Humidty Help please!

[mooSa]

Ok, so this is my first time incubating eggs. Its been 4 days so far in the 1502 sportsman incubator. I just wanted to ask what humidty i should use.

I have been going with 60-65% on first 17 days and 80-85% on last three days. And i looked around through posts and i see everyone putting lower humidty. So I would like to know if I am doing anything wrong. Thanks

I have my inc stable at 99.5 F - Outdoor temp 76-78 F

 

[mschickychick]

I start out more like 40-45% then go to 60-65% the last few days. When the eggs start hatching there will be added moisture and that will drive your humidity up. Hope this helps.

Good hatching vibes coming your way.

 

[FenDruadin]

Congrats and welcome! mschickychick is correct. I'm assuming you're hatching chickens... if you're hatching ducks then your current humidity is correct.

Good luck with the hatch! The first time is so much fun. Every time is fun!

 

[mulia24]

ups, you should lower it as 40-50 on first 18 days and 65-80 on last 3 days.

but hope they will make it.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Most run there humidity a lot lower than you are. Its not something that anyone can just give you a number an poof it works. Its all about evaporation loss in the eggs. Outside air temp an humidity affects it, so does ventilation levels.

 

[Katy]

As Rebelcowboy said it's not like anyone has a magic number to give you. Everyone has to figure out what works for them in the area that they live and even the weather conditions at that point in time. For my area ( and honestly I think most areas) the humidity you're running now is too high. I run mine about 30% for the first 18 days and then bump it up to 65%. If I ran it as high as you are, I'd have drowned and mushy chicks when it came to hatch time. That's why it's a good idea to do some test hatches with cheap local eggs or your own if you've got them before you do any shipped or expensive eggs.

 

[mooSa]

Ok ill be more precise. It goes from 60-62% humidty and on the last 3 days i will go up to 70%. I read that on the book by gale damerow. She wrote to use these percentages for chickens. Anyways the room its in its quite large and very well ventillated. and the natural humidity in the country is low. Hardly any pollution where the live. The air is very fresh. So im not sure. and the outdoor temp is stable from 75-78

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Thats the thing? Most books say that an so do the directions that come with incubators. Every time I try anywhere near that range I get almost no hatches. But anywhere from 14% to 40%(lower the better) the first 18 days an in the 70s% the last 3 an I'm surprised if I get less than 70% hatch rate.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I am going to make a guess that your chicks will pip the air cell and die if you keep it that high the first 18 days.

I was raising my humidity higher because I live in a very dry climate and thought that would help and my hatches got worse. They were drowning. the ones who were hatching were "sticky" and I thought that was due to low humidity (just the opposite)

30-45 the first 18 days and 65-80 the last 3

 

[ginbart]

This summer I didn't need to add that much water to my bator because the humidity was so high out side. It did stay at 40 to 50 the first 18 days.

But I did try something different the last 3 days. I raised it up to 75-80 and I had a better hatch then ever.