Is it Possible to have " too much" Humidity? (INCUBATION)

[AmyLynn2374]

My bator advises 60%. This depends on your location/climate. Im in Oklahoma. 55% to 60% is a good rule of thumb. Of you may and probably should use the 55% at 7 days from hatching. This works for me. You also shouldn't get it too low or the chick can be shrink wrapped. This works for me. Hope this helps.

Many people, especially those using styro incubators at normal elevations find that over 45%, especially 50-60% (with accurate checked hygrometers) will drown the majority of the chicks come hatch time. There are some that can successfully hatch at higher humidity. By successful, I mean at least 80% hatch from lockdown to hatching. If anyone is having multiple chicks making it through lockdown and dying at hatchtime, the first thing they should be looking at is humidity.

Humidity isn't a number you can just throw at someone. There are too many variables among hatchers, which is something these manuals and hatching resources do not take into consideration when they throw numbers or how many channels to fill at people. The best thing a new hatcher can do to get an idea of what generally works for them is to monitor the air cell for proper growth, or do the whole weighing thing.

Over 45% for me, generally and as an average will not allow for proper moisture loss and therefore will cause my chicks to drown. Standard sized, local eggs do best for me at 30-35% for the first 17 days to allow for proper air cell growth. Because I am a hands on hatcher, for hatch I up to 70-75%. My rates are generally 85-100%.

Because eggs vary in porosity, shell density/thickness, etc, it is the norm to have a couple that don't hatch. You can have a very porous egg loose too much moisture and a big thick shelled egg not loose enough in the same hatch. That is the reason you adjust to the majority, and become selective for setting so the eggs are of similar size and quality.

 

[bald Rooster]

Many people, especially those using styro incubators at normal elevations find that over 45%, especially 50-60% (with accurate checked hygrometers) will drown the majority of the chicks come hatch time. There are some that can successfully hatch at higher humidity. By successful, I mean at least 80% hatch from lockdown to hatching. If anyone is having multiple chicks making it through lockdown and dying at hatchtime, the first thing they should be looking at is humidity.

Humidity isn't a number you can just throw at someone. There are too many variables among hatchers, which is something these manuals and hatching resources do not take into consideration when they throw numbers or how many channels to fill at people. The best thing a new hatcher can do to get an idea of what generally works for them is to monitor the air cell for proper growth, or do the whole weighing thing.

Over 45% for me, generally and as an average will not allow for proper moisture loss and therefore will cause my chicks to drown. Standard sized, local eggs do best for me at 30-35% for the first 17 days to allow for proper air cell growth. Because I am a hands on hatcher, for hatch I up to 70-75%. My rates are generally 85-100%.

Because eggs vary in porosity, shell density/thickness, etc, it is the norm to have a couple that don't hatch. You can have a very porous egg loose too much moisture and a big thick shelled egg not loose enough in the same hatch. That is the reason you adjust to the majority, and become selective for setting so the eggs are of similar size and quality.

I must ask since this is my first try.
Does the kind of incubator you are using change all this. I have a Genesis Circulated air Hova Bator. It recommends 45 to 55 till day 17 then 55 to 65 for hatch.
After reading all these comments Im pretty sure this is a average setting.
I am trying to maintain 45% but its not going well I'm jumping from 40 to 60.I can't rule out grand kids bumping incubator and sloshing water around.

 

[bald Rooster]

Ok definite water slosh in my incubator all cleaned up heading back to 45%

 

[BonDEEroo]

Check the relative humidity in the room with the incubator, and you might be able to get away with minimal (say a damp sponge) or even no water in the incubator until lockdown at day 18 when you add some water.
I lost 6 out of 12 fertile eggs between day 7 and hatch, because of wildly fluctuating humidity, and one live hatch had serious physical problems and died at a few weeks old.

 

[ChcknNurse]

My first incubation did what I'd read online to do: 60% for incubation then 80% for hatching. Yup, drowned every last one. Don't listen to what Hovabator tells you. If you can control the humidity from spiking when a bunch of eggs pip and start to zip then 60-65% RH is a great place to be during hatch. Problem is you can't always be there to micromanage the humidity from spiking over 70%, if it stay spiked for a period of time then drys back out all your chicks that have piped already will be glued stuck to shells. It's a mess....been there done that too. Chicks hatch so much better at 65% but you can't be there 24 hours awake to lift lid of incubator to keep the humidity below 70-75% when a group decide to pip all at once in the middle of the night. Solution is to keep humidity 70% and over during hatch.

Exact scenario we just experienced. It has rained here every day and often all day. Humidity outside is like a bath house. The windows on the little giant incubator where completely blocking the view of the inside from condensation. It was actually rain dropping. Both air plugs were removed even.
A lot of peepers drown. Almost all were gooey. 4 hatched and died in the bator unshelled. Undissolved umbilical cords on 3. One with splayed leg. 2 took 2 days to dry.
A total disaster.
37 eggs remained at last candle, 9 survived and a OK in the brooder. 1 named tiny Tim has a leg splint being changed twice a day.
HERE ARE THE RECORDED SETTINGS:
temperature was a consistent 99.5° and spiked a couple times at 100°
Had 3 thermometers. 1 built into the unit, 1 analog meter stabbed thru the lid which is calibrated often and a digital meter periodically placed thru the top close to the heater. All read basically the same in the 99.5° range.
HUMIDITY read 46 to 50% at start and 74% during lock down.
We relied on the factory humidity meter alone.
Even though there was so Much steam in the bator it was dripping, the sensor read mid 70's.
We are going to purchase some humidity meters to back up the the built in meter that failed us. We have 2 other Bator's in the room as well. I gets candled tonight and other is lock down in 4 days.
Rain is in our forecast all week again and again.
FLORIDA.. "THE SOMETIMES SUNSHINE STATE".
Thanks to all for your contributions to this thread.

My understanding is that the "drowning" occurs when there isn't enough moisture removed from the egg. Therefore, it's not the lockdown humidity that is causing them to drown, unless there is no fresh air, perhaps...

If the moisture remains in the egg, and the chick pips the air cell, I've understood that there is moisture in it-- essentially drowning the chick. Otherwise, if the chick pipped and it wasn't enough air, it would smother. At lockdown humidity needs to stay above 65%, but I prefer it about 75%.

On the note of the umbilical cords... this year, I followed the instructions recommended in a Forum and dropped temp on day 19 & day 20. When hatching began, There was a lot of bleeding umbilical cords. I moved the temp back to 99.5, and everyone thereafter was dry. Last hatch I saw one with blood, I checked the heat and it had dropped a tad, same thing...
just thought I'd share my experience.

make sure that the air cells are increasing in size appropriately (use the chart as a guide). I would recommend starting dry and adding water to the incubator if needed. But if you are in a dry climate, you will probably need to add distilled water to one well.

Most of my eggs are shipped and when I pull too much quickly, the air cells get worse - saddles etc. when I increase humidity, it holds them and many saddles disappear.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I must ask since this is my first try.
Does the kind of incubator you are using change all this. I have a Genesis Circulated air Hova Bator. It recommends 45 to 55 till day 17 then 55 to 65 for hatch.
After reading all these comments Im pretty sure this is a average setting.
I am trying to maintain 45% but its not going well I'm jumping from 40 to 60.I can't rule out grand kids bumping incubator and sloshing water around.

I use a fan forced Hovabator 1583. Many of the manufacture recommendations do list 50%. My previous incubator was a fan forced LG. Spikes and drops in humidity are not a threat to eggs. Humidity is important as an average. It's job to be low enough to let the egg loose moisture but not too low where moisture loss starts drying the membrane.
Again, manuals do not take many factors and variables into account. I would never hatch out with humidity less than 65% and prefer 75% because I am hands on. A hands off hatcher shouldn't have an issue with hatch at 60/65%. Like I said, the biggest favor a newbie can do for themself when starting out is monitor air cells to know the effect of their humidity levels on their air cells.
http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity

My understanding is that the "drowning" occurs when there isn't enough moisture removed from the egg. Therefore, it's not the lockdown humidity that is causing them to drown, unless there is no fresh air, perhaps...

If the moisture remains in the egg, and the chick pips the air cell, I've understood that there is moisture in it-- essentially drowning the chick. Otherwise, if the chick pipped and it wasn't enough air, it would smother. At lockdown humidity needs to stay above 65%, but I prefer it about 75%.

On the note of the umbilical cords... this year, I followed the instructions recommended in a Forum and dropped temp on day 19 & day 20. When hatching began, There was a lot of bleeding umbilical cords. I moved the temp back to 99.5, and everyone thereafter was dry. Last hatch I saw one with blood, I checked the heat and it had dropped a tad, same thing...
just thought I'd share my experience.

make sure that the air cells are increasing in size appropriately (use the chart as a guide). I would recommend starting dry and adding water to the incubator if needed. But if you are in a dry climate, you will probably need to add distilled water to one well.

Most of my eggs are shipped and when I pull too much quickly, the air cells get worse - saddles etc. when I increase humidity, it holds them and many saddles disappear.

You are correct, it's not the lockdown/hatch humidity that causes drowning. It is the overall average of incubation humidity that attributes to this.
If the air during incubation is too saturated, moisture can not, (or at least not in big enough quantities) leave the egg and allow the air cell to grow. It is this moisture that isn't allowed to leave that causes drowning. High humidity does NOT add moisture to an egg. Simply prevents it from leaving.
I run dry if the incubator holds above 25% dry. If not I add a wet sponge. That usually holds it in the 30-40 range. I never use my water wells until lockdown. Then I fill them and still use a couple sponges atop my screen at egg level.

However, you still do not want to see condensation in the bators during hatch either. Air that laden with moisture will be breathed in by the chicks, and moist air can attribute to respiratory issues.

I never adjust temp down at hatch, but to be fair, because I open my bator during hatch, often it looses a degree or two occasionally. I seldom have umbilical issues and next to no spraddle leg/curled toes. In three years of incubating I've only had one pipper not make it to hatch and three after hatch moralities. Two culls, and one was a brooded chick, not incubated. My entire flock minus one I hatched myself, that one is one that was from my broody. I've kept probably, I'd say, one third of all I've hatched or so. This spring I only hatched about 40 chicks. (Kept 10, then sold two of those so far.)
My very first hatch ever was horrible. Incorrect temps (unchecked thermometer) and ran the humidity too high (as per recommendations). After that brought humidity down, learned to monitor air cells and to check thermometers and use more than one, and have been blessed with good hatches since...plus a little prayer never hurts

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Our problem resulted from trusting the inferior hydrometer built into the hobby bator. We have bought 3 aux meters, one for each lg. All Bator's meters are highly inaccurate. Worthless. To say the least.

 

[bald Rooster]

Ok day 6 update I broke down and candled several eggs. Ive been running 45 to 48% except the first day It was in the 60tys.
I believe my air sacks are a little to big.from what Ive seen on these charts. I do see viens in some eggs.
I am going to raise humidity to 55% ish for a few days If they dry out I can't put moister back!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Ok day 6 update I broke down and candled several eggs. Ive been running 45 to 48% except the first day It was in the 60tys.
I believe my air sacks are a little to big.from what Ive seen on these charts. I do see viens in some eggs.
I am going to raise humidity to 55% ish for a few days If they dry out I can't put moister back!

If you aren't sure you can always trace the air cells and take a pic and get opinions from others. I trace mine 7/14/18 to monitor the growth.

 

[pasuit]

Many people, especially those using styro incubators at normal elevations find that over 45%, especially 50-60% (with accurate checked hygrometers) will drown the majority of the chicks come hatch time. There are some that can successfully hatch at higher humidity. By successful, I mean at least 80% hatch from lockdown to hatching. If anyone is having multiple chicks making it through lockdown and dying at hatchtime, the first thing they should be looking at is humidity.

Humidity isn't a number you can just throw at someone. There are too many variables among hatchers, which is something these manuals and hatching resources do not take into consideration when they throw numbers or how many channels to fill at people. The best thing a new hatcher can do to get an idea of what generally works for them is to monitor the air cell for proper growth, or do the whole weighing thing.

Over 45% for me, generally and as an average will not allow for proper moisture loss and therefore will cause my chicks to drown. Standard sized, local eggs do best for me at 30-35% for the first 17 days to allow for proper air cell growth. Because I am a hands on hatcher, for hatch I up to 70-75%. My rates are generally 85-100%.

Because eggs vary in porosity, shell density/thickness, etc, it is the norm to have a couple that don't hatch. You can have a very porous egg loose too much moisture and a big thick shelled egg not loose enough in the same hatch. That is the reason you adjust to the majority, and become selective for setting so the eggs are of similar size and quality.