LockDown prep questions for DIY still air incubator & vent holes?

[TaylorChickadoodleFam]

I made a DIY still air incubator and am on day 16 of great looking growing chicks from our own chickens. In a couple days for lockdown, what is the ideal temp and Humidity for this style? I was going to do 65 and 101f.
should I add more holes for ventilation and air? If so where and how big? I have one hole above the bulb as shown. The humidity and temp staypretty stable. I just don’t want to mess up this hatch as my first time.
Also if the humidity drops during those few days can I drop a straw in a vent hole and add a bit more warm water?
many answers and other advice really helps!! Thanks! I am watching these eggs like a hawk and have been hand turning every 4 hours.

 

[TaylorChickadoodleFam]

Can anyone give some tips please?

 

[Ruby Rogue]

I'm doing my first hatch right now too, I'm locked down, and I'm also using a home made incubator. I'm not sure what advice I can give you but I saw this hadn't been answered yet and I would love to see the advice offered if anyone can give some input. For my incubator I am using an essential oil diffuser (very clean) for humidity which I fill with a medicine syringe and a tube through a vent 'crack' lol. I think 65% and above is good from the advice I've been given. I'm keeping mine around 75%! It works awesomely.

Hope you get some answers soon and good luck with your lockdown/hatch

 

[Ridgerunner]

I use this to add water during lockdown. Usually I don't have to but with accordion straws I can reach anywhere I need to. That syringe works great to put the water in.

In a still air incubator hot air rises. Where you take the temperature is important. The usual recommendation is 101.5 at the top of the egg. But you are beyond that at lockdown. By that time the chick itself is generating a lot of heat. You don't want to cook it and you don't want to chill it, but you have a bigger window for temperature as it hatches.

That's one problem commercial for hatcheries that use incubators that can hold 60,000 or even 120,000 eggs. Late in incubation those eggs are generating so much heat they have to cool the eggs to keep them from cooking themselves. At least we don't face that problem.

If your incubator has been running warm because of where the thermometer was placed, don't panic. Also don't be surprised if you see pips and hatched chicks a couple of days early. That's happened to me before.

 

[TaylorChickadoodleFam]

Thanks Ruby

I'm doing my first hatch right now too, I'm locked down, and I'm also using a home made incubator. I'm not sure what advice I can give you but I saw this hadn't been answered yet and I would love to see the advice offered if anyone can give some better advice I reinput. For my incubator I am using an essential oil diffuser (very clean) for humidity which I fill with a medicine syringe and a tube through a vent 'crack' lol. I think 65% and above is good from the advice I've been given. I'm keeping mine around 75%! It works awesomely.

Hope you get some answers soon and good luck with your lockdown/hatch

Thanks Ruby! I have looked for a few hours to answer some of these answers on diy vent holes and the main thread and it seems like I can’t find any answers for this type! I have a couple holes up top and one at egg level and have managed to keep pretty consistent temp and humidity but don’t want the babies to not have oxygen if and when they hatch. I will fill more water through a straw during lockdown to keep it high enough like you’ve done wit a diffuser. But really just haven’t had any clear information. I also didn’t know until here about measuring the air sack.

 

[TaylorChickadoodleFam]

I use this to add water during lockdown. Usually I don't have to but with accordion straws I can reach anywhere I need to. That syringe works great to put the water in.

View attachment 2099293

In a still air incubator hot air rises. Where you take the temperature is important. The usual recommendation is 101.5 at the top of the egg. But you are beyond that at lockdown. By that time the chick itself is generating a lot of heat. You don't want to cook it and you don't want to chill it, but you have a bigger window for temperature as it hatches.

That's one problem commercial for hatcheries that use incubators that can hold 60,000 or even 120,000 eggs. Late in incubation those eggs are generating so much heat they have to cool the eggs to keep them from cooking themselves. At least we don't face that problem.

If your incubator has been running warm because of where the thermometer was placed, don't panic. Also don't be surprised if you see pips and hatched chicks a couple of days early. That's happened to me before.

Thank you! I am so afraid to have the need to open the incubator. I still have 2 days before lockdown so I want to be sure the hatchlings have what they need. So I need to add vent holes for oxygen to flow now or when? And I thought the straw idea was kinda weird from my own head but I see it does make sense! lol. Do you have to have air holes in a still air incubator?
Also my temp cage at one end is 99 and near the bulb is 102 so the eggs in the middle I assume have been good. I rotate them and also switch positions every 4 hours.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't have a good answer as to how many or how big vent holes need to be. Late in incubation and after hatch the chicks need fresh air to breathe, just like we do. Mine is a forced air and it only has one vent. That fan keeps air circulating and sucks more in as it pushes some out. If you get too many vents open it's harder to keep the humidity up. Maybe temperature too in yours, I don't know. I'd think as long as you can keep temperature and humidity where you want them you can;t have too many.

But I also don't think you need very many. In a still air incubator warm air rises. If one vent is near the top that will force air out and cooler air will come in from the room outside. That works even if all your vents are up high. If you also have one down low you can get a pretty good air flow. So I'd try one high and one low but think how you might reduce their size if you have trouble keeping humidity up. Be ready to put tape over part of the hole if it is too big maybe.