Incubating Eggs With a Heating Plate

[emmsx3]

No worries.
There are both hydrometers and hygrometers.
The latter measures humidity.
The former measures specific gravity of liquids for things like testing lead acid batteries and antifreeze.
Good luck.

Good to know as I didn't know that Thank you for your help. Also because I'm using a heating plate for now (and I know its not the best but its what I have), how can I make the humidity higher when lockdown happens?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I posted this in another thread about humidity.
"Whatever you can do to increase surface area of the water/moisture will raise humidity.
A gallon of water with a surface area of a 4 square inches won't increase humidity by nearly as much as a cup of water with 8 square inches of surface area.
Sponges in the reservoir will increase surface area."

 

[emmsx3]

I posted this in another thread about humidity.
"Whatever you can do to increase surface area of the water/moisture will raise humidity.
A gallon of water with a surface area of a 4 square inches won't increase humidity by nearly as much as a cup of water with 8 square inches of surface area.
Sponges in the reservoir will increase surface area."

I'll definitely want to try that but will it work even with my heating plate that I'm using for heat or should I get a bulb instead?

 

[CindyinSD]

You said something about your heating plate getting the eggs to 103 degrees... that’s too hot if your thermometer is accurate. It should be 99.5.

If you’re reasonably close to sea level, you can test your thermometer (if it is water proof) by measuring the temp of boiling water (should be 212* Fahrenheit at sea level), depending on the current atmospheric pressure. Unless there’s a storm coming in, you don’t need to worry about that part... it gets too complicated otherwise.

I found this chart at https://www.thespruceeats.com/boiling-points-of-water-1328760
Some thermometers can be adjusted to calibrate (correct) them. If yours cannot be, just make a note of how much it is off and add or subtract that amount to get the correct temp.

 

[CindyinSD]

Oh yes... wet sponge bits do help with humidity. Don’t overdo it though, and put them in bowls so the newly hatched chicks don’t drown themselves by laying their heads against them.

You can have too much humidity even during lock-down. Maybe you can order and receive a hygrometer online by the time you need one.

 

[emmsx3]

Oh yes... wet sponge bits do help with humidity. Don’t overdo it though, and put them in bowls so the newly hatched chicks don’t drown themselves by laying their heads against them.

You can have too much humidity even during lock-down. Maybe you can order and receive a hygrometer online by the time you need one.

Thank you for your suggestions and advice! I would order a hygrometer and I've thought about that but shipping it here where I live won't make it in time. I'll definitely try out the wet sponge technique. Today is already day 10 so I'm almost closer til they will hatch by next week which I hope they will

 

[CindyinSD]

Probably not... chicken eggs take around 21 days, but with varying temps it could be more or less. They were chickens, right?

 

[emmsx3]

Probably not... chicken eggs take around 21 days, but with varying temps it could be more or less. They were chickens, right?

I started incubating them late afternoon on December 7th (I marked it on the eggs) I read somewhere that the incubating count should begin the next day so I figured the 8th would be day 1 if the day before was day 0 (correct me if I'm wrong, I'm still trying to figure this all out as its still new to me ) But I am following this website that shows pictures and information about how the chick looks like, what to do, etc and its been helpful.

Its this site: https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/incubation-day-10.html

I figured on December 28th would be the 21st day, so thats why I said next week would be their hatching day. And yes they are chicken eggs.

On the weekends I check on the eggs many times a day, making sure the temperature is right and I am turning the eggs religiously (6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm, and 10pm) And then during the weekdays because I work, I turn the eggs at 7am, and then 11am (I come home during my lunch time) and then 3pm when my older sister comes home from work as well. That way they are at least turned 3 times a day. Ideally I know its better if they are turned a lot but can't help it cause I work. Even when I wake up at night to use the bathroom I always check on them to make sure the temperature isn't high. I'm doing my best for these little ones~

 

[Phunktacular]

There are many ways to control humidity but, I use a controller and a USB donut humidifier. Just put it in a Rubbermaid bowl and the controller takes care of it.

Donut humidifier
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H5NLBXB/?tag=backy-20

Temp/Humidity Controller
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HB1F7N6/?tag=backy-20

You can run your heat through the controller and it'll maintain a temperature and humidity. With these, you can build a decent incubator for less than $50.

 

[Fairview01]

When I didn't know what i was doing i successfully hatched eggs in a cardboard box setting on top of our old school gas stove that had pilot lights. I didn't even have a thermometer to check temps. Knew nothing about humidity helping on hatch days. I just set the box on the stove with a towel on the bottom, felt around till I thought the temp was about right and set the eggs there. I didn't even turn them i was so ignorant.

The 3 eggs hatched i put a mayo jar lid filled with water for them and all three of them promptly committed suicide in the lid.

Used the same stove and a cardboard box as a brooder for some chicks i bought at the feed store. When they started roosting on the edge of the box my wife gave them an eviction notice.

It can be as primitive or technical as you want to make it. Now i use a Leahy incubator and hatch several hundred eggs a year. If bacterial infiltration was major concern i dont think many broody chickens would successfully hatch eggs. I knock off any dry poo or myf and set my eggs and they hatch just as well as the clean ones. The underside of chickens tend to be very dirty along with poo on the eggs and in the nest.

If you're worried about humidity compare to these pics and try to adjust for a faster growing aircell than what it should be.