Brooder
You got me on that one...
So now I can get a good idea whether or not an egg has lost enough moisture just by candling them. I usually do this on Day 18 before moving them to the hatcher. The shape and size of the air sac says a lot about the likelihood of how successful the chick will be on hatching.
Quote:
When I started hatching I was following "traditional" methods of incubating. My hatch rate was okay usually around 50-60% but not as great as I wanted. I would open up the "unhatched" eggs (those that showed something in them when candled) and find fully formed chicks with lots of extra fluid. Sometimes I would have chicks pip, only to find them a little later with bubbles and foam coming out of the egg. On closer inspection they too would have to much liquid still inside the membrane and had drowned. So after doing further studying, I learned about dry hatching...thought I would try it....and have had great hatch rates since 80-100%, without chicks drowning or being super sticky and messy.
Yet with the high humidity outside I haven't been able to keep my humidity inside my incubators down in the 30% range like I like...and my last couple hatches have shown evidence of it.
Hence my quest to find a solution to lowering the humidity inside my incubator.
While dry hatch works well for me, I do realize that some areas as well as different types of incubators may not work as well with this approach. Hope that helps.
Hey!! I knew someone would find it!! Thanks sc!!! lol
I think you dropped this...
I think it works best in the styrofoam bators. SC used it in his Brinsea with not so good turn out. I don't know this (yet) but I am thinking maybe it doesn't work so well with plastic bators....I will eventually have enough info to come to a hypothesis on this.Hence my quest to find a solution to lowering the humidity inside my incubator.
While dry hatch works well for me, I do realize that some areas as well as different types of incubators may not work as well with this approach. Hope that helps.
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