I'm hatching eggs and I can't get the humidity up. Please help

[duckyluvme1]

I got a new incubator and I ran it for 8 hours before putting the eggs in and I put them in and the temp is okay but I can't get the humidity up. It's staying at the 70s and I have the 10300 incubator and it has built in channels for water and they are all filled and I even try to put a sponge in but it won't go up. I'm not sure what else to do. Any adivce is appreciated.

 

[Pyxis]

70% humidity is fine for lockdown, you don't need it any higher. But it sounds like maybe you are just getting ready to set some eggs? If so 70% is much too high for the time before lockdown, you want it to be around 30-45% for the first 18 days for chicks, and somewhere around 35-50% for the first 25 days when incubating ducks. Just watch the air cells and adjust humidity accordingly.

 

[Our Roost]

What kind of eggs are you hatching and where did you acquire 70 degree humidity setting from? The reason I ask is the normal range for hatching chicken eggs is much lower than 70. Generally around 52 to 56 is the norm if my memory is correct. Centigrade and Farenheight. differ quite a bit. The instructions in your incubator should clarify settings for your incubator type.

 

[duckyluvme1]

Really? My book says 84-86? Is that towards the end? I'm hatching duck eggs. Should I turn the humidity down then? I just put the eggs in last night.

 

[Pyxis]

Really? My book says 84-86? Is that towards the end? I'm hatching duck eggs. Should I turn the humidity down then? I just put the eggs in last night.

Yes, you need to lower the humidity. What you are seeing in your book may be wet bulb numbers, which are very different from percentages. Drop it to between 40 and 50% and keep an eye on the air cells and make adjustments as you need to. Humidity requirements differ from area to area (in my area 35 to 40 percent is what works best) so just watch the size of the air cells and make changes if you need to.

For the last 3 days when you no longer turn the eggs, that is when you increase humidity, and putting it between 65 to 70 percent at that time will be fine. You never need it to be as high as 84 to 86 percent.

 

[Our Roost]

Ha! Don't drown them. I read my bator book and humidity is same for duck eggs as well as chickens. No more than 60 degrees as large eggs seem to hold more humidity inside the egg than smaller eggs. Yes, you can increase humidity for lockdown or last 3 day to protect against dry out within your incubator. Check humidity daily as it can drop significantly depending on the humidity within your house. If the humidity in your house is low, you might find yourself adding water more frequently. Don't panic, as its not rocket science. Just stay within temp and humidity ranges and let the incubator do the rest of the work. Good luck and don't candle too often!

 

[duckyluvme1]

I just wanted to say thank you so much!! You saved my eggs. The farm I got them from said 85% humidity. Definitely like you said waaaay to high. I'm so happy most of them have babies in them! Thank you again!

 

[duckyluvme1]

Thank you!! Is candling them once a week okay? And once the temp and humidity got regulated it's not that hard haha I was so scared. Thank you again!

 

[Our Roost]

It seems everyone wants to candle to witness life inside the egg or if it is a dud and needs to be pitched. I have found candling doesn't always tell the whole story especially with a dark mass inside the egg when candled. Its not always good to pitch suspect or questionable eggs. 7-10 days before first candling is my rule of thumb coming from posted sources I have inquired from. You should see some vein formation within that time frame and also air pockets at top of egg pointed up in the incubator. Give it another 4-5 days and candle again to see if life ended in some eggs or the dark ones had any change. Totally clear eggs with no activity can be discarded at that time. Rarely an egg will explode due to many suspect reasons, but it can happen so don't get alarmed. It stinks and is messy, but everything else is A-Okay! Don't expect a 100% perfect hatch! Activity coming from the coop is a mixed bag and not all eggs will be fertile unless the rooster services all the hens. Even then they don't all hatch. 21 days seems forever but keep in mind that its best not to over handle the eggs. 3 candlings should be plenty. The last candling should be at lock down, 3 days before they hatch. Fill your water trays at that time and wait! Little pip marks ( a break in the shells surface) start to appear as they fight to get out of the shell. Be patient as some eggs are late bloomers and may hatch on day 22, 23, or 24. Only the strong survive so try not to get involved by helping chicks out of the egg. I hope this helps.

 

[duckyluvme1]

​  It seems everyone wants to candle to witness life inside the egg or if it is a dud and needs to be pitched. I have found candling doesn't always tell the whole story especially with a dark mass inside the egg when candled. Its not always good to pitch suspect or questionable eggs.  7-10 days before first candling is my rule of thumb coming from posted sources I have inquired from. You should see some vein formation within that time frame and also air pockets at top of egg pointed up in the incubator. Give it another 4-5 days and candle again to see if life ended in some eggs or the dark ones had any change. Totally clear eggs with no activity can be discarded at that time. Rarely an egg will explode due to many suspect reasons, but it can happen so don't get alarmed. It stinks and is messy, but everything else is A-Okay!   Don't expect a 100% perfect hatch! Activity coming from the coop is a mixed bag and not all eggs will be fertile unless the rooster services all the hens. Even then they don't all hatch. 21 days seems forever but keep in mind that its best not to over handle the eggs. 3 candlings should be plenty. The last candling should be at lock down, 3 days before they hatch. Fill your water trays at that time and wait! Little pip marks ( a break in the shells surface) start to appear as they fight to get out of the shell. Be patient as some eggs are late bloomers and may hatch on day 22, 23, or 24. Only the strong survive so try not to get involved by helping chicks out of the egg. I hope this helps.

Excuse me if I sound stupid haha but what exactly is lockdown? Is that when you take the egg turner out before they hatch? And thank you, you've been very helpful!