Lockdown humidity 50-55%

[Chicken12367]

Hi I’m currently incubating six eggs in my brinsea mini 2 advance, went into lockdown earlier today day 18 and the humidity is sitting around 50-55% with both of the central pots filled. Will they be ok hatching at this humidity. Thanks

 

[mapurcel]

I've always been told lockdown humidity should be 65-70%, but everyone seems to have their own preferences.

 

[Chicken12367]

Thanks for the reply. How should I increase the humidity? I’ve been reading on BYC and some people say that they prefer hatching at 50-55% humidity. I’m hoping that they’ll be ok as the humidity should increase as they start hatching

 

[Tre3hugger]

You could put a wet piece of sponge in the seventh egg spot. Just use warm water. The water should evaporate slowly out of the sponge, raising humidity.

 

[Chicken12367]

You could put a wet piece of sponge in the seventh egg spot. Just use warm water. The water should evaporate slowly out of the sponge, raising humidity.

I’ll try that thanks

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Make sure the sponge doesn't have chemicals on it. I use a natural sponge found in the craft area or bath area usually at Wal-Mart or Target. I use an old washrag too.

 

[Chicken12367]

I performed a test on the hygrometer to test its accuracy and it was reading around 7% lower than it should have been. This means that the humidity in the incubator is around 61%, is that ok for the chicks to be able to hatch? Thanks

 

[mapurcel]

Try to get it up to at least 65. You can also use a small damp cloth, paper towel, or bowl of water on the bottom of the bater. I strongly suggest only adding a small amount of wet surface area at a time, or you will have humidity spikes.

 

[Chicken12367]

Try to get it up to at least 65. You can also use a small damp cloth, paper towel, or bowl of water on the bottom of the bater. I strongly suggest only adding a small amount of wet surface area at a time, or you will have humidity spikes.

I’ve used a wet sponge in a pot and it seems to be working it’s got the humidity to around 65%. But it’s slowly decreasing, I’ve got one egg pipping at the moment, when should I add more water to the sponge thanks

 

[mapurcel]

I would say add more once it drops below 65 so the chicks don't get shrink-wrapped by the egg membrane. Do you have a ventilation hole? You can use a straw to add water to the sponge instead of opening the incubator up again while still adding water to the sponge.