Incubator humidity -

81ali

Hatching
May 8, 2015
7
0
9
UK
Hi, I have currently got some eggs in incubator, I'm confused as to what the humidity should be as the manual said 45% but I see hear and other sites lots of people say 55%. Probably a bit late now as they are on day 15 and i have had the humidity at about 47%.
 
I thought most here liked 35% for first 18 days. I keep it 30-35% then 60-65% for last few days. It's the hatch days that there is more variation of 60-65 or up to 75% for peoples preferences.

Not knowing if your hygrometer is accurate or anything else I'd simply candle a few of them to see how well developed the air cell is. If it's small then take the water out of the incubator an run dry until late day 18 when you take out the turner and up humidity. If the air cell looks good then keep doing what your doing and after hatch perform a "salt test" on the unit to calibrate. Look up humidor salt test.

 
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I was going to say, as just posted, go by the air cells. Have you marked them with a pencil at each candling? Everyone has their own way of doing it. So you have to find whats right for you, your environment, and your eggs. I used 30-35% days 1-18 and the air cells looked good.
 
I have not candled until today as to nervous about breaking ect but I have just candled and there is a slightly too small air pocket I think. I will run it dry as you say for the next 24 hours but then we reach day 17 and I guess I need to have humidity high then? This is gutting I hope I haven't ruined their chances. I could defiantly see movement inside the egg when candeling. Thanks for help.
 
If the air cell is to small the chick can grow to big and have a hard time getting out. I'm no expert but I would definitely go dry for 24 hrs, then recheck. Lockdown is usually day 18, but I believe if you needed an extra 24 hours, you could hold off on going into lockdown till day 19, or I have read that some people that needed extra time waited until their first pip to lockdown and increase humidity. Hopefully someone will comment with more advice! I hope all goes well!!!
 
Hi, I have currently got some eggs in incubator, I'm confused as to what the humidity should be as the manual said 45% but I see hear and other sites lots of people say 55%. Probably a bit late now as they are on day 15 and i have had the humidity at about 47%.


I have not candled until today as to nervous about breaking ect but I have just candled and there is a slightly too small air pocket I think. I will run it dry as you say for the next 24 hours but then we reach day 17 and I guess I need to have humidity high then? This is gutting I hope I haven't ruined their chances. I could defiantly see movement inside the egg when candeling. Thanks for help.
Hi!! Welcome to the group! The big humidity question (that you will get 100 answers to.) I too am a low humidity incubation method user and prefer 30-35% during days 1-17 and on day 18 (at lockdown) I go up to 75%.
If your aircells are too small you can run now to day 18 dry if neccessary. You can even push lockdown back one day for an extra day if you have no pips and still running on the small side. Just make sure that as soon as you see action the humidity is jumped up.

I swear by the low humidity incubation methods providing you have checked and accurate thermometers/hygrometers and a steady bator. I have great results with it. This is the method I use:
http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity

If, when you go into lockdown, you feel the air cells are still small you might want to consider hatching them upright in cutdown egg cartons so that when they pip into the air cell you don't have to worryso much about excess moisture leaking into the air cell and drowning them.

Good luck in your hatch and hope you have some fluffy little chicks soon!!
 
Thank you this is all so helpful and slightly encouraging to that I might still have some chicks at the end of all this. Glad to be reminded that lock down is day 18 and not 17 as I was thinking, so that gives me a bit longer to run it dry. Egg box idea is a good one also. Thank you
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Thank you this is all so helpful and slightly encouraging to that I might still have some chicks at the end of all this. Glad to be reminded that lock down is day 18 and not 17 as I was thinking, so that gives me a bit longer to run it dry. Egg box idea is a good one also. Thank you
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Good luck and keep us posted!
 
HI there, Just to let you all know that over this weekend 13 chicks have hatched! I am so pleased, thank you all for advise. I was so worried this time last week and now I have learnt how hardy chicks can be to survive a novice like me! I have learnt so much from this experience. So 13 out of 19 - not too bad and Im sure going dry the last two days before lock down helped. 4 of those that did not hatch were clear, 2 sadly were fully formed but didn't make it out of the shell. I turned incubator of this morning - half way through day 23. I have heard that they can hatch on day 24 but it seemed the later the hatched the weeker they were and the second to last one that hatched sadly died just several hours old - so sad after all its effort to get out of the egg. Anyway just now i carefully cracked open the two eggs that were not clear and discovered on one that the chick had pecked through the white membrane but obviously had got no further so I guess this chick was a casualty of high humidity - poor thing, it did look like it had finished absorbing the yoke. The other chick also had finished absorbing the yoke but hadn't made any pips. So 12 Chick in all, oen does look a bit week (again another late one) he seemes bottom heavy and keeps flipping over on his back. Im forever turning him back the right way. Any advise on him? Thanks again x
 

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