Is opening the bator once a day...

[Poulets De Cajun]

... considered ventilation since you are letting new air in and moving old air out? Is constant ventilation a necessity?

 

[Leah-yes I know I'm crazy]

Good question. Anyone?

 

[BellLisamo]

i would think yes, because the mother gets off the eggs for 30 minutes each day? (thats what ive heard in alot of threads)

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

I'm sure it sounds like a stupid question coming from me... but I've always had vent holes, and this new hatcher that I built will hold humidity in the 60's, but if I open the holes up it drops to the 40's nearly immediately. So I was just thinking of plugging the holes and opening the bator once a day to let more oxygen in. I'm starting to stress severly because I have to put eggs in A hatcher tomorrow, but I dont know if I want to chance it in the one that I built, or go pick up a hovabator at the feedstore today...

 

[walkswithdog]

Real ventilation is those holes in your bator, not opening it. If you had no holes and only opened it three times a day they'd smother.

Under a hen there is still air. In an enclosed box without holes there is not.

There have to be enough holes/air exchange for oxygen to always be getting into a bator.

No air = dead animal, egg or not.

Though air exchange, opening to turn it isn't harmful, it's not actually a part of adequate ventilation.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Well then that I guess answers my question... I'm going get the hovabator this afternoon... I can't take the chance with this new hatcher that I built.

 

[BellLisamo]

Quote:
have you tried to up the humidity while the holes were open???
put another pan or sponges?

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

At first I was using one 9x13 baking pan with a sponge in it. It would hold humidity in the 60's with the vent plugs closed. When I opened them it dropped to the 40's.

So I figured I'd over compensate and get MORE pans that were larger than the first. So I got a 10x15 lasagna baking pan and put it at the top with the sponge, and put the 9x13 under the egg tray at the bottom. And now even with both trays, and the vent holes plugged, its struggling to keep humidity at the high 50's...

So I give up.... less trays more humidity, less holes more humidity, more holes less humidity, more trays less humidity..... go figure!

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

The only thing that I can *possiby* think is that the hydrometer probe is too close to the lightbulb at the bottom and is getting a skewed reading. However the temps are at 99.5 degrees...

 

[Chicky Tocks]

Excellent question. My concern is that I'm getting enough ventilation. I'm incubating in the Miss Prissy style bator (Omaha Meat Box) and I have all of the four cork holes in the bottom...along with 3 holes on each end at the top..icepick size with one pencil sized in the middle. I only have one of my corks pulled at the bottom and that's taped over about a third of the hole. I hope I'm getting enough ventilation and have worried that I might need to pull a cork at the bottom on the opposite side.

I have candled at day four and seen a few wigglies though...