I goofed! Will my eggs hatch???

[chinasweetiepie]

I goofed with my Brinsea mini-eco incubator!

After incubating at 99.5 degrees and 55% humidity for 1 week, the lid of the incubator was ajar last night and all day today because I accidentally had the cord in it. I didn't realize it this AM when I turned the eggs - only this evening after the incubator was like that for about 20 hours did I realize my huge mistake. The eggs appear to have been at the right temperature during the 20 hours, but the humidity was only 30%. Will my eggs hatch??? Thank you, in advance, for your help!

 

[ranchhand]

Hi, actually, you did yourself a favor.

55% is a little too high for the first 18 days. Everyone has their own preference though. Mine is to incubate at 30-35% for the first 18 days, then boost to 50-55% for lockdown. It does depend on the climate around the incubator, so take that into account.

and Happy Hatching!

 

[Gypsy07]

Constant stable humidity is far less essential than constant stable temperature when incubating eggs. A slight drop in humidity for less than a day this early in your incubation, well, if it was my eggs I wouldn't be worried in the slightest.

I'd maybe suggest that 55% humidity might even be a bit on the high side. Unless you have a specific reason for having your humidity at that level, of course. Most people incubate at 35-45% and then raise it to 55-70% for lockdown. Eggs have to lose a certain amount of moisture through their shells in order for the chick to develop properly and hatch healthy, and if your humidity is too high, they won't lose enough of that moisture. Don't lower your humidity on my say-so, but have a read at a few different incubation guidelines, and check the size of your air cells when candling. 55% might be fine for you, I'm just mentioning it in case it was something you weren't too sure about...

 

[chinasweetiepie]

I've been unable to see a thing when candling w/my Brinsea high intensity candler...they're marans eggs so they are dark chocolate brown!

 

[Gypsy07]

Hmm. I've heard those eggs are nearly impossible to see anything in. The best way to check moisture loss with dark eggs would be to weigh the eggs instead of candling them, but that can only be done accurately if you have weighed them right at the start. I'm not sure what advice to give you now...

Why did you pick 55% humidity? Any specific reason?

 

[ranchhand]

See what I mean about everyone having to find what works for them? Gypsy lives across the pond in Scotland, and I am in muggy South Carolina. I do think you might let the humidity drop a bit, but as Gypsy suggested, check around for more advice.

As far as candling, no help here. Those eggs are gorgeous though!

 

[Gypsy07]

Yeah, I really don't like giving specific advice on humidity, cause the minute I did, you'd get another twenty people telling you twenty different things! Like Ranchhand says, it's all about figuring out what works best for you. Eggs need to lose 11-14% of their weight through the incubation process, and the correct humidity is the one that makes this possible. There really is no one magic humidity figure, and beware of anyone trying to tell you that there is.

Have a look at this link, it's Texas University's guide to incubating. Loads of useful and interesting info:

http://gallus.tamu.edu/library/extpublications/b6092.pdf

 

[chinasweetiepie]

I've seen that number in several places (the 55% humidity), but my using it likely comes from my misunderstanding of proper incubating procedures. These are our first hatch and we have only had chickens (have a flock of 22 silver-laced wyandottes & 1 partridge cochin) since September. Here's one of the places I saw that number: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/livestocksystems/di0631.html. Could you tell me if there is a different humidity level you are supposed to use if you have a still-air versus a forced air incubator? Mine is a small forced air incubator - only holds 10 eggs. Thanks!

 

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
Gosh, I really don't know! I have a small forced air bator too - 14 eggs max - so that's what I know best. What I know about still air bators is just what I've read here on BYC and what I've read in books and on other chicken forums. Being logical, I wouldn't think it would make a difference. I mean, the different temp guides for still air vs. forced air bators are just due to the way that the air heats up differently in them; but the overall aim is to produce the exact same temperature inside the eggs with both of them. So I'd imagine the humidity recommendations would be the same for both types of bator, as I don't think forced air vs. still air affects humidity. But that's just a guess!

Yup, that incubating guide you linked to definitely does say 55%. It's written by someone in Minnesota. Is Minnesota a very dry place? That might be one reason for it recommending a higher humidity I suppose. You should have a look at the Marans thread on here or ask specifically about incubating Marans eggs. I think I've read something about humidity and Marans on here that might help you out.

 

[chinasweetiepie]

I double checked and the "Raising Chickens for Dummies" book also says 55% humidity for the first 17 days and then it says to increase it to 65-70% from day 18 on.