Lockdown Humidity Help Needed

[PolentaDragon]

There is very small amount of condensation on the lid - about a 1 cm squiggle line across the front. Is that hopefully enough? Or a sign there's too much? As far as I can tell, the lid seems fine - there's no cracks and it's definitely closed. I've got the vent at 1/3 now for the last 3 or 4 hours, although it doesn't seem to make much difference.

It would be nice to have a separate hygrometer but there isn't one to be bought at either store on our island. I'm trying to google the wet-bulb method of measuring humidity - something about a wet shoelace over the bulb? - but I haven't found it yet - if anyone is familiar with it please feel free to include instruction. Everything I've found so far either isn't very accurate or would not fit in the bator.

I'm afraid I haven't heard of the salt test. I'm trying to google all of this but our internet connection if VERY slow, so anything you can think to tell me helps a lot!

 

[silkiecuddles]

I'm afraid I haven't heard of the salt test. I'm trying to google all of this but our internet connection if VERY slow, so anything you can think to tell me help a lot!

Put about a teaspoon of salt in a bottle cap and by it in a small bag with the hydrometer. Keep in there for a couple hours. Some people say a day, but mine did it in 2 hours. If it says 70% then it works

 

[scflock]

There is very small amount of condensation on the lid - about a 1 cm squiggle line across the front. Is that hopefully enough? Or a sign there's too much? As far as I can tell, the lid seems fine - there's no cracks and it's definitely closed. I've got the vent at 1/3 now for the last 3 or 4 hours, although it doesn't seem to make much difference.

It would be nice to have a separate hygrometer but there isn't one to be bought at either store on our island. I'm trying to google the wet-bulb method of measuring humidity - something about a wet shoelace over the bulb? - but I haven't found it yet - if anyone is familiar with it please feel free to include instruction. Everything I've found so far either isn't very accurate or would not fit in the bator.

I'm afraid I haven't heard of the salt test. I'm trying to google all of this but our internet connection if VERY slow, so anything you can think to tell me helps a lot!

I think your hygrometer is wrong and your humidity is fine. Ride this hatch out, then see if you can work it out before the next hatch. Definitely call Brinsea support

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I think your hygrometer is wrong and your humidity is fine. Ride this hatch out, then see if you can work it out before the next hatch. Definitely call Brinsea support

x2

 

[PolentaDragon]

Thanks Silkiecuddles - but the problem is that I don't HAVE a hygrometer - other than what is built into the incubator. I'm ashamed to say I naively didn't realize this was a problem with incubators until now, so I guess we'll just wait and see what happens. But thank you everyone for your support.

 

[firsttimehatch1]

how bad is it if the humidity is higher than 55% in the beginning? mine is readying about 58% at times.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

how bad is it if the humidity is higher than 55% in the beginning? mine is readying about 58% at times.

Days 1-17??? It poses a high risk of keeping the eggs from loosing the proper amount of moisture, causing the air cells to not grow like they should, in turn causing chicks to grow too big and/or drowning at hatch. Nothing in the hatching world is a certainty. Some are lucky enough to escape w/o compromised hatches, but many are ruined by humidity alone. If you have humidity rates that high for the first 17 days, I recommend running dry and checking your air cells for growth to know how to adjust the humidity.

 

[scflock]

Thanks Silkiecuddles - but the problem is that I don't HAVE a hygrometer - other than what is built into the incubator. I'm ashamed to say I naively didn't realize this was a problem with incubators until now, so I guess we'll just wait and see what happens. But thank you everyone for your support.

I've never heard of a Brinsea display being that far off, but it could be. It just doesn't seem right to me. If you can check it against a hygrometer, and see its wrong, Brinsea will take care of it. I would call them anyway

 

[PolentaDragon]

It's actually not my incubator - it belongs to a friend of a friend so I can't even get much info about its history.It does seem weird that the hygrometer would conk out right at lockdown....it seemed to be working fine until then.

But - scflock- you think the fact that there's a little bit of condensation on the inside of the lid is definitely proof that the humidity is high enough?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

It's actually not my incubator - it belongs to a friend of a friend so I can't even get much info about its history.It does seem weird that the hygrometer would conk out right at lockdown....it seemed to be working fine until then.

But - scflock- you think the fact that there's a little bit of condensation on the inside of the lid is definitely proof that the humidity is high enough?

I'm not SC...but yes. The presence of condensation points to enough humidity.