Lockdown Humidity Question

[KikiLeigh02]

I've been trying dry incubation, the eggs are on Day 16 right now. The humidity has been between 30-35% during incubation. What's the best way to get the humidity where it needs to be for lockdown without going to high? I'm still new to incubating so if you have any other lockdown tips you want to share I would love to hear them!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Since many hygrometers are known to be inaccurate, I just raise the humidity as high as I can get it without causing condensation on the glass. Surface area rather than volume raises humidity. Sponges in water work well.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

Thank you!

 

[Mosey2003]

Bearing in mind that I won't dry hatch, and follow the university recommended 50-55% for the first 18 days...

I'm not sure you can really get "too high" during lockdown and hatch. 60% plus is what you want, my units very nicely stay at 70% if I remove the tray and fill the whole bottom (HovaBator 1602n). If you're using the tray with wells, you would simply fill all the wells. The previous poster is correct, it doesn't matter the amount of water, but the surface area. More open water surface equals more humidity. If you're in an especially dry area, that's when you'd want to look into adding things like sponges too.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

Thank you! I'm using a Hovabator 1588.

 

[Mosey2003]

Same concept as my 1602n then really. Ideally, what you would have done before the hatch would be to fill it all the way up (all the wells if you use the tray) and just let it run and watch it to see how long it would hold the humidity over 60%. If the answer to that was 4 days, you'd know you were good to go through lockdown and hatch and not need to add water.

Personally, I really like knowing I can add water without opening it, so I take the tray out, put 5 canning lid rings down, fill the bottom up, and put the floor on the rings. Then I run a piece of aquarium tube in through the floor wire and out through the turner cord notch and I can fill it with a large syringe. But that's just what works for me.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

The canning rings & aquarium tubing is a really good idea! I may try that. Do you normally put the vent plugs back in? I test ran it for a couple days with 1 well having water and the humidity stayed at about 55%.

 

[Mosey2003]

No, no vent plugs. I don't *ever* use vent plugs, but even for those who do, you don't during lockdown and hatch. They need that oxygen.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

I've been reading through different methods people use and saw someone talk about using the plugs to help keep the humidity up. I thought it sounded odd, thank you for confirming!

 

[Mosey2003]

They'll absolutely keep the humidity up. They'll also keep the oxygen down. Not as big of a deal the first 10 days, but those last four..... It's a no from me.