Keeping humidity up in lockdown

[Redhead Rae]

I recently converted my yellow topped incubators with Incukits (see Franken-bator link in my signature). I'm having issues keeping the humidity high in one of them for hatching. Before conversion, it was hard to see because of condensation sometimes and it used to take 2-3 days for the sponges to go dry, now they are drying out in a day or less. I have 3 sponges in a dish with water, but that isn't raising the humidity enough (55-60% humidity) I'd be happier with 65-80%. I did open one hole in the top for ventilation, I'm wondering if I need to close that off....

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Be wary of closing off ventilation. They need oxygen.
Your humidity may be fine. It will go up once they start hatching. Just try to keep it over 50%.

 

[aart]

3 'regular' size sponges...like 3x6"?
Are there channels for water in the bottoms?

 

[Redhead Rae]

3 'regular' size sponges...like 3x6"?
Are there channels for water in the bottoms?

Yes, about the size of an index card. There are water channels in the bottom, but they are a royal pain in the tuckus to clean, thus the sponges. But, if I want them to hatch, I guess I'd better fill the channels.

 

[oregonkat]

One of the things that you can do is to take a chamois cloth, like a Chamwow thing and put one end of it in a bowl of water on the outside of your incubator and the rest of it inside your incubator and let it soak up the water in the bowl, then you dont have to keep opening the bator to add water. The entire cloth will stay moist for a while and the surface area is quite large which is good for higher humidity.

 

[aart]

One of the things that you can do is to take a chamois cloth, like a Chamwow thing and put one end of it in a bowl of water on the outside of your incubator and the rest of it inside your incubator and let it soak up the water in the bowl, then you dont have to keep opening the bator to add water. The entire cloth will stay moist for a while and the surface area is quite large which is good for higher humidity.

Was gonna suggest paper towels hanging out of dish to increase surface area,
used to put them under the grid on the foamies,
never heard of putting bowl of water outside the bator.

 

[Redhead Rae]

I filled a couple wells and it is up to 58% now.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would be concerned with a bowl outside bator, wicking water into the bator via a rag. It could let just as much humidity out as it draws in, not to mention heat loss. Have you done that OK? Tell me how well it worked? Did it make a mess, dripping water? Did your temp stay up well?

 

[oregonkat]

I would be concerned with a bowl outside bator, wicking water into the bator via a rag. It could let just as much humidity out as it draws in, not to mention heat loss. Have you done that OK? Tell me how well it worked? Did it make a mess, dripping water? Did your temp stay up well?

This method is used by a hatcher down the valley from me. She uses a section of chamois cloth (and only chamois cloth because it absorbs lots of water without the drips) about 4 inches wide by maybe 16 inches long. Gets it wet, drapes it into the bator before lockdown leaves a section outside the bator to stick into a bowl of water if the cloth starts to dry out or the humidity starts to drop and that's it. She has good hatch rates but I have not discussed any problems that might have occurred, she despises the wells.

 

[aart]

I would be concerned with a bowl outside bator, wicking water into the bator via a rag. It could let just as much humidity out as it draws in, not to mention heat loss. Have you done that OK? Tell me how well it worked? Did it make a mess, dripping water? Did your temp stay up well?

I had much the same thought...that it would create a gap between lid and base.

This method is used by a hatcher down the valley from me. She uses a section of chamois cloth (and only chamois cloth because it absorbs lots of water without the drips) about 4 inches wide by maybe 16 inches long. Gets it wet, drapes it into the bator before lockdown leaves a section outside the bator to stick into a bowl of water if the cloth starts to dry out or the humidity starts to drop and that's it. She has good hatch rates but I have not discussed any problems that might have occurred, she despises the wells.

It's a viable technique theoretically...but it's all in the details.
Wonder what kind of bator she's using.....and what the ambient environment(temp and humidity) is in her incubation room?