Lockdown Humidity Question

[KikiLeigh02]

So far: 6 bantams eggs made it to lockdown, 5 hatched. I'm not 100% about the 6th, it's a blue egg I can't really see in. The LF eggs have started hatching. So far I have 13 chicks! I assisted the one bantam, and one LF chick pipped at the wrong end so I followed the instructions to help it. Clearly I had the temp too high.

 

[Rose Quartz]

Thank you! I'm using a Hovabator 1588.

hmm, sounds like you're having a pretty humid year if you're reading at 30% in incu for a dry run. for my area I put water in wells 1 and 4. I usually run around 20-25% for a dry run. (though this year it was going up to 30%) (that was getting me up to about 70% I think, and then once they started hatching it was going over 80%

 

[KikiLeigh02]

Nope, just a normal Kentucky summer... It is very rarely not humid in the summer here.. This week hasn't been too bad, it's about 70% humidity outside.

 

[Rose Quartz]

Nope, just a normal Kentucky summer... It is very rarely not humid in the summer here.. This week hasn't been too bad, it's about 70% humidity outside.

one thing I will say (having just finished reading the whole thread) I use the vent plug to keep the humidity out for the first 18 days. this was my first time running a hovabator, and the humidity was normal around 20-25 until I took out the vent plug. It jumped up to 45 and I had to put it back in to keep it down, and it only went back down to 30%. My aircells were smaller than I would have liked for lock down because of it. So, if high humidity is normal around incubation times I would hang on to the vent plug just in case.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

These are my special little cuties, the one from the cracked egg, the one that started zipping and then I assisted, and the one that pipped at the wrong end. The last also needed "boots" for curled toes. Thank you all so much for your help!!! It is greatly apprecitated.

 

[WVduckchick]

one thing I will say (having just finished reading the whole thread) I use the vent plug to keep the humidity out for the first 18 days. this was my first time running a hovabator, and the humidity was normal around 20-25 until I took out the vent plug. It jumped up to 45 and I had to put it back in to keep it down, and it only went back down to 30%. My aircells were smaller than I would have liked for lock down because of it. So, if high humidity is normal around incubation times I would hang on to the vent plug just in case.

You may be controlling humidity with those plugs, but you are also messing with ventilation and air circulation, so please be careful with that.
I know you hatch a lot so I won’t lecture you. Just sayin.

These are my special little cuties, the one from the cracked egg, the one that started zipping and then I assisted, and the one that pipped at the wrong end. The last also needed "boots" for curled toes. Thank you all so much for your help!!! It is greatly apprecitated.

 

[Rose Quartz]

You may be controlling humidity with those plugs, but you are also messing with ventilation and air circulation, so please be careful with that.
I know you hatch a lot so I won’t lecture you. Just sayin.

I'm still learning. This year was my first go round with a hovabator. everything else has been homemade. I did see a huge improvement on hatch rate when I drilled several GIANT (1" diameter) holes into my homemade incu. It's just with my local humidity I have to run super low humidity, or I have no aircell growth. I did have pretty bad hatch rates in my hovabator. (6/12, and 8/12) next time I run it I may have to set it up in a room with a dehumidifier, and leave the plug out, see what happens.

eta: the better hatch spent 4 days in my homemade incu, because it was a staggered hatch and i moved them for the first batches lock down.

 

[WVduckchick]

I live in wet West Virginia. Our humidity is awful! If we drop below 65% outside, I’d think the world was coming to an end so i feel your pain.

Maybe do some experimenting with fans and air circulation, incubator placement and even room temperatures. I keep the house vents and the door closed to the room where my incubators are. Then of course time of year comes into play. Gotta love trying to sort it all out.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

@WVduckchick How are your OEGB eggs looking?

 

[Mosey2003]

@Rose Quartz make sure you inspect the bottom vent holes of the HovaBator and ensure they aren't blocked by either bits of styrofoam or eggshells (this is common). You can also stick something the same diameter in and roll it around to widen them slightly, I've done that too. What I like to do as well is set out four canning jar rings and put the unit on top of them, so I'm 100% sure that air is going to those vents without obstruction. And don't put something solid on the floor, like paper towels, that will disrupt the airflow over the wells. It's all about airflow.