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BECAUSE you had humidity in your air that was in your bator, not really a dry hatch....
@chicknloveHello all just set my first duck eggs on Friday and have read different things about humidity on just about every website. I need some expert advice. So here I amThe paper they threw in with the eggs from the hatchery said to keep the humidity up to 86% and 94% at hatch! That seems super high to me.(My guess is this is for the commercial hatcheries?). I have looked and looked through the threads but it is hard for me to know just what a duck needs. (this is my first duck hatch and I'm a wreak already) haha. I will second guess my every move, that's just my nature. So from what I gather so far is 45-50% is ideal until hatch and hatch is 70ish? ?? Whats the expert advice here?
HUMIDITY
The Air Bubble in the Egg
The average chicken egg has thousands of pores running through the shell allowing the embryo to exchange oxygen, carbon dioxide. and water. Soon after an egg is laid, a small air bubble or “air cell” forms in the large end of the egg from this water loss. Humidity levels in the incubator determine moisture evaporation during the 21 days of incubation and hatching. The air cell is crucial for the chick to break out of the egg shell at the end of the incubation period. The chick can drown if the air cell is too small or the chick may be retarded in growth if the air cell is too large. This is why maintaining the proper humidity is crucial. Slightly lower humidity levels are more likely to be less disastrous than slightly higher humidity levels. There are quite a few opinions on Humidity, but it is no set number.
Humidity is NOT A SET NUMBER, you need it YES!
However, you use it as a tool to "adjust" egg weight loss during incubation. We candle on days 7,10,14,18 To WATCH WEIGHT LOSS IN EVERY EGG! An EGG MUST lose approximately 13-14% of its weight during the incubation process. THIS IS YOUR GOAL!! You can monitor this by marking Air cells and also by weighing. Please refer to CANDLING section of this Hatching Eggs 101 Article for more Air Cell info.
Size of air cell on day 7, 14, and 18 of incubation
WHY to MEASURE WEIGHT LOSS IN EGGS,
MEASURING PROCEDURES (HOW TO), HOW TO CALCULATE, and HOW to interpret RESULTS
http://www.aviagen.com/assets/Tech_Center/BB_Resources_Tools/AA_How_Tos/AAHowto1WaterLossEN13.pdf
I choose the easier method, keeping a close eye on air cell growth during incubation. You begin by ONLY adding a small amount of water and keep Humidity between 20%-30% and adjusting as you weigh or candle depending on moisture loss. IN SOME AREAS OF THE COUNTRY YOU MAY NOT NEED TO ADD ANY WATER! USE IT AS A TOOL FOR THE CORRECT WEIGHT LOSS IN THE EGG! So if your air cells look too large at each candle period you must add some humidity, too small air cell lower it, and if your weighing you adjust as needed. UNTIL DAY 18 LOCKDOWN,
then stop turning and raise humidity to 65-70%
UNDERSTANDING HUMIDITY
Views of Day 18 Candle.....
http://www.aviagen.com/assets/Tech_Center/BB_Resources_Tools/AA_How_Tos/AAHowto1WaterLossEN13.pdf
I choose the easier method, keeping a close eye on air cell growth during incubation. You begin by ONLY adding a small amount of water and keep Humidity between 20%-30% and adjusting as you weigh or candle depending on moisture loss. IN SOME AREAS OF THE COUNTRY YOU MAY NOT NEED TO ADD ANY WATER! USE IT AS A TOOL FOR THE CORRECT WEIGHT LOSS IN THE EGG! So if your air cells look too large at each candle period you must add some humidity, too small air cell lower it, and if your weighing you adjust as needed. UNTIL DAY 18 LOCKDOWN,
then stop turning and raise humidity to 65-70%
UNDERSTANDING HUMIDITY
Views of Day 18 Candle.....
sounds like an amazing project too! and your love of chickens is comin true see you just had to keep lookin and chattin! 
