Lockdown Humidity Question... Fill all water reservoirs?

[scflock]

Aw, come on. At least in Maine, we all know that God put that hair there for a reason. For 10 months of the year, it's used to hold the socks up.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Aw, come on. At least in Maine, we all know that God put that hair there for a reason. For 10 months of the year, it's used to hold the socks up.

 

[snaffle]

Hi, we are hatching our first batch of eggs kindly given to us by some friends with some interesting breeds.

If everyone hatches out properly, we'll have Nankins, Silkie/Frizzle crosses, Americaunas, Seebrights, Sumatras, Cochins and a handful of others.

I think we need to reduce the humidity; but wanted to know if on day 14-day 18/19 you can drop the humidity enough to make a difference in the air pocket at the end of the egg? Based on my pencil tracings of the air pocket; most of them are borderline ok; but a few of them need more air pocket based on the diagrams. Or are we doomed to have a failed hatch? These eggs are for my sons 4H project. I know what to do with the chicks once they've hatched; but the incubating part is completely new to me. thanks in advance for any help.

I must have missed a post that said what your humidity in the incubator was. I have been allowing my humidity to drop to 20 before adding any water.

I also increasedthe humidity in the hatcher to 75 but kinda think that was too high. I had chicks hatch that were soaking wet. I had the eggs sitting in an egg carton and when one chick made it out of the shell there was water in the bottom of the shell.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I must have missed a post that said what your humidity in the incubator was. I have been allowing my humidity to drop to 20 before adding any water.

I also increasedthe humidity in the hatcher to 75 but kinda think that was too high. I had chicks hatch that were soaking wet. I had the eggs sitting in an egg carton and when one chick made it out of the shell there was water in the bottom of the shell.

Moisture in the shell at hatch is a sign of high humidity during incubation. It's weird that you would have moisture in the shell running that low during the incubation. High humidity doesn't add moisture to the egg, it prevents loss of moisture from within the egg. I myself run at 75% during hatch and at times during the hatch it rises to 80%. My chicks don't come out soaking wet, but they won't completely fluff in the bator. What kind of bator do you use? It's good that you had them in the egg carton because if they had been laying down that moisture in the egg could have ran into the pip when it pipped internally and drowned him.

 

[snaffle]

Hovabator Genesis 1588

Right now one of my incubators is reading 31% and I have not added any water in a week.
2 and 3 months ago the humidity would have dropped below 20. Welcome spring

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Hovabator Genesis 1588

Right now one of my incubators is reading 31% and I have not added any water in a week.
2 and 3 months ago the humidity would have dropped below 20. Welcome spring

That's the one I want. I know. I had to add a sponge for my Easter hatch, it was only 16% w/o water.

 

[K8Aspen]

Sorry for not including the H%.

Ok so this hatching project I have checked the temperature twice daily and the humidity as well, it's typically between 38% and 48% depending on when I filled it last, in an effort to make the air bubbles bigger, I've let it drop down, it's been 19-27% (we've had rain the last two days, otherwise it would be more stable % wise). Even if I only put in a tablespoon of water, the humidity jumps up to 40+%. Literally used the tablespoon measuring spoon to put the water in and it jumped that high that fast.

So I guess that means my incubator is really good at holding humidity? But when I don't touch it and I have it at 40% ish, it will stay that way for about 2 days and then drops down fast like to 13-18%. So, I'm not sure what to do, how low can I let it go without killing off my chicks? Is day 14 until lock down enough time to get this done at all? Thanks!

 

[WVduckchick]

Humidity is all about surface area, not amount of water. The same 8 ounces of water will provide less humidity in a tall wine glass than it will have in a flat cake pan. So you need something small around, that can evaporate slowly in levels, not something spread out that evaporates, then makes your humidity plummet once its all gone. Maybe try different size/shape sponges?

 

[K8Aspen]

AmyLin and Duckchick. Thanks for the information. Will try that, was just worried that running dry after all this humidity would kill them off too.

 

[K8Aspen]

good to know about the surface area. Will buy some sponges today. thank you!