Lockdown Humidity Question... Fill all water reservoirs?

[K8Aspen]

Oh so add salt to the water?

 

[WVduckchick]

Salt seems more like a drying agent than upping humidity but I don't think it would hurt anything to add a small cup of salty water and see what happens? Not sure how the salt might affect the chicks though... I'd say do some research first and maybe try it.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Oh so add salt to the water?

Salt seems more like a drying agent than upping humidity but I don't think it would hurt anything to add a small cup of salty water and see what happens? Not sure how the salt might affect the chicks though... I'd say do some research first and maybe try it.

Like I said, I haven't experimented with it myself. It made sense because you use salt in the calibration of hygrometer testing, but I have no idea how or to what effect it would have in the incubator. Just something I saw in an incubation article.

http://www.npl.co.uk/reference/faqs...es-of-relative-humidity-...-how-(faq-thermal)

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I can not find the page/article that I saw it menioned on. I have no idea what it's effects are, but I wouldn't think it would have been mentioned if it was harmful, but then again, you never know.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

HA! I found it, or at least one of them. I was sorta right.

HUMIDITY

Humidity that is too low causes the chick to adhere to the inner shell membrane and makes it virtually impossible for the chick to hatch without assistance. It is possible to have a chick hatch that is dehydrated because of inadequate humidity. It is then very important that the chick be given fluids and placed back in the nest box with an increase in the humidity. The cockatiel hen will daily bathe her breast feathers in order to provide her eggs with the necessary humidity. A flat shallow dish of water needs to be provided in the cage for her to bathe in everyday. I've found that in the Northeast that homes are heated and are too dry for birds that are breeding inside. To alleviate that circumstance, I add a small amount of salt into the nesting substrate. The salt draws moisture into the box and increases the humidity. Since starting this practice I haven't had any problems with chicks hatching normally.
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It is used in the nesting boxes for increasing humidity at hatch. I wonder if it were placed in a small cup in an incubator if it would have the same effect??? I totally need to experiment with this.

 

[wynn4578]

I don't know about salt water but dry salt removes humidity. One of the old ways people used to lower humidity in their house was to take a bucket and punch holes in the bottom then fill it about half full of rock salt. Then set that bucket in another bucket. Every few days you would take the buckets apart and dump the water out of the lower bucket.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I don't know about salt water but dry salt removes humidity. One of the old ways people used to lower humidity in their house was to take a bucket and punch holes in the bottom then fill it about half full of rock salt. Then set that bucket in another bucket. Every few days you would take the buckets apart and dump the water out of the lower bucket.

Because the salt is drawing the moisture to it. So when used in a controlled environment salt draws the moisture into the contained environment thus increasing the amount of humidity. If you put a hygrometer in your salt bucket, theoretically the humidity should be higher where the salt is because it is drawing the moisture.

 

[wynn4578]

Because the salt is drawing the moisture to it. So when used in a controlled environment salt draws the moisture into the contained environment thus increasing the amount of humidity. If you put a hygrometer in your salt bucket, theoretically the humidity should be higher where the salt is because it is drawing the moisture.

Very Smart!! I didn't look at it that way.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

 

[K8Aspen]

REALLY interesting. Will add a little cup of salt.